Ship accident at Nouadhibou

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Approximate location of the accident site (Mauritania)
Approximate location of the accident site
Approximate location of the accident site

In the shipwreck near Nouadhibou on December 4, 2019, a boat sank near the Mauritanian city of Nouadhibou . At least 62 of the 195 passengers died. 85 people were able to save themselves on land. The boat was on its way from Gambia to the Canary Islands .

bad luck

As the International Organization for Migration (IOM) announced, a fishing boat sank about 25 km north of the Mauritanian city of Nouadhibou on December 4 as it approached the Mauritanian coast. About 195 migrants were said to have been on board the ship. First 58, later 62 fatalities were confirmed, including probably the captain of the ship. 85 people, including two women and at least 10 minors, could have swim on land. The survivors were cared for by the IOM. 79 of the survivors came from Gambia, six from Senegal . 54 people were missing, including 12 Senegalese. Most of the passengers were between 20 and 30 years old.

The ship cast off on November 27th in the Gambian port city of Barra and was en route to the Canary Islands . It wanted to dock in Mauritania to take fuel and food on board. Several dozen of the victims came from Barra and surrounding areas.

According to a media report, the owner of the ship asked for $ 700 per passenger and fled with $ 130,000.

Reactions

The Gambian President Adama Barrow described the accident as a national tragedy and promised that the guilty would be prosecuted. He also announced support for the survivors. The Gambian police later reported that they wanted to set up a task force.

The African Commission on Human Rights and the Rights of the Peoples (ACHPR) called on the Gambian government to take action against the causes of flight.

background

According to the IOM, 158 migrants have died in 11 ship accidents on the African west coast between Cape Verde and the Canary Islands in 2019 . Between 2005 and 2010 the number of deaths was even higher, as many people tried to reach the Canary Islands to apply for asylum there.

According to the IOM, around 35,000 people from Gambia fled to Europe between 2014 and 2018. The country was repressively ruled by Yahya Jammeh until January 2017 and suffers from economic problems leading to emigration. This is why many young Gambians are considering emigration.

Two days after the shipwreck, another boat carrying 190 Gambian migrants was stopped by the Mauritanian authorities. The passengers were brought back to Gambia together with the survivors.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Fifty-eight Migrants Confirmed Dead After Boat from The Gambia Capsizes Near Coast of Mauritania. December 5, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  2. ↑ a b Death Toll from Mauritania Ship Sinking Mounts as Support to Survivors Gathers Momentum. December 6, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  3. ↑ a b Ebrima Dampha: 58 Dead, 83 Rescued, 54 Missing In Gambia Boat Disaster. In: The Standard Newspaper. December 6, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ a b c The Associated Press: At Least 58 Migrants Drown After Boat Capsizes Off Mauritania . In: The New York Times . December 5, 2019, ISSN  0362-4331 ( nytimes.com [accessed January 9, 2020]).
  5. ↑ a b AfricaNews: Gambia probes 'national tragedy' as 60 nationals drown in Mauritania. December 8, 2019, accessed January 9, 2020 .
  6. ↑ a b c d Gambia's coastal town shocked by boat wreck in Mauritania. Retrieved January 9, 2020 .
  7. ^ A b African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights Pressrelease. Retrieved January 9, 2020 .