|
Mauritania: Stuck illegals sick
08/02/2007 18:48 - (SA)
Madrid - The situation of up to 400 Asian and African undocumented immigrants on board a ship stranded off northwest African Mauritania is worsening, said a United Nations (UN) representative on Thursday.
After four days, the migrants needed to disembark as soon as possible, because "we don't know how long aid will last," said Francesca Fontanilli, a spokesperson in Spain for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Olga Martin of the Spanish Red Cross said some of the immigrants - all of whom were men - were reportedly weak and suffering from diarrhoea.
The Red Cross took food for three days to the migrants, whose ship suffered a breakdown near Senegalese waters on the way to the Canary Islands nearly a week ago.
Senegal said it did not have the means to assist the MS Marine I, which was taken by a Spanish rescue vessel to near the Mauritanian port of Nouadhibou.
Negotiations very difficult
Spain meanwhile continued negotiating to resolve the situation of the immigrants, whom Mauritania has refused entry.
Spain wants to place them in a Mauritanian camp for illegals, set up earlier by Spanish soldiers, in order to identify and repatriate them.
Most of the migrants are thought to be from Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, while others are Africans.
The negotiations were "very difficult," a foreign ministry source admitted.
Spain is also in touch with the UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration, Senegal and Guinea-Conakry, where the Marine I set sail in West Africa.
This incident comes after a Spanish fishing vessel rescued 51 Africans last summer.
Malta barred them entry, keeping the fishing boat waiting off its coast for more than a week, until Spain finally divided the migrants between several European countries.
|
News
