MSF assists migrants in distress who disembarked on West African shores - Mauritania

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) says its teams in Mauritania and Senegal helped 1,046 people who had survived attempted Atlantic crossings toward the Canary Islands during the last week of August. The survivors disembarked in vulnerable condition in Nouadhibou (Mauritania) and in Rosso and Dakar (Senegal), having been onboard seven distressed boats that left The Gambia. MSF, working with the Mauritanian Red Crescent in Nouadhibou and the International Organization for Migration in Rosso and Dakar, provided emergency medical care plus essential items and urgent mental health support. Reported conditions included extreme dehydration, unconsciousness, bone fractures, extreme fatigue, and skin, gastric and respiratory infections after prolonged time at sea. The group included 134 women, including one who was pregnant, and 88 minors. MSF also documented allegations of violence along the route. MSF urged West African and European governments to establish safe and legal pathways for migration.