Ursula von der Leyen, the leader of the European Commission, and Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, have announced a €210m collaboration with Mauritania in hopes of reducing illegal immigration to the Canary Islands and initiating joint energy and infrastructure initiatives that will benefit both parties.
The upcoming data from Frontex, the European Union’s border agency, is anticipated to reveal a significant increase in the number of individuals risking their lives to travel from western African coasts to the Spanish islands in the past year.
The leaders of the European Union gathered with President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani of Mauritania on Thursday morning for a meeting focused on addressing security, migration, and stability issues in the Sahel region.
Von der Leyen praised Ghazouani for the assistance his country is providing to 150,000 refugees. She promised to provide humanitarian aid as part of the agreement and expressed optimism about finalizing it in the spring.
She also declared plans to provide financial aid for a newly proposed power line connecting the capital to the south-east region of the nation, as well as plans for road improvements in the northern region. These developments are intended to support Mauritania’s efforts to harness wind, solar, and hydrogen energy resources in collaboration with the European Union.
Furthermore, she mentioned that there will be assistance in training defense forces to aid in the protection of the border with Mali. She emphasized the importance of Mauritania’s role in maintaining stability in the Sahel region, which is currently in a fragile state.
The EU has shown interest in enhancing security in western Africa, where China and Russia have traditionally viewed investment in infrastructure as a means of gaining influence. France’s influence in countries like Mali and Burkina Faso is believed to have decreased significantly.
According to Sánchez, Mauritania is a key player in maintaining stability in the Sahel region, which is vital for Spain and Europe. He expressed concern over the decline of democratic governments, increase in terrorist attacks, rise in refugees and internally displaced people, and worsening food security crisis in the area.
In October of last year, the EU and Ghazouani reached an agreement to support Mauritania’s efforts to decarbonize through foreign investment, with the backing of the European Investment Bank.
Von der Leyen also mentioned the numerous “deceitful snares” that migrants and refugees may encounter, characterizing the Atlantic route for human trafficking as “one of the most perilous globally”.
The west African country, along with its southern neighbour, Senegal, is a significant embarkation point for thousands of people seeking to reach the Canaries. Sources say the route is now the “most active” for people-smugglers luring travellers into high-risk journeys to the EU.
According to the Spanish interior ministry, in January, the number of people smuggled across the 900-mile stretch of water increased to 7,270 from 566 in the same month in 2023. This data was released last week.
Sánchez stated his commitment to enhancing current cooperation on border security between the two nations and “examine potential avenues to facilitate legal migration.”
Source: theguardian.com
