SPAIN - Over 10,000 Migrants Died
More than 10,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain by sea this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said.
Tens of thousands of migrants left West Africa in 2024 for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago close to the African coast that has increasingly been used as a stepping stone to continental Europe.
In February, Spain pledged 210 million euros (around $218 million) in aid to Mauritania to help it crack down on human smugglers and prevent boats from taking off.
Spain’s interior ministry says more than 57,700 migrants reached Spain by boat until Dec. 15 this year, a roughly 12% increase from the same period last year. The vast majority of them came through the Atlantic route.
-abcnews.go.com, 26 December 2024
Arno's Commentary
The increased numbers and subsequent tragic deaths of many migrants from Africa are a tragedy. The draw is partly due to the communications explosion. The internet makes it possible for those living in poverty in Africa to see the “glory” of Europe—the continent of prosperity and security. That is one reason; the other is that European kingdoms literally conquered the African continent, colonizing it and dividing it into various nations, not to mention plundering its riches.
According to the United Nations, the continent is made up of 54 sovereign states today. The largest nation by population is Nigeria, followed by Ethiopia, Egypt, Congo, and Tanzania. While a Google search reveals that there are over 300 different languages spoken on the continent, Arabic is the most prevalent one with 150 million speakers, followed by French at 120 million; Swahili, a common East African language, is spoken by about 80 million. The total population of Africa, according to Worldometers, stands at 1.5 billion as of December 2024.
Religiously, the continent is composed of 49% Christian, 42% Islamic, and the rest mostly traditional African religions.
The irony is that Europe urgently needs immigrants, since they are losing population primarily due to age; the other reason is not enough children are being born to replace those who have passed on.
A number of European states spend great sums of money to enlist qualified workers, especially within the healthcare sector. That, on the other hand, hurts the African states who are losing their most qualified and educated workers. A Google search reveals that “the Christian population is growing faster than the world’s population and is projected to reach 3.3 billion by 2050.”
Needless to say, no one can accurately count nor forecast the growth of the true Church, which is hidden within the Christian religion.
Our interesting observation when visiting Europe and attending Bible-believing churches, is that a large percentage of the congregations are non-European (immigrants). Yes, the Lord is building His Church, and at a certain undefined time—His time—He will complete it. Then will be fulfilled what is written in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
Arno Froese is the executive director of Midnight Call Ministries and editor-in-chief of the acclaimed prophetic magazines Midnight Call and News From Israel. He has authored a number of well-received books, and has sponsored many prophecy conferences in the U.S., Canada, and Israel. His extensive travels have contributed to his keen insight into Bible prophecy, as he sees it from an international perspective.
