Violence Surges on Atlantic Migration Route Even as Canary Islands Arrivals Plummet

The Atlantic migration route between West Africa and Spain's Canary Islands has long been considered one of the world's deadliest corridors for irregular migration. Now, even as crossing numbers have declined sharply, a different crisis is emerging: escalating violence aboard the overcrowded boats that still make the journey.

Ismael Ouattara's story illustrates the human toll. The Ivorian man watched his one-year-old daughter die in his arms during a crossing from southern Morocco toward Tenerife . The following morning, his wife failed to wake up. "I think it was because of the shock of her death," Ouattara told Deutsche Welle Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. What followed was equally harrowing — fellow passengers disposed of the bodies without ceremony. "The dead were simply thrown into the sea immediately," he recalled Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

Ouattara's experience, though it occurred four years ago, reflects conditions that persist on the route today. Multiple survivors describe similarly volatile situations aboard the boats Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

A Steep Drop in Numbers, but Not in Danger

Official figures from Spain's Interior Ministry show that irregular arrivals to the Canary Islands fell from approximately 46,850 in 2024 to around 17,800 in 2025 — a decline of 62% Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. Across all Spanish territory, undocumented arrivals dropped 42.6%, from 64,019 to 36,775.

Observers attribute the decrease primarily to strengthened cooperation between the European Union and transit countries, particularly Morocco and Mauritania Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has publicly credited Morocco's migration cooperation as a model for EU policy, stating that close coordination with Rabat has "very significantly" reduced irregular arrivals. Spain's 2022 endorsement of Morocco's Western Sahara autonomy plan accelerated this bilateral relationship.

Circular migration agreements signed with Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia in September 2024 have also provided legal pathways for temporary workers, reducing pressure on irregular routes.

However, the tighter controls along the Moroccan coast have had unintended consequences. Some migration flows have shifted toward Algeria, with arrivals to Spain's Balearic Islands increasing 24.5% in 2025.

Violence at Sea: A Growing Crisis

While fewer people are making the crossing, those who do face increasingly dangerous conditions. Reports of extreme violence and killings aboard migrant boats have surged Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

Mohammed Manga, a young Gambian who reached the Canary Islands in 2023, described chaos on his vessel. "There was a lot of violence on our boat," he told DW. "On the fourth day at sea, some panicked and accused each other of being witches" Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. Though no one died in that particular incident, many were injured, and no one was ever held accountable.

More recent cases have been far deadlier. In autumn 2025, Spanish police arrested 19 people after approximately 50 passengers died on a boat traveling between Senegal and Gran Canaria . Survivors reported that the suspects attacked dozens of passengers, beating them to death and in some cases throwing living people overboard. It remains unclear whether the perpetrators were members of smuggling networks or simply fellow passengers Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

The Spanish National Police declined to comment on the incidents when contacted by DW Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

Legal Barriers to Justice

Loueila Sin Ahmed Ndiaye, a lawyer based in the Canary Islands who regularly handles cases of onboard violence, explained that prosecuting these crimes faces multiple structural obstacles Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

First, jurisdictional questions arise because the crimes typically occur outside Spanish territorial waters and do not involve Spanish citizens Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. Second, witness testimony is deeply unreliable. "The numerous police reports we have read show that people lose their sense of time. The cold, the uncertainty, no land in sight, the fear — all of this can significantly impair their mental health," Sin Ahmed Ndiaye told DW Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

Contradictions between accounts are common because passengers experience events differently depending on their position on the vessel. "It makes a difference whether someone was sitting at the front or the back of the boat, so the statements often don't paint a coherent picture," she said Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

Furthermore, many survivors refuse to cooperate with Spanish authorities. Some distrust the lawyers provided to them. "After 10 to 14 days at sea, they are terrified, and the last thing they want is to be subjected to a court case and burden their fellow passengers," Sin Ahmed Ndiaye explained Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe..

The most vulnerable — children, unaccompanied minors, and women — tend to suffer the worst consequences, the lawyer stressed Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. In the vast majority of cases, perpetrators face no prosecution and victims receive no compensation.

A Policy Success with Human Costs

The Spanish government has framed its migration management as a success story. Sánchez has noted that roughly 90% of migrants enter Spain through regular channels and that migrants contribute approximately 10% of Spain's social security revenues while accounting for just 1% of expenditures.

Spain has also moved to regularize the status of up to 500,000 undocumented migrants already living in the country — a decision that contrasts sharply with the EU's broader shift toward stricter border controls.

Yet critics argue that the focus on reducing arrival numbers through externalized border enforcement fails to address the root causes of migration or the conditions faced by those still attempting the crossing. The International Organization for Migration has consistently identified the Atlantic route as the deadliest in the world, with thousands dying or going missing each year in waters where rescue operations are sparse.

For Ouattara, who has rebuilt his life on the Canary Islands with his surviving older daughter, the loss remains raw. "I only have the memories left, no grave to which I could bring flowers," he said Migrants from Africa brave deadly Canary Islands crossingdw.com·SecondaryThe boat carrying Ismael Outtara and his family had been adrift in the Atlantic Ocean between southern Morocco and the island of Tenerife for several days. And then within 24 hours his 1-year-old daughter and his wife died. "My daughter died in my arms," Outtara told DW. "The next morning, my wife simply didn't wake up. I think it was because of the shock of her death." Like thousands of people, Ouattara and his family had left Cote d'Ivoire to find more sustainable conditions in Europe.. "That makes the situation particularly difficult for me to bear."