Canary Islands migrant emergency as fishing-port images passed off as invasion fleet

Spain's Canary Islands have declared a migrant emergency after a sharp increase in crossings, as satellite images of a Mauritanian port circulate online as false evidence of a fleet preparing to sail for the archipelago.

The images show the port of Nouadhibou in north-western Mauritania, but they date from March 2024, not from a recent build-up. Similar concentrations of boats appear at the same location in imagery from 2013 and 2005. Mauritania's tourism ministry says the port is a traditional fishing harbour that supports thousands of families and supplies local markets with fish.

One post describing the images as "irrefutable evidence" of an imminent mass crossing drew more than 1.5 million views in 48 hours. Claims that boats at Nouadhibou are gathering for a mass crossing have been shared since at least 2020.

Mauritania remains a departure and transit point for migrants heading to Europe. The UN's International Organization for Migration has identified Nouadhibou as a key transit location, and the European Union has a partnership with Mauritania aimed at curbing irregular migration, including boat departures towards the Canary Islands. In late October and early November, the Mauritanian navy rescued hundreds of people travelling in overcrowded boats off the coast of Nouadhibou.

Thousands of people have reached the Spanish archipelago in recent weeks, particularly the island of El Hierro, where local authorities have declared a state of emergency.