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| - The number of migrants reaching the Canaries soared last month to 18 times the level of a year ago, Spanish government figures showed on Tuesday. The spike has raised fears of a resurgence of migrant traffic to the Atlantic islands, a route taken by tens of thousands of people a decade ago. The figures coincide with a crackdown on illegal immigration by Morocco where the numbers of those trying to reach mainland Spain by boat have fallen. The Canaries lie just off southern Morocco and the journey can be attempted from Mauritania or Senegal, thereby avoiding Moroccan authorities. Last month, 708 migrants reached the archipelago compared with 40 in January 2019, the interior ministry said. By contrast, the numbers arriving in mainland Spain were down 72 percent compared with the same period a year earlier. Many appear to have made the crossing from Mauritania, whose coastline lies 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) south of the islands. There have been two repatriation flights from the Canaries to Mauritania this month, carrying 88 migrants a -- 72 of them citizens of neighbouring Mali, Spanish ombudsman documents show. Another eight were from Mauritania, seven from Senegal and one Ivory Coast. Over the past two years, the overall number of arrivals in Spain more than halved, the ministry said, falling from 57,498 in 2018 to 26,168 in 2019. Last year, Morocco prevented a large number of boats from setting sail for Spain, with the interior ministry telling AFP it had prevented "74,000 illegal attempts" to reach Spain. In 2019, the European Union allocated 140 million euros ($155 million) to support Rabat's efforts against irregular migration, with Madrid also providing additional aid. As well as the Canaries route, some have turned to Algeria's northern coast, with Spanish police saying Monday they arrested 26 suspected smugglers who had brought more than 900 people to Spain last year, charging each person 2,500 euros. tpe-hmw/pmr/bp
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