Faced with this crisis, the Senegalese government has sought to respond. Increased patrols, the arrest of smugglers, and interceptions at sea led to more than 5,000 migrants being stopped in 2024. An interministerial committee has even been established to combat irregular migration and coordinate these efforts. However, these measures have struggled to curb the phenomenon. Worse still, migrants are now taking even longer and more perilous routes, further increasing the risks for those attempting the journey.
In this security vacuum, local fishermen have become – whether they wish or not – the first witnesses, and sometimes the only rescuers.
The tragedy averted off the coast of Dakar highlights the limits of an approach focused almost exclusively on control and repression. Without structural solutions, the cycle simply repeats itself: arrests, displacement to new departure points and ever-longer, more dangerous crossings. Yet, solutions do exist. Investing in youth employment, providing economic alternatives for fishermen, strengthening regional cooperation based on solidarity and placing respect for human rights at the heart of migration policies could help ease the pressure. Otherwise, the pirogues will continue to set sail, and each rescue will remain a fragile victory against a backdrop of tragedy. As long as young people see exile as their only prospect and the sea as their only route, the Atlantic will continue to claim lives. It is not the sea that kills, but the lack of solutions on land.