Mauritania intercepts a boat carrying 193 migrants off the coast of Nouakchott
Mauritania intercepts migrant boat
Written by: Ayman Ragab
The Mauritanian coast guard announced on Saturday that it had intercepted a boat carrying 193 irregular migrants off the coast of the capital Nouakchott, as they attempted to reach the Spanish Canary Islands.
The Coast Guard explained in a statement that the operation was part of the monitoring and rescue missions it carries out in Mauritanian territorial waters, where one of its units managed to intercept a boat near the waters adjacent to the fish market in Nouakchott, which had set off from the Gambian capital, Banjul, with 193 irregular migrants on board.
184 people from Gambia
The statement indicated that the migrants belonged to several nationalities, including 184 people from Gambia, 6 from Senegal, in addition to one migrant each from Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Benin.
According to official data, the migrants include 154 men, one of whom was taken to the hospital to receive the necessary health care, along with 27 women, one of whom died, as well as 12 minors, including 7 children.
Providing essential humanitarian aid to migrants
The Mauritanian Coast Guard confirmed that it immediately provided the necessary humanitarian assistance to the migrants upon stopping the boat, and took care of their health and humanitarian conditions, noting that they were dealt with in accordance with the applicable legal procedures and humanitarian obligations, in line with national laws and international conventions related to maritime rescue operations and the protection of lives at sea.
