Mauritanian coast guard rescues 260 migrants off Nouakchott

Mauritania's coast guard rescued approximately 260 migrants, including 17 children and 61 women, from two boats off Nouakchott on 27 September, after the vessels ran out of food roughly seven days into a crossing attempt that began in Banjul, Gambia. The nationality breakdown given in the coast guard's communiqué was 132 Senegalese, 120 Gambians, four Guineans, two Nigerians and two Malians, a figure reported consistently by InfoMigrants, AFP, and Xinhua. InfoMigrants Xinhua/People's Daily

According to the Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy's Facebook statement, the two vessels were spotted near Nouakchott's fish market after roughly a week at sea, with passengers reported to be in a state of shock from lack of food and fuel and navigation problems. UNHCR data published in July put the year's toll at 17 landings and 2,147 people rescued near Nouadhibou and Nouakchott since the start of 2026, while MSF reported a separate one-week surge of 1,046 people rescued across seven boats in late August. The current custody status and next steps for this group of 260 have not been reported.