Senegalese navy has intercepted 201 migrants from West Africa

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Senegalese navy intercepted 201 West African migrants in the western part of the country, authorities said Wednesday, as the Atlantic Ocean crossing continues to be the most popular — and deadliest — migration route from Africa to Europe.

The operation was carried out by Senegalese marines based in Foundiougne, in the Fatick region in western Senegal, the army said in a statement Wednesday. Sixty-nine people were stopped on land, the statement said, while 132 others were intercepted aboard a small wooden boat, or pirogue, in the Saloum delta on Tuesday evening.

While migration to Europe has been falling steadily, the Atlantic Ocean crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands has reemerged since 2020. Nearly 47,000 people disembarked in the Canaries in 2024, an increase from the nearly 40,000 in 2023, according to Spanish Interior Ministry figures.

The crossing is one of the deadliest in the world. While there is no accurate death toll because of the lack of information on departures from West Africa, the Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders estimates the victims are in the thousands this year alone.

Those arrested on Wednesday are of various West African nationalities, including several women and children, according to DIRPA. The Saloum delta is increasingly a frequent departure point for migrants.

While most migrants leaving Senegal are young men, aid workers in the Canary Islands say they are increasingly seeing women and children risk their lives as well.

Last year, the EU signed a 210 million euro deal with Mauritania to stop smugglers from launching boats for Spain. But the deal has had little effect on migrant arrivals for now.

In Senegal, winter sees an increase in attempted journeys as the seasonal change lowers the intensity of waves but migrants choose to take the risk throughout the year.

Migrant vessels that get lost or run into problems often vanish in the Atlantic, with some drifting across the ocean for months until they are found in the Caribbean and Latin America carrying only human remains.

Until recently, the route was mostly used by migrants from West African nations fleeing poverty or violence. But since last year, migrants from far-flung countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, Syria and Afghanistan have increasingly embarked on the fishing boats used to reach the European archipelago.