The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Deadly West Atlantic shipwreck highlights victims’ desperation, says UN refugee agency
News of another deadly shipwreck tragedy off the coast of Mauritania is a clear indication of the desperation people on the move continue to face as they attempt to escape strife, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Friday.
The UN agency’s comments follow reports on Monday that dozens of people are missing after a boat carrying hundreds of people capsized in the waters off the coast of the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott.
Recent months have continued to see a surge in the number of people setting out from north and west African countries including Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco. Their final destination is often the Canary Islands.
“UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has resulted in the deaths and disappearances of numerous people off the coast of Mauritania,” said spokesperson Shabia Mantoo. “The vessel, which was following the West Atlantic route, capsized near Nouakchott, claiming the lives of at least 15 people with many others still missing.”
According to the UN migration agency, IOM, approximately 300 people including women and children boarded a wooden “pirogue” boat in The Gambia, spending seven days at sea before the tragedy happened. Ms. Mantoo noted that this was the second deadly shipwreck in the region reported this month, after one at the start of July.
The so-called “West Atlantic route” off the coast of west Africa “is one of the deadliest routes in the world, with thousands of migrants and refugees drowning in recent years”, the UNHCR official told journalists in Geneva.
Since June last year, more than 76 boats with approximately 6,130 survivors have disembarked in Mauritania, while around 190 perished at sea before the two latest tragedies.
The UN agency reiterated its calls to the international community to support legal solutions for people in danger or in dire situations so that they can move across countries and continents without risking their lives, as is increasingly the case.
“We do see a phenomena of these movements being taken by people who are extremely vulnerable, they're desperate, their desperation and vulnerability sometimes exploited by smugglers, by traffickers, by others,” Ms. Mantoo said. “So, there are a variety of modalities that are resorted to, but really it speaks to the desperation in people resorting to these journeys because there are simply what they perceive to be no safer pathways.”
She added: “We are calling for action to address this as there have been many tragedies in this region and in others at sea and also on land. But there should be accountability indeed, for anyone that that profits off the desperation of others.”
According to the UN migration agency, from 1 January to 15 July 2024 alone, more than 19,700 migrants arrived irregularly in the Canary Islands using this route compared to the same period in 2023, when 7,590 migrants were recorded - an increase of 160 per cent.
IOM’s Missing Migrants Project has recorded more than 4,500 deaths and disappearances on this route since 2014, including over 950 deaths last year, the second deadliest on record.
-
STORY: West Atlantic shipwreck – UNHCR
TRT: min 19s
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 26 JULY 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST- Exterior medium: UN Geneva flag alley.
- Wide: Press room, podium speakers to rear.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, is deeply saddened by this tragic shipwreck that has resulted in the deaths and disappearances of numerous people off the coast of Mauritania. The vessel, which was following the West Atlantic route, capsized near Nouakchott, claiming the lives of at least 15 people with many others are still missing.”
- Medium: Press room, podium speakers.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “This is the second deadly shipwreck in the region that has been reported this month, with another that was recorded at the start of July.”
- Medium-wide: Press room monitors.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “The West Atlantic route is one of the deadliest routes in the world, with thousands of migrants and refugees drowning in recent years. Since June last year, more than 76 boats with approximately 6,130 survivors have disembarked in Mauritania, while around 190 have perished at sea before these two latest tragedies.”
- Medium-wide, Press room speakers, journalists.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “We do see a phenomena of these movements being taken by people who are extremely vulnerable, they're desperate, their desperation and vulnerability sometimes exploited by smugglers, by traffickers, by others. So, there are a variety of modalities that are resorted to, but really it speaks to the desperation in people resorting to these journeys because there are simply what they perceive to be no safer pathways.”
- Medium-wide: Press room podium.
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson, UN refugee agency (UNHCR): “We are calling for action to address this as there have been many tragedies in this region and in others at sea and also on land. But there should be accountability indeed, for anyone that that profits off the desperation of others.”
- Medium, participant.
- Medium, participants.
- Medium, technician behind glass showing UNHCR speaker’s reflection.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Friday made the following remarks on Israel’s military ground incursions and displacement orders in Lebanon.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , IOM , WHO
The escalating war in the Middle East has heightened growing concerns about further civilian suffering and displacement in the region and far beyond, UN agencies said on Friday.
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights chief Volker Türk made the following remarks at a press stake out on the current situation in the Middle East.
“The crisis sparked in the Middle East one week ago following US and Israeli attacks on Iran, and Iran’s counterattacks, has been spreading like wildfire. It is causing significant damage in Iran, Israel and at least a dozen other countries, mostly in the Gulf, with risks of major economic and environmental ramifications across the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on Tuesday made the following remarks on the current situation in the Middle-East.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP
Schoolgirls killed, thousands displaced, aid routes compromised: UN humanitarians deplore effects of new Middle East war
On the fourth day of Israeli and United States airstrikes against Iran and amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East, the UN urgently called for protection of civilians and warned of growing displacement and humanitarian needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | IOM
Well over 1.3 million people have fled Sudan’s ongoing war for South Sudan, the UN migration agency, IOM, reported on Friday, amid rising violence and a massive humanitarian emergency linked to the country’s political crisis.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC , OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday presented to the 61st Human Rights Council his global update on the human rights situation.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday presented to the UN Human Rights Council a new report on the human rights situation in occupied Palestinian territory.
2
1
2
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday briefed the Human Rights Council in Geneva on the human rights situation in Sudan: “Nearly three years of brutal conflict have almost turned Sudan into a land of despair. The report I am presenting today is yet another chapter in the chronicle of cruelty. It outlines clear, ongoing patterns of violence against civilians, including killings, rape, and torture. As the fighting has intensified, violations of international law by all parties to the conflict have surged, while accountability has remained practically absent,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Thursday told the Human Rights Council in Geneva today: “Afghanistan is a graveyard for human rights. The cascade of edicts and laws announced by the de facto authorities since coming to power in 2021 is having a crushing impact on the Afghan people, particularly women and girls.”
3
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS , OCHA , UNHCR
Ukraine enters fifth year of war: Attacks and displacement deepen human suffering amid mounting recovery challenges
On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, UN officials took stock of the immense human and economic toll of the conflict while appealing to the world to “never get used to war.”
2
27
2
2
Edited News , Press Conferences , Images | General Assembly , UNITED NATIONS
The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops on 24 February 2022 shattered the peaceful aspirations of an entire continent, but war must never be the new normal, UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on Tuesday.