Canary Islands' El Hierro declares emergency amid sharp migrant surge

OPA WIRE, Nov 8 (OPA) — Local authorities in El Hierro announced the emergency measure after approximately 30 boats reached the island in less than two weeks. Alpidio Armas, head of the governing council, told Spanish television that the sharp increase in arrivals prompted the decision to establish a formal framework of cooperation with higher-level institutions. The island, which has a resident population of about 11,400, is facing acute shortages of temporary accommodation, while conditions at the local hospital have deteriorated significantly.

Canary Islands regional leader Fernando Clavijo described the situation on Friday as absolutely unsustainable. Maritime rescue services reported picking up 3,261 migrants and refugees off the coast in the first six days of November alone. Clavijo noted that the current arrival pace is approaching the record levels of 2024, with some daily figures exceeding previous peaks. Authorities have diverted buses to manage the surge and brought in additional medical staff from neighboring islands to cope with the influx.

The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands remains one of the most perilous maritime migration corridors in the world. Recent weeks have seen mounting casualties, including two bodies recovered from a boat this week and survivor accounts indicating five additional deaths during the crossing. Overall arrivals reached a record high of more than 46,000 in 2024 before dropping due to heightened surveillance and increased bilateral cooperation with transit nations in North and West Africa.

Spain's Ministry of the Interior reported that 13,327 irregular migrants arrived by sea between January and October, marking a 5.5 percent decrease compared to the same period last year. However, intensified patrols off Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco have displaced departure points further south toward The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea. These shifts result in longer and more hazardous sea voyages, as evidenced by Senegalese police intercepting a vessel carrying 142 migrants off Dakar on Saturday.