This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
On December 4, 2019, a boat carrying 150-180 Gambian migrants to the Canary Islands sank off the coast of Mauritania, resulting in the loss of 60 young lives.
President Adama Barrow described the tragedy as a 'national disaster' and vowed to 'fast track prosecution of cases involving human trafficking.'
He also instructed law enforcement officials to increase surveillance and arrest those involved in human trafficking.
Barrow further stated that funds had been sent to Mauritania to cater to the immediate needs of the survivors and to finance their repatriation.
According to the International Organization for Migration, the sinking off Mauritania is the largest known loss of life along the western migration route this year, and the sixth deadliest migrant capsize globally.
Eighty-three people survived the disaster by swimming ashore.
Barrow's pledge to crack down on human traffickers comes as migrant passages along the route from West African countries to the Canary Islands have increased recently, with 158 people known to have died trying to reach the Canary Islands so far this year, compared to 43 last year.
