By Ebi Kesiena
Senegal’s President Macky Sall has issued urgent directives to address the escalating challenge of illegal migration, particularly the increasing number of migrants using canoes to journey to Europe, as stated by his office.
Following discussions in the Council of Ministers, President Sall on Friday, tasked the government with implementing immediate security, economic, financial, and social measures to thwart the departure of emigrants from the national territory.
According to President Sall, the coordinated effort will involve key ministries such as Interior, Armed Forces, Youth, and Fisheries.
Senegal, a West African nation on a developmental trajectory under President Sall is grappling with a surge in sea departures headed for the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago serving as a gateway to Europe.
Reports of pirogue arrivals, interceptions, or rescues in the Atlantic near Senegal and en route to the Canaries are a regular occurrence, highlighting the perilous nature of this migration, often resulting in tragic incidents.
This dangerous migration has led to a series of tragedies.
Since the beginning of the week, the press has again been reporting the disappearance of a considerable number of migrants from Bargny, on the coast east of Dakar and it has been unable to obtain confirmation of these disappearances from the authorities.
The migration issue has become a theme in the ongoing campaign for the February 2024 Presidential election.
Prime Minister Amadou Ba is the presidential camp’s candidate to succeed Mr Sall.
The Canary Islands have seen a record number of migrant arrivals since 2006, with 30,705 people arriving between 1st January and 31st October, more than double (+111%) the figure for the same period last year, according to the latest figures from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
Two-thirds are from sub-Saharan Africa, according to the European coastguard and border guard agency Frontex.
Senegalese, along with Moroccans, are the most numerous new arrivals, according to Frontex and several Spanish NGOs.
