Senegal: Many Killed After Migrant Boat Sinks Off Senegal

A small boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of northwestern Senegal, resulting in at least 35 fatalities, emergency services reported to AFP on Sunday. This incident is the latest tragedy along the perilous Atlantic Ocean route from Africa to Europe, where thousands have lost their lives in recent years while attempting to reach Spain's Canary Islands.

Initially, the Senegalese interior ministry stated that 21 bodies and a single survivor had been recovered, but those figures were provisional, as the search for missing individuals continued. Later that day, the Senegalese Press Agency (APS) updated the toll to at least 34, a figure corroborated by Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA).

On Sunday night, the toll rose to at least 35, including one survivor, according to emergency services, though this was still a provisional count that had been fluctuating since Friday.

The tragic incident occurred on Saturday off the Loumpoul dunes in Senegal's Kebemer department, situated between Dakar and the northern city of Saint-Louis. However, Saliou Diouf, the founder of Senegal's leading migrant aid association Boza Fii, told AFP that the sinking had actually happened on Friday. While the nationalities of all the victims remained unconfirmed as the search persisted, the bodies recovered on Saturday were identified as Senegalese.

Senegal's President Bassirou Diomaye Faye pledged on Sunday that all state authorities and resources would be mobilized to locate the missing, provide care for survivors, and support their families.

Senegal's authorities also disclosed that they had intercepted 142 migrants on a similar small boat on Friday, headed for Spain. This group comprised 23 women, two babies, and two other children, originating from Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, and Nigeria. In response to the tragic event, the Senegalese interior ministry affirmed its commitment to combatting people smuggling networks, emphasizing strengthened cooperation with neighboring countries.

The interior minister planned to visit the region where the accident took place to meet with the families of the victims and extend condolences on behalf of the state. Spanish authorities on the Canary Island of El Hierro had declared an emergency on Saturday following a spike in migrant boat arrivals. Since the beginning of November, the authorities reported over 3,300 people had arrived on around 30 boats.

To counteract this influx, Senegal, Mauritania, and Morocco have intensified maritime patrols around departure points for small boats, compelling them to navigate further south towards the coasts of Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Guinea, thereby extending the already hazardous journey.