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That’s more than the total number of deaths in what tried to reach Europe by the western route in the Mediterranean during the whole of last year.
At the same time, 4,000 people have reached the Spanish islands safely, according to figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
EU financial support is part of the explanation
The increase in the influx of migrants to the Canary Islands comes after the EU in 2019 started providing financial support to Morocco to prevent migrants from reaching Spain via the Mediterranean.
While the number of immigrants who have reached mainland Spain has decreased by 50% compared to the same period last year, arrivals to the Canary Islands have increased by 550%. Only in August, 850 migrants arrived in the Canary Islands, according to figures obtained by AP.
The numbers are still low compared to the 30,000 migrants who reached the islands in 2006, but they are the highest in more than a decade.
A journey of about 100 kilometers
The trip can last between one and ten days. The closest point on the mainland is Tarfaya in Morocco, which is a journey of about 100 kilometers, while the longest recorded route is from Barra in the Gambia, more than 1,600 kilometers away.
The Spanish Ministry of the Interior does not want to renounce the nationality of those who arrived, but the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that about 35 percent of those arriving by boat come from Mali, where the war against Islamist militants led to military coups in August.
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