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The Senegalese navy has intercepted 201 migrants in 201 Africa, authorities said Wednesday as the transatlantic continues to be the most popular and deadly migration route from Africa to Europe.
The operation was carried out by the Senegalese Marines based in Founduene in the Fatic region of western Senegal, the Army said in a statement.
According to the statement, 69 people were stopped on land, but 132 people were intercepted on a small wooden boat in the Salm Delta on Tuesday evening.
Moving to Europe is steadily decreasing, but transatlantic crossings from West Africa to the Canary Islands in Spain have re-emerged since 2020.
In 2024, nearly 47,000 people descended on Canary, according to figures from the Spanish Ministry of Interior.
The intersection is one of the deadliest things in the world.
There is no accurate death toll due to lack of information on departures from West Africa, but Spanish immigration rights group Walking Borders estimates that the number of casualties has been in the year alone.
According to the Army’s Public Relations Bureau DiRPA, those arrested on Wednesday are of various West African nationalities, including several women and children.
Saloum Delta is an increasingly popular starting point for immigrants.
Most immigrants leaving Senegal are young men, but workers in the Canary Islands say they see women and children at risk of their lives as well.
Last year, the EU signed a 210 million euro contract with Mauritania, stopping smugglers from launching Spanish boats. But so far, the transaction has had little impact on immigrant arrivals.
In Senegal, we see an increase in winter travel as winter changes reduce the intensity of the waves, but immigrants choose to take risks throughout the year.
Migrant ships that are lost or encountered in trouble often disappear in the Atlantic Ocean and drift for months until they carry only human remains in the Caribbean or Latin America.
Until recently, this route was used primarily by immigrants from West African countries fleeing poverty and violence.
However, since last year, immigrants from countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan have increasingly embarked on fishing boats used to reach European archipelagos.
Additional sources •AP
