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Doha – A vessel carrying approximately 80 migrants sank in Moroccan waters on December 19, leaving 70 people missing, including 25 Malians, according to an official statement from Mali’s government on Thursday.
“Twenty-five young Malians are unfortunately identified among the victims,” the Malian government confirmed, citing information gathered from “embassies in Mauritania and Morocco, victims’ families, local officials, and survivors.”
Of the eleven people rescued from the ill-fated journey toward Spain, nine were identified as Malian nationals. The vessel was attempting to reach Spanish territory when it encountered difficulties off the Moroccan coast.
This incident adds to a growing toll in what has become a record year for migration attempts through this route. “More than 10,400 migrants have died trying to reach Spain since 2024,” reports Caminando Fronteras, a Spanish migration NGO. This translates to “an average of about 30 deaths per day,” making 2024 the deadliest year in the organization’s records.
The Atlantic route, particularly to the Canary Islands, has proven especially dangerous. While the shortest distance between Morocco’s southern coastal town of Tarfaya and Fuerteventura in the Canaries is about 100 kilometers, smugglers often opt for longer, more perilous routes to avoid detection.
The human cost has been particularly severe this year, with the NGO documenting 421 women and 1,538 children and adolescents among the casualties. “These figures highlight a profound failure of rescue and protection systems,” said Helena Maleno, the report’s coordinator, who described it as “an inadmissible tragedy.”
According to The General Directorate of National Security (DGSN) annual report released this week, the police disrupted 123 human trafficking networks, an increase of 2% from the previous year, and prevented 32,449 attempted illegal migration cases.
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