Nine migrants from Mali and Mauritania were found dead on an African boat off the northern coast of Brazil’s Amazon region. The bodies were discovered by fishermen off the coast of Para, and were already decomposing. The victims were buried in a solemn ceremony in Belem, the state capital of Para, led by various organizations, including the U.N. Refugee Agency and the Red Cross. The boat, measuring roughly 12 meters, was found adrift and had 25 raincoats and 27 mobile phones on board, indicating the original number of passengers was likely higher.
The boat in question was a blue-and-white fiberglass vessel without a motor, tiller, or rudder, resembling Mauritanian fishing boats often used by migrants crossing to the European Union via Spain’s Canary Islands. An investigation revealed that several similar boats carrying dead bodies were found in 2021 in the Caribbean and Brazil. Authorities are conducting forensic examinations to identify the victims, with the possibility of exhuming them at a later date if families are located. The Federal Police are collaborating with Interpol and foreign organizations to provide updates on the investigation’s progress.
The number of people attempting the dangerous crossing from northwest Africa to the EU has seen a 500% increase this year, with most departures originating from Mauritania. Factors driving migrants to embark on such perilous journeys include a lack of economic opportunity, climate change impacts, insecurity, and political instability. More than 14,000 African migrants have reached the Canary Islands in Spain in 2022, prompting a joint EU-Mauritania agreement to combat people smuggling and deter migrant boats. Families in Mauritania are anxiously awaiting news from Brazil on the missing migrants.
Bachirou Saw from Mauritania has experienced the tragedy of losing a nephew who died during the Atlantic crossing to El Hierro. He is now searching for another missing nephew who set off on the same journey in January. Saw, who has lived in Europe for 30 years, is actively working to dissuade young men from taking the dangerous boat route by informing them of the risks. He collaborates with other concerned individuals to track missing migrants, organize trips to Morocco, and visit morgues and prisons to search for information on their whereabouts. The emotional toll on families with missing loved ones is immense, with half the villages celebrating arrivals in Spain and the other half grieving losses at sea.
