Spanish forces and those of eight European nations signed an
agreement on Monday to begin patrolling the Atlantic coast of
Africa from June 2 to stop sub-Saharan Africans leaving the
continent in tiny wooden boats, the Spanish government said.
Spain, Germany, Austria, Finland, France, Italy, Britain, Greece
and the Netherlands would send naval forces to Cape Verde, the
headquarters of the operation, Antonio Camacho, Spain's security
minister, told media.
The troops, who are expected to remain in Cape Verde until
September, would become a strike force to deal with "recurring
crisis situations," Camacho said after a meeting with
representatives from the European Commission's Frontier Agency.
Half of the forces would come directly from the commission,
while the remainder would be supplied by the participating nations,
said the minister.
Spanish authorities said that this year nearly 7,000 Africans
have arrived in Spain's Canary Islands, which face the coasts of
Senegal and Mauritania.
The number was around 4,750 last year and just over 8,500 in
2004. As many as 1,000 people are believed to have died in their
maritime bid for a new life this year.
(Xinhua News Agency May 30, 2006)
