Migrants Attempt Sea Route to Europe

West Africa is becoming a hub for immigrants, especially Southeast Asians, with a goal of getting into Europe by reaching Spain’s Canary Islands.

Mauritania and Spain recently wrangled for 10 days over what to do about a fishing boat that ran into trouble attempting the dangerous crossing from West Africa to the Canary Islands, the International Herald Tribune reports.

The boat contained 369 men, most of them from India and Pakistan.

While some Asians have long strived to get into Europe by land routes, officials say they now are favoring the much longer and more dangerous route from West Africa by sea.

More and more, West Africa is the hub for immigrants from other regions of the world, and especially Southwest Asians, says Antonio Mazzitelli, of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime in Senegal.

The migrants usually hide their identities and nationalities in the hope of claiming refugee status.