By Omar Bah
Spain signed bilateral memorandum of understanding on “circular migration” with The Gambia on Wednesday,
establishing a framework for regular entry into Spain based on labour needs, with an emphasis on young people and women. The two countries also signed joint declarations expressing their commitment to promote “safe, orderly and regular migration”. “We want to be close like friends and partners, working alongside each other in areas that are very important for both our societies,” Sanchez said during the event in Banjul.
“In peace, security, sustainable development, in inclusive and resilient growth to achieve orderly, safe and regular mobility, which is one of the shared challenges that our societies face,” he said.
Nearly every day, Spain’s coastguard rescues a boat carrying dozens of African migrants towards the Canary Islands off the northwest coast of Africa.
The Atlantic route is perilous due to the strong currents, with thousands of deaths and disappearances every year on overloaded, often unseaworthy boats.
Mauritania, The Gambia and Senegal are key departure points for a large proportion of the boats.
Madrid estimates there are some 200,000 people in Mauritania waiting to make the crossing to the Canaries.
Between January 1 and August 15 this year, 22,304 migrants reached the islands, compared with 9,864 in the same period in 2023 – an increase of 126 percent, according to interior ministry figures.
Across all of Spain, there were 31,155 arrivals up to mid-August, a 66.2-percent increase on the 18,745 a year earlier.
Also, since 2014 at least 4,857 people have died or disappeared while trying to reach the Canary Islands, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
Sanchez said he wanted to give new impetus to Spain’s relations with Africa during his trip to Banjul, where he was making the first official visit by a Spanish head of government since the establishment of bilateral relations.
He also visited Spanish Guardia Civil and police officers deployed at the port of Banjul in the name of cooperation on migration and anti-trafficking.
Sanchez vowed that Spain would launch a new strategy for relations with Africa in the coming weeks, indicating that West Africa and the Sahel would be considered priority regions.
The two governments express their desire to contribute to regional peace and stability and to the resolution of conflicts on the African continent, particularly in the Sahel.
The Spanish prime minister recognises the privileged position of The Gambia in the region as a key stakeholder among Muslim countries in its capacity as chair of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).
The two countries undertake to work to ensure that the next summit between the African Union and the European Union is held as soon as possible so as to strengthen relations between the two organizations.
