Authorities in the West African nation of Mauritania have rescued 110 migrants, including women and children, after their vessel broke down off the coast of the capital Nouakchott during an attempted sea crossing toward Europe.
According to Mauritania’s Fisheries Ministry, the Coast Guard carried out the rescue operation overnight on June 2 after the canoe, believed to have set off from Banjul in The Gambia, suffered engine failure about eight nautical miles offshore.
The occupants are said to have alerted the Coast Guard shortly after the vessel developed engine failure, prompting the Mauritanian Coast Guard Rescue Unit in Nouakchott to quickly launch a rescue operation.
“The Mauritanian Coast Guard managed to rescue and take care of a boat carrying non-regulated migrants, which was coming from the Gambian capital, Banjul,” the Ministry said in a statement.
“The rescue operation started at 1:00 am and continued until 9:00 am, where the intervention was carried out in a highly professional manner and in difficult climatic conditions.”
Those rescued included 80 Malians, 12 Senegalese, 10 Gambians, 12 Ivorians, four Mauritanians, and one Nigerian. The group comprised 98 men, 12 women, and three minors
“The Coast Guard Forces have dealt with all rescued migrants in accordance with legal and humanitarian procedures carried out by them, in line with national and international commitments related to maritime rescue operations,” the Ministry said.
Global migration by sea continues to claim thousands of lives each year, with the United Nations (UN) warning that irregular routes remain among the deadliest paths for people seeking better opportunities abroad.
According to recent data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), at least 7,667 people died or went missing on migration routes worldwide in 2025.
Speaking in February, UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said sea crossings accounted for a significant share of the fatalities, including more than 2,100 deaths in the Mediterranean and over 1,200 along the West Africa–Atlantic route toward the Canary Islands.
Although the figures show a decline from the previous year, when nearly 9,200 deaths were recorded, UN officials have warned that the true number is likely higher due to gaps in reporting and limited access to information from rescue operations and remote maritime routes.
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