Migration continues to drive international news, against a backdrop of tighter border controls, new approaches to asylum policies and a rising number of tragedies on the routes to exile. In August, several countries in Africa and Europe found themselves facing situations that highlighted the complexity of migration issues.
In Senegal, West Africa, the National Gendarmerie announced the arrest of 173 people attempting to emigrate illegally during two operations carried out in the Kaolack region. According to preliminary findings from the investigation, these migrants were expecting to be smuggled to the Canary Islands and then on to Europe. This latest crackdown underscores the heightened vigilance of the Senegalese authorities in the face of a resurgence in departures along the Atlantic coast.
Further south, Liberia has made an unexpected decision, announcing its plan to accommodate up to 1,200 foreign nationals deported from the United States over the next twelve months. This decision forms part of the US policy of transferring migrants to third countries and opens a new chapter in migration cooperation between Washington and several partner States.
In the Indian Ocean, another phenomenon is capturing attention. In Mauritius, the latest Afrobarometer report reveals that around 76 per cent of young people aged 18 to 25 have already considered emigrating – three times as many as a decade ago. Economic hardship, the cost of living, and opportunities for education and employment are among the main drivers. This finding runs counter to the image of a country often portrayed as one of the most stable economies on the African continent and raises questions about the prospects afforded to Mauritian youth.
In North Africa, migratory pressure remains particularly high. Off the coast of Libya, another tragedy has unfolded in the Mediterranean. Teams from the NGO Emergency rescued a boat in danger carrying around 50 migrants, but seven people had already lost their lives before the rescue teams arrived. Two survivors were found in a critical condition.
This shipwreck serves as a reminder that the central Mediterranean route remains one of the deadliest in the world.In the west of the region, the fallout from the Ceuta migration crisis continues to make headlines.
Five days after the mass arrivals at the Spanish enclave, Morocco has released its first official figures. The authorities estimate that 40,000 people attempted to cross the border illegally and report 11 fatalities, whilst the Spanish authorities put the death toll at 72. Rabat states that it is continuing to cross-check figures with Madrid in order to establish the exact number of casualties.
In the same context, the Moroccan authorities have announced that 531 would-be illegal migrants returned voluntarily from Ceuta in a single day. According to the authorities, this return bears witness to the efforts made to control migration flows and tighten border security.
The effects of this crisis now extend beyond security considerations alone. A week after the events, the European Union has sought explanations from Meta and TikTok, which are suspected of having allowed rumours and viral content to circulate that may have prompted tens of thousands of people to head for Ceuta. Brussels wishes to determine the role played by social media in this unprecedented mobilisation.
In the United Kingdom, a letter to the British government reveals that between August 2025 and May 2026, 94 migrant children were wrongly identified as adults and placed in detention centres under the Franco-British ‘one in, one out’ scheme.
The authors of the report have condemned a procedure that exposes minors and other vulnerable people to unsuitable detention conditions.
Finally, European police cooperation has made further progress.
The authorities in Spain and France have dismantled a criminal network suspected of organising more than twenty illegal crossings of migrants between Alicante and the French border. Three people were arrested following a joint investigation by the two countries, reflecting the strengthening of cross-border cooperation against migrant smuggling networks.
