Unlike the idea one might have of countries like Mauritania, from which the main migratory routes to the Canary Islands depart, a large part of the young people in this country do not want to leave their homes and are looking for solutions to continue living where they were born. “You always have to have hope”, says Yacine from a multipurpose room where she was able to watch the documentary "Ebre Trarza, in which he has participated. The project, which will be seen soon at festivals in Catalonia, summarizes more than a year of letter exchange between young people from the Trarza region, in Mauritania, and from the Ebro Delta, two territories that are experiencing the effects of climate change but whose young inhabitants are resisting leaving. “If the Delta dies, we will die with it,” says Jordi Parés, of the Sediments Association in the same documentary.

Pedro Sánchez embarked on a tour of West Africa in August 2024 with a stated objective: to combat irregular immigration. He held bilateral meetings with the presidents of Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania, after having strengthened ties with Morocco. At that time, migratory pressure on the Canary Islands had increased substantially, and the Spanish government took action to address the situation. A year and a half later, the figures have changed. While there was a peak in arrivals via the Canary Islands in 2023 and 2024, the numbers began to decline from 2025 onward. However, the decrease in arrivals via the Canary Islands coincided with an increase in arrivals via the Balearic Islands.