DAKAR, Senegal -- During the last week of August, MSF teams in Mauritania and Senegal assisted people who had disembarked from boats attempting to cross to the Canary Islands.

Our support included providing medical care, essential items, and emergency mental health care.

West African and European governments must put in place safe and legal pathways for migration.

A total of 1,046 people who survived attempted boat crossings on the Atlantic migration route disembarked in a vulnerable condition during the last week of August at three West African cities: Nouadhibou in Mauritania, and Rosso and Dakar in Senegal.

The survivors were onboard seven boats in distress that had departed from The Gambia and were heading for the Canary Islands, in the Atlantic Ocean -- one of the longest migration routes in the world -- before becoming stranded at sea. They were rescued and brought to shore, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical teams provided them with emergency medical support in collaboration with the Mauritanian Red Crescent in Nouadhibou and with the International Organization for Migration in Rosso and Dakar.

They were suffering from medical conditions that included extreme dehydration, unconsciousness, bone fractures, extreme fatigue, and skin, gastric and respiratory infections from being stranded for an extended period of time at sea. The survivors included 134 women, including one who is pregnant, and 88 minors in need of protection.

Most survivors came from Senegal and The Gambia; others came from Mali, Guinea, and Côte d'Ivoire. Many told our team that they had suffered violence in their country of origin as well as along the migration route. One survivor who disembarked in Dakar said that he was beaten by a smuggler and unidentified men to force him to pay more money for the crossing. A female survivor told our team that a smuggler took her crossing payment and then raped her ahead of boarding the boat.

"When people take a 2,000-kilometre route that is currently the deadliest in the world, they must be escaping something worse," says Dalil Adji, head of mission for MSF's migration task force in West Africa. "People we support frequently tell our teams that they took the route to escape violence and extreme conditions in their country of origin, only to be met with more violence along the way."

"We call on the governments of West Africa and Europe to prevent this human toll by putting in place safe and legal pathways for people to seek safety, and by creating a migration response that prioritises human life, dignity, and timely assistance," says Adji.

In addition to providing emergency medical support, MSF teams referred severe cases for specialised medical care and provided survivors with water, food, blankets, and dignity kits, as well as emergency mental health care.

Our teams have been assisting people who disembark from distressed boats from the Atlantic route since 2024. From the launch of the project, MSF teams have been bearing witness to the growing human toll of this migration route, and the level of vulnerability among those who take it. Despite the evident dangers, people continue to take this risky route for lack of alternatives.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Médecins sans frontières (MSF).