More than 8,000 migrants disembarked in November in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the northwest coast of Africa, which could be a record in a month, according to figures provided Thursday, December 3 by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. .
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The 8,157 arrivals recorded in November bring to nearly 20,000 the number of migrants who have joined the archipelago since the beginning of the year, often after a perilous trip in the Atlantic Ocean on makeshift boats.
This figure is ten times higher than the total for 2019 (with 1993 arrivals throughout the year), the consequence being that the facilities and places of temporary accommodation are overwhelmed by this influx.
The situation is reminiscent of the migration crisis of 2006, when 30,000 migrants landed in the archipelago, but at the time, said a spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, arrivals were not recorded. month by month.
The Spanish government has launched an emergency plan to create 7,000 temporary accommodation places in the Canaries with 84 million euros in European funds, in addition to accommodating migrants in hotels and tourist complexes that have remained empty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The country has also started diplomatic negotiations with several African countries to prevent as much as possible the departure of migrants to the Canaries.
The “Atlantic route” to access Europe was reactivated in 2020 after the EU concluded migration agreements with Turkey, Libya and Morocco which had the effect of blocking the Mediterranean route.
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