Authorities in Guinea-Bissau intercepted 55 West African migrants on Sunday as they attempted the dangerous sea crossing to Spain, according to the country’s interior ministry.
The migrants, comprising 41 men—including a boy of about 10—and 14 women from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Guinea, were halted by the coastguard while travelling in a canoe off the coast near the Cacheu region, close to the Senegalese border.
Guinea-Bissau’s 200-kilometre Atlantic coastline has long been a departure point for migrants aiming to reach Europe via the Spanish Canary Islands. Many use the treacherous Atlantic route, which is notorious for its high death toll due to overcrowded and unseaworthy vessels.
“We intend to pursue the organisers of this journey and hope to identify those behind it,” said coastguard patrol leader Jose Becuque.
The migrants were intercepted near an island in the Cacheu region, a part of the country known for its proximity to the Bijagos archipelago—a sprawling network of about 88 islands, many of them uninhabited, that traffickers often exploit to launch clandestine crossings.
According to Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, nearly 10,500 people either died or went missing at sea in 2024 while attempting to reach Europe.
After a record year in 2024, when 46,843 migrants landed in the Canary Islands, the number of arrivals has declined.
Spanish government figures show 10,882 migrants arrived from January to mid-May this year, marking a 34 per cent drop compared to the same period last year.
