The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) says the influx of migrants from West Africa to Europe dropped by 59 per cent in the first half of 2026 as routes turned deadlier.
IOM, in new data released on Tuesday, showed that arrivals to Europe from West Africa fell sharply even as many continued to risk their lives at sea.
According to the UN migration agency, arrivals from Mali, Senegal, Guinea, and The Gambia fell by 59 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, to 4,566 people.
It stated that safe pathways and opportunities have become critical, hence fewer young people are making the dangerous journeys.
However, the agency noted that West Africans made up a growing share of arrivals on the Mediterranean routes, accounting for 21.9 per cent on the Western route, up from 15.6 per cent, pointing to a shifting landscape.
On the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands, arrivals fell 62 per cent between 2024 and 2025, yet recorded deaths and disappearances barely changed – 1,172 compared with 1,215.
The report indicated that tighter controls in Morocco, Mauritania, and Senegal are pushing departures further south, adding up to 750 kilometres to crossings of around 2,200 km.
Reacting to the development, IOM Director General Amy Pope said no single country can solve the migration challenge alone.
“We need to protect migrants wherever they are,” Pope said.
