Guinea-Bissau intercepts 55 migrants bound for Spain

Guinea-Bissau's coastguard intercepted 55 West African migrants on Sunday as they tried to reach Spain via the perilous Atlantic route, the interior ministry told AFP.

Guinea-Bissau's 200-kilometre (124 miles) coastline has long served as a launch point for many African migrants seeking to reach Europe via the Spanish Canary Islands.

Thousands have died on the journey in recent years, aboard overcrowded and often outdated vessels.

Jose Becuque, who led the coastguard patrol that stopped their canoe, said the group consisted of 41 men, including a boy aged around 10, and 14 women – all from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal and Guinea.

Deadly journey

They were caught near an island in the Cacheu region, in western Guinea-Bissau near the Senegal border.

"We will try to track down the organisers of this trip. We will probably have the chance to identify these criminals," Becuque said by phone.

Migrants on their way to Europe often go through the Bijagos or Bissagos archipelago of some 88 islands scattered along its Atlantic coast, many of them uninhabited.

Nearly 10,500 migrants died or vanished at sea in 2024 according to Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras.

Arrivals in Spain reduce

Arrivals in the Canaries have slowed after a record 2024, when 46,843 migrants reached the islands.

Some 10,882 arrived from January to mid-May, down 34% year-on-year, according to Spain's interior ministry.