Short news briefs on African migration.
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On 14 August 2025, the High Seas Patrol Vessel (PHM) Niani intercepted a canoe carrying 147 migrants bound for Europe, around 100 kilometres off the coast. Among them were 125 men and 22 women (including 10 minors and two babies). The recorded nationalities were as follows: 83 Senegalese, 29 Gambians, 23 Guineans (Conakry), nine Malians, …
Seven individuals have been arrested for migrant smuggling off the coast of Sangomar. The National Division for Combating Migrant Smuggling and Related Practices (DNLT) has charged them with criminal conspiracy, attempted migrant smuggling by sea and endangering the lives of others. The arrests followed the Senegalese Navy’s seizure of a canoe used for illegal emigration …
A training workshop on Legal and Administrative Assistance for Returning Migrants was held for agents of the Reception, Orientation, and Follow-up Office (BAOS), which operates in the Senegalese regions of Tambacounda, Ziguinchor, Kolda, Sédhiou, and Kédougou. Supported by the PROMIS project, the session took place in Tambacounda on 19–20 August 2025 and was led jointly …
On Tuesday 19 August, the Senegalese Navy conducted a major rescue operation, saving 133 irregular migrants travelling in a traditional fishing boat, locally called a ‘pirogue’. The boat was intercepted at approximately 92 kilometres off the coast of Dakar by the patrol vessel Cayor, which received crucial support from an Air Force maritime patrol aircraft. …
From the deserts of Niger to the Atlantic coast of West Africa and on to Europe’s shores, the routes taken by migrants remain perilous. In recent weeks, hundreds of people have been rescued in Niger, Senegal, the English Channel and Portugal. Yet many others continue to perish anonymously in the desert or at sea. Confronted …
The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) revealed, on 17 May, in a new report and documentary the direct and profound impact of overfishing and illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on Senegal’s fishing industry. Declining fish stocks are driving a rise in forced migration to Europe via the world’s deadliest migration route, which claimed over 3,000 …
The European Union (EU) aims to revitalise Senegal’s private sector by fostering stronger economic partnerships with local businesses through migration. The envisioned model is based on co-investment, skills transfer and industrial co-development. Regular migration is also being explored as a tool to drive economic growth, particularly through professional mobility programmes in sectors such as agriculture, …
The Permanent Secretary of the Inter-ministerial Committee to Combat Irregular Migration, Police Inspector General Modou Diagne, announced that more than 100 bodies had been recovered from the sea in Senegal in 2024, following the capsizing of pirogues used in irregular migration. Speaking on Monday 19 May, in Diourbel (central Senegal), between 2014 and 2024, over …
In an interview with the Senegalese newspaper Le Soleil, Jean-Marc Pisani, the European Union Ambassador to Senegal, discussed the current state of EU-Senegal cooperation and addressed the sensitive topic of visas, a prominent issue in public discourse. Responding to Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s proposal to implement visa reciprocity, Pisani noted that the matter is under …
On Thursday, 22 May, the Mauritanian coastguard intercepted a boat carrying 121 migrants near the Cap Blanc peninsula, close to the city of Nouadhibou. According to Sahara Média in Nouadhibou, the boat had departed from Cap Skirring (Ziguinchor). The migrants included ten women and four underage children. The group included nationals from Nigeria, The Gambia, …
Amadou Chérif Diouf, Deputy minister in charge of Senegalese in the Diaspora, has called for a fundamental review of migration policies between Africa and Europe. “It is essential to revise migration policies in Europe to ensure effective protection and decent living conditions for migrants, while promoting a reception approach that respects human rights,” he stated …
Since the beginning of the year, “more than 100 bodies” of African migrants have been discovered in Mauritania, the country’s Foreign Minister announced on Thursday during a visit to Bamako. Describing the situation as a “human tragedy”, he attributed the deaths to the actions of “criminal networks” engaged in illegal migration. “In 2024, more than …