Guinea-Bissau’s coastguard intercepted 55 West African migrants attempting a perilous journey to Spain on Sunday.
The group, traveling by canoe, was stopped near an island in the Cacheu region close to the Senegal border.
Among those intercepted were 41 men—including a boy of around 10 years old—and 14 women from Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Guinea.
The country’s 200-kilometre coastline has long been a dangerous launch point for migrants aiming to reach Europe via the Canary Islands.
Many migrants risk death aboard overcrowded, outdated vessels crossing the Atlantic, where thousands have lost their lives in recent years.
Jose Becuque, head of the coastguard patrol, said authorities will seek to identify and apprehend those organizing these treacherous voyages.
Migrants often navigate through the Bijagos archipelago, a scattered group of 88 islands, many of them uninhabited and perilous to cross.
In 2024, nearly 10,500 migrants died or disappeared at sea, according to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras.
While arrivals in the Canaries hit a record high last year, the number has dropped sharply in 2025.
From January to mid-May, only 10,882 migrants arrived—a 34 percent decrease compared to the previous year.
Spain’s interior ministry confirms the decline amid ongoing efforts to curb dangerous Atlantic crossings.
The interception underscores the ongoing risks migrants face and the persistent challenge of tackling human smuggling networks in West Africa.