[Published: Saturday October 17 2026]
 Unsafe passage of migrants to Europe
GENEVA, 17 Oct. - (ANA) - Fewer people from West Africa are reaching Europe by sea, but the journey has not become safer, the UN migration agency (IOM) said on Tuesday.
Arrivals from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and The Gambia fell by 59 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, to 4,566 people.
But the drivers of migration persist. West Africans made up a growing share of arrivals on the Mediterranean routes, accounting for 21.9 per cent on the Western route, up from 15.6 per cent, pointing to a shifting landscape.
Longer journeys, same dangers
On the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, arrivals fell 62 per cent between 2024 and 2025, yet recorded deaths and disappearances barely changed – 1,172 compared with 1,215.
Tighter controls in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal are pushing departures south, adding up to 750 kilometres to crossings of around 2,200 km.
“No single country can solve this alone,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope. “We need to protect migrants wherever they are.” - (ANA) -
AB/ANA/17 October 2026 - - -
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