Drones to help tackle migrant drownings off the Canaries

The Canary Island are to deploy drones in a bid to detect and track crossings by migrant boats and reduce the number of drownings at sea.

Regional president Fernando Clavijo has announced details of a new project, called Agamenon, a major part of which will be the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to scour the large stretches of water between north-west Africa and the Canaries which are regularly used by boats – many of them unseaworthy – carrying migrants to the islands.

Announcing the news in Fuerteventura, Clavijo said that nearly 10,000 migrants had died at sea in 2024, a statistic that makes the Africa-Canaries route one of the deadliest anywhere in the world. The high-altitude and long-endurance drones will be equipped with thermal imaging cameras and heat sensors to detect the presence of the cayuco boats to enable assistance to be mobilised if necessary.

The Agamenon Project for the management of irregular immigration – part of the EU’s INTERREG MAC 2021-2027 programme – will see nearly two million euros earmarked for key aspects such as surveillance, some of it from Europe’s ERDF Fund. Coordination has been awarded to the Fuerteventura Cabildo (island government) with input from the Canarian government, Spanish police and the authorities in Gambia and Senegal, as well as support from Frontex, Europol and the European Commission.

The Canarian president stressed that the drones, which are expected to begin operations in the summer, will help monitor the activities of migrant mafias and early detection of boats would improve resource management, particularly services to care for the many unaccompanied youngsters who make the crossing, sent by their families in search of a better life. “Most importantly of all, the drones will help save lives” said Clavijo, adding that the project was a prime example of the use of technology and innovation to tackle major social problems.

Gambia’s Commissioner for Immigration, Binta K. J. Barrow, who flew to Fuerteventura for the launch of the launch, thanked the project partners and highlighted the importance of international cooperation to address the growing migrant crisis.