Between January and July, nearly 28,000 migrants, mainly Senegalese, reached the Canary Islands, the gateway to the European Union. Thousands of people also died at sea while attempting this journey.
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Spanish Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez began a tour of West Africa on Tuesday, August 27. After Mauritania, he is expected in Senegal and Gambia on Wednesday, August 28. On each occasion, he will discuss their common challenge: the fight against illegal immigration. For sub-Saharan nationals, the Canary Islands represent the preferred gateway to the European Union.
According to Spanish authorities, nearly 28,000 migrants reached the archipelago’s shores between January and July 2024, which corresponds to an increase of 12% in one year. Despite the financial promises made by Spain to these three West African countries in exchange for a stricter anti-migration policy, it is difficult for them to prevent the departure of populations.
On a beach north of Dakar, among the dozen men sitting in the shade of their huts, all have already tried to reach the Canary Islands via the Atlantic. Papa Sow, a 19-year-old fisherman, describes his latest attempt, in early August: “We left around 9pm after paying 300 euros. Everything was going well. There were 150 of us, and we were confident. Then at one point, the Moroccan Navy spotted us and turned us back.”
Away from the group, Faroua explains that he has already failed twice to reach Europe by sea. At 32, he sees this departure as his only option. “because in Senegal, it’s a bit hard”.
“Even if you work, you don’t earn a good living. That’s why we try to go to Europe, to earn a living.”
Faroua, a Senegaleseto franceinfo
Faroua says he knows the risks and has lost friends at sea, but that doesn’t deter him. “It worries us, he explains. But we’re leaving. If we’re dead, we’re dead. If we live, we live. It’s a bet, we win or we lose.”. According to the Spanish NGO Walking BordersBetween January and May 2024, more than 5,000 migrants drowned while trying to reach the Canary Islands.