The EU is debating the issue of migration in Granada, Spain, with its eyes on the Italian island of Lampedusa. But now the situation is also getting worse in the Canary Islands. El Hierro demands help from the EU.
Hundreds of migrants have been arriving in the Canary Islands for days and the number is increasing every day. On Friday alone, a total of 518 migrants traveling in six boats off the coast of the Spanish Atlantic archipelago had been rescued since midnight, the Spanish maritime rescue service said.
The small island of El Hierro, in particular, is posing major problems due to the increase in migrant arrivals. According to the agency, 277 of the 518 people were taken to a safe location near El Hierro and then taken to the island. This means that the number of people arriving irregularly in El Hierro since Tuesday has increased to almost 1,500.
The island has around 11,000 inhabitants and claims it cannot deal with such an influx of migrants. Some media are already talking about the “Spanish Lampedusa”.
The Red Cross takes care of migrants who arrived on the island of El Hierro.
“Spanish Lampedusa”
According to official information, a total of 484 men, eight women and 26 minors were taken to safety on Friday. The vast majority come from countries south of the Sahara, he said.
The increase in arrivals to the Canary Islands is believed to be linked to the political and social crisis in Senegal. The situation is “unsustainable”, the Prime Minister of the Canaries, Fernando Clavijo, told the Antena 3 television station. The conservative politician accused the left-wing central government of inaction. “We are stunned and perplexed by the silence of a Spanish government that appears completely indifferent to developments surrounding migration and the pressures facing all of the Canary Islands,” he said.
Island asks Madrid for help
It is not known why most of the migrant boats on the so-called Canary route have recently headed towards El Hierro. According to authorities, hundreds of migrants have now been taken to other, much larger Canary Islands, such as Tenerife. However, the government of the island of El Hierro demanded “extraordinary and urgent” measures from Madrid and the EU.
“The Herreños are a helpful and sensitive people who know firsthand what emigration means. But they are not prepared in terms of area, population or resources to deal with such a large number of migrants,” one message said.
According to the Spanish humanitarian organization Caminando Fronteras, at least 951 migrants died trying to reach Spain by sea in the first six months of the year. Thus, 778 of them were not recorded in the Mediterranean, but on the route from West Africa to the Canary Islands.