- President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has vowed to put an end to the tragedy playing out on the waters of the Atlantic.
- Senegal’s Mbour city has seen a surge in people leaving its shores, driven by dreams of opportunity, but facing the harsh reality of death.
- On Sunday, a rickety boat left Mbour, with 89 young people. Within hours, however, tragedy struck killing 37. The owner of the ill-fated boat turned himself in on Monday.
The Atlantic Ocean is known for its beauty, but for many young West Africans, it has become a deadly grave as people smugglers take advantage of their hopelessness to exploit them. Last Sunday, a rickety boat left the shores of Mbour city, Senegal, filled with 89 hopeful young people embarking on a perilous journey to Europe. Within hours, however, tragedy struck.
The boat, one of the many artisanal fishing vessels known as pirogues, capsized, leaving behind a scene of heartbreak and loss. So far, 37 bodies have been recovered, but dozens remain missing, swallowed by the unforgiving waves of the Atlantic. Only three survived the disaster, media reports show.
This latest catastrophe in the treacherous migration route from West Africa to Europe has sent shockwaves across Senegal. The response from President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has been a firm one: “We will relentlessly track down and punish with the greatest severity the actors who organize these convoys of death,” Faye declared during a visit to Mbour, the coastal town that serves as a departure point for many migrant boats.
The president vowed to put an end to the tragedy playing out on the waters of the Atlantic.
Mbour: The heart of a dangerous crossing
Mbour, situated 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of Senegal’s capital Dakar, has become a symbol of both hope and despair for young Senegalese. It is from towns such as these that desperate men and women risk everything to escape poverty and find a better life in Europe.
The boats are often overcrowded and ill-equipped, their wooden frames no match for the rough waters of the Atlantic. For many, the journey ends in tragedy, as it did on Sunday.
In recent years, Mbour has seen a surge in people leaving its shores, driven by dreams of opportunity, but facing the harsh reality of death. These dangerous voyages to the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of West Africa, have become a well-trodden path for migrants hoping to reach continental Europe. The route, however, is fraught with danger, and for too many, it is a one-way trip.
President Faye’s visit to Mbour was not just an expression of condolences but also a clarion call for action. Speaking to the grieving town, he told the residents, “Your life is of inestimable value. You have a central role to play in the future of our country. We are determined to offer you real and dignified opportunities, here, at home, so that this sea never again becomes a cemetery for our children.”
A war on people smugglers
People smugglers have long been the shadowy figures orchestrating these dangerous journeys. They prey on the desperation of those seeking a better life, offering false promises of safety and success across the dangerous ocean. For the smugglers, each migrant represents a financial gain, while for the families left behind, each departure is a gamble with life and death.
President Faye’s pledge to crack down on these smugglers could mark a critical turning point in Senegal’s battle against human trafficking. “We will track them down and punish them with the greatest severity,” Faye stated, vowing to dismantle the networks responsible for sending so many to their deaths.
His administration has already begun taking steps to address the crisis. The captain and owner of the ill-fated pirogue turned himself in on Monday and has been arrested. However, the issue runs deeper, with entrenched smuggling networks that span across countries in West and North Africa.
In recent months, the Senegalese army has intensified its efforts to curtail illegal migration. So far, they have arrested 453 migrants and people smugglers as part of a 12-day coastal operation. More than half of those arrested were Senegalese nationals. But despite these efforts, the lure of Europe continues to draw many to the ocean waters, with devastating consequences.
The Atlantic: A deadly route to Europe
The Atlantic route from West Africa to the Canary Islands is considered one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. The journey is long and perilous, with strong currents and unpredictable weather conditions. Many vessels, like the one that left Mbour on Sunday, are poorly equipped to handle such treacherous conditions.
Boats often get lost, and some drift across the ocean for months before being discovered, sometimes thousands of kilometres away, their passengers long dead.
While there is no precise count of how many lives have been lost on this route, the numbers are staggering. Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates that the death toll is in the thousands this year alone. These are not just numbers but human lives—each representing someone’s child, sibling, or parent.
The scale of the crisis is enormous, and each tragedy leaves behind a community grappling with loss. As the French Navy continues its search for more bodies from Sunday’s disaster, the sense of grief in Mbour grows. The ocean that once provided a livelihood through fishing has become a source of hopelessness, despair and death.
Fleeing conflict, poverty, and hopelessness
The reasons for this exodus of the region’s young are deeply rooted in conflict, poverty, and a severe lack of economic opportunities. Many of those who attempt the dangerous crossing do so because they see no future at home. In towns like Mbour, young people face limited prospects, with unemployment rates skyrocketing and basic needs going unmet. For them, Europe represents hope, however distant and dangerous crossing may be.
Migrants from across West Africa, including neighbouring Gambia and Mauritania, join the flow of people departing Senegal’s shores. The lack of viable alternatives at home pushes them to risk everything for a chance at a better life. However, these dangerous crossing often end in heartache, as witnessed in recent years when numerous boats have capsized, killing hundreds.
In July, a boat carrying 300 migrants, mostly from Gambia and Senegal, capsized off Mauritania’s coast, leaving more than a dozen dead and at least 150 others missing. The stories of such tragedies have become all too familiar, yet the perilous voyages continue, driven by the same factors that have plagued the region for years.
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Senegal President promises dignified opportunities
For change to come, the root causes of migration must be addressed. Jobs, education, and social infrastructure are needed to stem the tide of young people feeling forced to leave their homes for uncertain futures abroad.
In his address to the people of Mbour, Faye called for a collective effort to prevent future tragedies. “We must work together to ensure that this sea, which has sustained our people for generations, no longer becomes a cemetery for our youth.”
His administration’s plans to boost economic opportunities, particularly in coastal regions such as Mbour, are critical to providing alternatives for those tempted by the dangerous lure of migration.
The fight against human smugglers, while essential, is only one part of the solution. Providing young people with hope and opportunity at home is the long-term answer to ending these deadly journeys.
