News

Migrants On Flimsy Boats Leave Tangier Coast For Spain

Published

7 years ago

August 18, 2017

More migrants are choosing to set sail for Spain from Morocco immediately to the east and west of the city of Tangier.

It has become known as the “Tangier Triangle”. In the west, migrants mainly leave in the type of boat commonly seen on other European smuggling routes – small fishing boats and motorised rubber dinghies.

To the east of Tangier, migrants are crossing the Strait of Gibraltar in cheaper options: tiny, rubber paddle boats, with no motor and no need for smugglers and their fees.

Ben Khadair, from the Ivory Coast, said he put in €20 (£18; $23) to contribute to the €100 cost of a “toy boat” bought from a local shop. He and ten others spent 14 hours paddling in a boat designed for four, in a voyage he described as “suicidal”.

He made it to a beach in Spain’s southernmost city, Tarifa, but the majority don’t make it to shore. Nor do they need to. Some aim only for Spanish waters, where they float and call for help.

This routine is now familiar. Some migrants are even using social media to alert the coastguard, dropping a Whatsapp location pin.