The head of the Canarian government is “stunned”. The small island of El Hierro, in particular, does not know what to do with the numerous migrants and feels abandoned by Madrid.
ANNOUNCEMENT
The increase in the arrival of hundreds of migrants that has been occurring for days is posing major problems to the Canary Islands and especially to the small island of El Hierro. 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.
It stated that 277 of these migrants 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 a good 11,000 inhabitants and, according to its own statements, cannot deal with such an influx of migrants. Some media are already talking about the “Spanish Lampedusa”.
According to official information, a total of 484 men, 8 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, said on Friday to the Antena 3 television channel. 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.
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 island’s government 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,” said one of them.
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. The majority of deaths (778) were not recorded in the Mediterranean, but on the route from West Africa to the Canary Islands.