Migration monitoring group Ebrima Migrant Situation reported a day of contrasting developments across key migration routes, with safe arrivals in Spain’s Canary Islands, mass interceptions in Libya, and deadly shipwrecks off the North African coast.
Relief in Lanzarote
According to Ebrima Migrant Situation’s Facebook page, two boats carrying a total of 90 migrants arrived safely in Lanzarote, Canary Islands.
- One vessel carried 53 people from sub-Saharan Africa, including 4 women and 1 child. All were reported to be in good health.
- A second boat with 37 people from the Maghreb also reached shore safely, with passengers said to be doing well.
The group noted: “We are relieved that all 90 people reached shore safely. Every life saved is important, and we wish them dignity, protection, and access to the support they need.”
Interceptions off Libya
On the same day, the group highlighted the sixth interception reported on Friday, July 10, by Libya’s Coast Security Agency.
- A boat carrying 51 migrants of different nationalities was stopped west of Tobruk.
- In total, 231 people were intercepted across six operations that day, with four boats stopped off Sirte and three off Tobruk.
Ebrima Migrant Situation warned: “For those intercepted, this is not a rescue. It means being returned to a country where many migrants and refugees face arbitrary detention, violence, abuse, and extortion.”
Tragedies at Sea
Two separate disasters were reported off Libya:
- A boat carrying 27 people drifted for 14 days without food or water. Three bodies were recovered near Benghazi.
- Another vessel with around 60 migrants, including women and children, sank near Albardaa Island, west of Tobruk. Only 10 survivors were found, while about 50 remain missing.
The group asked: “How can a boat disappear for two weeks in one of the most heavily surveilled seas in the world?”
It added: “Every life lost at sea is a reminder that delayed rescue and inadequate protection have devastating human consequences. No one should be left to drift for days without assistance.”
Interception off Mauritania
Later that evening, the Mauritanian Coast Guard intercepted a migrant boat in Nouadhibou that had departed from The Gambia. The vessel carried 169 people, including:
- 147 men, 14 women, and 8 children
- Nationalities: 102 Senegalese, 65 Gambians, and 2 Nigerians
The boat reportedly had no engines, GPS equipment, or fuel at the time of interception. The group said it had obtained the names of those on board and was working to confirm the exact departure point in The Gambia.
