2023-08-31 01:35:26
The 168 migrants rescued last Thursday, August 24 by “Río Tajo”, the Civil Guard patrol boat, are already on the mainland. As ordered by the Ministry of the Interior, the mission culminated in the arrival of the vessel at the port of the city of Saint Louis, on the northwest coast of Senegal. Following the trend of the entire process, the outcome was not without complications. The shallow depth of the water prevented the Spanish ship from covering the last 50 meters that separated it from the jetty. The migrants had to be divided into groups and transferred in another smaller boat.
Thus came to an end an “untenable situation”, as described by the AUGC (Unified Association of Civil Guards), which lasted for six days. A few days full of “troubled problems and conditions” with significant risks to the safety of the crew, he protested.
This complaint was also joined by JUCIL (the professional association of the Civil Guard), which demanded to investigate the “migratory disaster” experienced on board the Spanish ship, criticized the “little political involvement” and expressed concern about the terrible conditions of safety and hygiene faced by the crew.
Fortunately, there have been no losses, but the tension has been chewed from start to finish: a rescue, a Mauritanian veto, a new crossing, two mutiny attempts, several shots into the air and a complicated landing have been the ingredients of this conflict. , which has kept authorities and civilians in suspense for almost a week.
The conflict started just a week ago. The Benemérita ship, based in the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canarias, rescued 168 people aboard a canoe in Mauritanian waters and headed for Mauritania to disembark them. However, the African country did not allow them to dock or disembark.
For four days, the Civil Guard ship was anchored in front of the port of Nouadhibou, waiting for the Spanish government, Frontex (European Border and Coast Guard Agency) and the Mauritanian authorities to reach an understanding. However, the African country took its refusal to disembark to the last consequences.
Meanwhile, the tension skyrocketed: some migrants suffered from heat stroke, dehydration or trauma… The members of the ship’s Civil Guard attended to them at all times, but two days after the rescue, the passengers rebelled and tried to mutiny . The agents had to intervene and fire several shots into the air to gain control.
The Marlaska department issued a statement downplaying the attempted riot and assuring that the situation “was calm” and had been “a minor altercation resulting from the nervousness of the migrants.”
Another 48 hours had to elapse until the Interior, given that Mauritania did not give in and the ship had already been blocked for nearly five days, ordered to resume the journey towards Senegal, the country from which the ship had departed. precarious
The crew’s nerves were not appeased. Tensions returned to “Río Tagus” on Monday night and the agents had to fire new shots into the air (this time with blanks) to quell a second riot attempt.
Finally, the 168 migrants were repatriated and there have been no personal injuries. Even so, the central government’s handling of the conflict has received fierce criticism. The speech of Isabel Rodríguez, Minister of Territorial Policy and spokesperson for the acting Executive, was of little use, who maintained that “all the steps had been taken from the beginning and without rest” and that all means were used “to cover the needs of the migrants and health care” to whoever needed it.
[[H3:Fernando Grande-Marlaska: «Sois un orgullo para España»]]
►After successfully completing the humanitarian rescue operation, the acting Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, conveyed his congratulations to the commander of ‘Río Tagus’. “You are a pride for Spain, you have shown these days the professionalism, dedication and dedication that characterizes the Civil Guard,” said Grande-Marlaska. The minister praised the “extraordinary work” that they had carried out and with which they had managed to rescue and bring to safety all the occupants of the canoe. He also conveyed to the crew the thanks and recognition of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and “of the whole society”. The patrol boat with the 168 migrants on board had been anchoring for almost a week in the bay of Nouadhibou, Mauritania, a country that refused to authorize the landing. The ultimately agreed solution was the repatriation of the passengers to Senegal, the country from which most of those rescued at sea came.
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