UN says 144 migrants and refugees reported dead or missing off the coast of Mauritania

What the report says

France 24, citing AFP and the UN refugee agency, reported that 144 migrants and refugees were dead or missing after maritime incidents off Mauritania in the week before Tuesday, July 21, 2026. UNHCR said three rescue and disembarkation operations took place between July 14 and 18 in Nouadhibou, bringing 387 people of different nationalities to safety.

The largest reported loss involved a boat that UNHCR said had left Bufalo, Gambia, for Spain and was rescued on Saturday after almost 25 days at sea. According to the agency, 143 people from that vessel were reported dead or missing, while 38 survived. Among those brought ashore were two children who had lost all family members during the crossing. UNHCR also reported one death linked to another disembarkation on July 14.

UNHCR spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told reporters in Geneva that the deaths and disappearances underscored the human cost of attempts to travel by sea from West Africa toward Europe. The agency described the Atlantic route toward Spain’s Canary Islands as exceptionally dangerous because of long distances, changing ocean conditions, overcrowded and unsafe boats, and difficulties reaching vessels quickly for rescue.

France 24 reported that, so far in 2026, UNHCR had recorded 17 disembarkations in Nouadhibou and Nouakchott, with 2,147 people rescued. The agency also said arrivals to the Canary Islands had fallen 61 percent compared with 2025, with 4,400 arrivals recorded by July 15. The report highlights continuing fatalities even as overall arrivals on the route have declined.