Spanish Prime Minister Visits West Africa in Bid to Slow Atlantic Migrant Crossings

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced a raft of agreements with Mauritania on Tuesday in an effort to slow the flow of migrants crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the coast of West Africa to the Canary Islands as they try to reach European soil. Sánchez is on a three-day tour of the region to reinforce bilateral relations with Mauritania, Senegal, and Gambia. The three countries are being used as launching points for the majority of migrant boats sailing for the Canaries, which are just 67 miles from the African coast at their nearest point, They been used as a stepping stone for migrants trying to reach continental Europe and have seen more than 22,000 people arrive by boat since January, more than double the number of illegal arrivals for the same period last year, according to the Interior Ministry in Madrid....