The
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations
Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), Mohamed Ibn Chambas, is deeply
saddened by the news that some 62 migrants, mostly Gambians, lost their lives
on Wednesday 4 December when their makeshift vessel, attempting to reach
Spain’s Canary Islands, capsized off the coast of Mauritania.
The
Special Representative expresses his solidarity with the government and the
people of The Gambia following this worst migrant tragedy of West Africa this
year.
The
Special Representative commends the government of The Gambia for the swift
measures taken, and encourages all national stockholders to redouble their
efforts in addressing this complex challenge.
The
Special Representative commends the support extended by the Mauritanian
authorities to the survivors, and calls on regional and international leaders
to uphold their engagement to stop death and despair along migration trails.
The
International Organization for Migration (IOM) has been providing humanitarian
assistance, including medical and psychosocial care to the 78 Gambian and nine
Senegalese migrants in Nouadhibou.
The
Special Representative calls on all governments to play a vital role in
implementing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration which
reaffirms the foundational principles of our global community, including
national sovereignty and universal human rights, while pointing the way toward
humane and sensible action to benefit countries of origin, transit and
destination as well as migrants themselves.
The
Special Representative reiterates the commitment of the United Nations to
support the governments of the region in their tireless efforts to improve the
life condition and shape a prosperous future for their populations.
