Sánchez and Von der Leyen promise more than 500 million to develop Mauritania and stop the cayucos to the Canary Islands

When flying over the endless Mauritanian coast, surrounded by desert, it is easy to understand the enormous difficulty that the authorities of this Sahel country, which has less than five million inhabitants in twice the size of Spain, have in trying to stop the jump. of cayucos with migrants and refugees to the Canary Islands. More than 700 kilometers of coastline almost impossible to control. In the month of January alone, of the more than 7,200 people who arrived to the islands in this risky sea route, 83% had left Mauritania. Therefore, to try to stop this growing traffic, Pedro Sánchez, Spanish president, and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, have traveled to Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, to offer significant amounts of money in investments and aid, a a veritable rain of millions that can serve to improve the situation of the country and above all to try to stop this migratory pressure, which has as protagonists citizens of neighboring Mali, a country in the middle of war. It is estimated that there are more than 150,000 Malians in Mauritania, most of them living poorly in refugee camps. In Mauritania there are already fifty Spanish agents to help in the fight against irregular immigration, with patrol boats, boats, a helicopter and a plane. However, the trip itself indicates that the efforts have fallen short and the two leaders have decided to increase them.

Von der Leyen has committed 210 million directly from the EU this year to help Mauritania stop immigration to the Spanish coasts and for various investments, as EL PAÍS reported. This money will also be used in various energy and infrastructure projects or a large data center to develop the country. 40 million will be to reinforce security and especially control the dangerous border with Mali. Sánchez has announced, in different projects, aid, investment and above all in loans, more than 300 million euros, especially to multiply Mauritania's power in green hydrogen, a new clean energy that needs a lot of space and sun, something that in This country is abundant, but it requires enormous investments in infrastructure.

Both leaders have praised Mauritania's collaboration, but above all they have traveled to sign agreements and promise a veritable rain of millions that will make this country one of the African states that will receive the most European money in the coming years. The two have considered that the EU and Spain should help Mauritania because it is a strategic partner and a country that helps curb the instability of one of the most conflictive regions in the world, with a growing force of jihadists.

Sánchez, who has always shown great concern about the situation in the Sahel, has been clear: “Mauritania plays a fundamental role as a reference for democratic stability in the Sahel, a crucial region for Spain and for Europe. The growing political instability, the different conflicts, and the lack of security in this area are directly affecting Mauritania and all of us. “We are witnessing the fall of democratic governments, the rise of terrorist attacks, the rapid increase in the number of refugees and internally displaced people, and the worsening of an already acute food crisis,” the president summarized. “Mauritania has a primary role in guaranteeing stability in the region,” Von der Leyen concluded.

The Mauritanian president, Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, who recalled that they are no longer just a country of passage, as before, but also a country of destination, because many immigrants stay to survive as they can, has vindicated their strategic role and the difficulty of enduring the migratory pressure. “Mauritania pays a very high price for the instability of the Sahel. We all have to work together to achieve stability. We are committed to the fight against irregular immigration, this visit is very important to strengthen our association and open investment possibilities,” he summarized.

The same strategy as with Tunisia or Libya

The EU has already tested this strategy of financing the control of irregular immigration with hundreds of millions in other countries. The most extensive agreement was with Turkey, but later others arrived with Libya, and later with Tunisia, closed on a trip similar to this one by Von der Leyen and the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Now that the route to the Canary Islands from Mauritania is becoming the great headache for Spain, but also for the EU, Sánchez and Von der Leyen, who have an obvious harmony despite belonging to different political families and have traveled together in the Spanish official plane, they want to turn Mauritania into a strategic ally.

The underlying idea, conveyed by sources from the Spanish delegation, is that the EU is working so that immigrants do not reach the European border, but rather that neighboring countries can try to contain them sooner, if they come from other countries, and above all improve the economic situation to try to prevent its own nationals from taking the leap, as is happening in Morocco, Mauritania or Tunisia. In this strategy, the EU assumes that several of these countries will repress immigration harshly and without special respect for human rights, but the fundamental political objective is that it does not reach the European coasts or the fences of Ceuta and Melilla, and the European rulers accept the cost that this type of subcontracting of the solution to the migration crises may entail, which already began with the agreements with Turkey.

Sánchez announced that the new agreement with Mauritania provides for 60 million euros for development projects over the next four years and that there will also be financial cooperation projects for another 50 million euros in the next five years. In addition, humanitarian aid will be doubled from one to two million euros. “The impact of the conflicts in Mali and Niger is causing a significant increase in the number of refugees and the situation is worrying. For this reason, we are going to continue to support Mauritania in its efforts,” said the Spanish president.

Spanish businessmen interested in green hydrogen projects were also traveling on the plane. Sánchez has announced that Spain will allocate up to 200 million euros “for financial support over the next five years” through the Fund for the Internationalization of Spanish Companies (FIEM) and the Spanish Export Credit Insurance Company (CESCE). . “This will facilitate the development of green hydrogen projects with the participation of Spanish companies, world leaders in the field of renewable energies, which will allow social progress, job creation and economic growth. The development of green hydrogen and decarbonized mineral extraction also benefits Europe as we seek to green our economies and diversify our supply chains. In the volatile world we live in, we need partners who share our vision of a greener, sustainable and equitable future. Partners like Mauritania,” Sánchez concluded.

A visit, then, full of money and projects, which the EU and Spain trust will serve to develop the country, but above all, in the short term, to try to stop the arrival of cayucos with immigrants who risk their lives. —“It is one of the most dangerous routes in the world,” said Von der Leyen— to reach the Canary Islands.

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