Among the rescued migrants were three women and two children, the Moroccan navy said. They had left Mauritania on February 10, they told authorities.

The number of irregular migrants departing for the Canary Islands for Mauritania has been on the rise lately. 

According to Spanish officials, 80% of the dinghies and small boats that reached the Spanish archipelago off the African coast in January had departed from Mauritania.

Last week, the EU agreed to grant Mauritania a €210 million package to manage migration as well as humanitarian aid and opportunities for youth.

Also read: Canary Islands: 108 migrants rescued

From Morocco to Mauritania

In contrast last year, the majority of migrant boats arriving in the Canaries came from Morocco; in 2023, the Moroccan navy rescued a total of 16,818 people at sea, according to official figures.

Meanwhile, recent data from the Spanish Interior Ministry shows that the number of migrants reaching the Canaries from West Africa has risen seven-fold so far this year compared to the same period in 2023.

Also read: Identifying dead migrants on Spain's Canary Islands

Canary Islands on high alert

A total of 11,704 irregular migrants have reached the archipelago between January 1 and February 15, compared with just over 1,600 who arrived in the same period in 2023, the ministry said.

If this trend were to continue, the island group could receive up to 70,000 migrants this year.

The Canaries already had a record-breaking number of migrant arrivals of almost 40,000 in 2023, according to regional head Fernando Clavijo.

Hans Leijtens, head of Frontex, the EU's external border agency, told the Reuters news agency last week that the route to the Canary Islands was now the busiest irregular route from western Africa into the EU.

Migrant rights group Walking Borders says that more than 6,000 people lost their lives on that route last year alone.

Also read: Spain resumes joint operations with Frontex

with Reuters