In Madrid, the head of the European Commission and Spain’s Prime Minister are planning to visit Mauritania on Thursday in an effort to aid the West African country in reducing irregular migration to Europe. Officials stated the EU leaders are expected to promise 200 million euros ($215 million) in aid during their meeting with President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani in the capital city of Nouakchott.
With concern growing over a surge in migrant departures, the issue of migration is anticipated to dominate discussions in the upcoming June European Parliament elections. Additionally, there has been an increase in anti-immigration rhetoric from right-wing parties.
Against the backdrop of an increase in migration pressure and instability in the Sahel region, Mauritania’s strategic importance has grown, prompting Spain to seek to support the country and strengthen ties through the EU. According to a Spanish government source, they hope to increase assistance to Mauritanian authorities for border security, although they do not plan to send additional police.
Spain has deployed police officers in Mauritania since 2006, following a significant inflow of migrants that prompted a revision of migration policy, with a focus on providing financial and security aid to the countries from which the boats departed.
Statistics show that the number of migrants entering Spain irregularly by sea surged by nearly 300% in January, with the majority arriving in the Canary Islands. Notably, about 83% of the dinghy boats arriving in the archipelago departed from Mauritania. This spike follows a record number of attempted migrant arrivals in Europe via the Spanish archipelago last year.
Mauritania, which is home to fewer than five million people and is affected by widespread poverty, has been dealing with the influx of tens of thousands of people from neighboring Mali since 2012. Security, humanitarian aid, migration programs, and economic development are among the other topics that are expected to be on the agenda during Thursday’s talks.
(Reporting by Joan Faus, additional reporting by Gabriela Baczynska and Alessandra Prentice; Editing by Charlie Devereux)
