A human rights group in Senegal is urging the government to initiate a parliamentary inquiry following a tragic shipwreck off the West African nation’s coast that left at least 39 people dead. Action for Human Rights and Friendship (ADHA) released a statement criticizing what it described as a persistent absence of effective measures to curb migrant fatalities at sea.
Call for Accountability
The association questioned the impact of previous financial and personnel allocations aimed at securing maritime borders. Despite 300 thousand euros, equivalent to $336,000, allocated to the navy alongside training programs for more than 300 agents, ADHA highlighted the ongoing failure to produce lasting results amid rising irregular arrivals toward the Canary Islands. The organization emphasized that simply deploring maritime disasters, announcing new initiatives, and counting intercepted vessels is no longer sufficient.
Senegal President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed condolences to the victims and promised to crack down on the traffickers who orchestrate these perilous voyages.
Rescue Operations and Casualties
The vessel, a traditional flat-bottomed pirogue, set sail from Saint-Louis in northern Senegal with the goal of reaching the Spanish coast. State media reported that the boat capsized on Sunday near the Lompoul dunes within the Kebemer department, located 180km or 112 miles north of Dakar, the capital.
Emergency services initially recovered 21 bodies, but continued search and rescue operations uncovered additional victims, pushing the death toll up to 34 and subsequently to 39. Authorities successfully rescued only one passenger, while several others remain missing.
The Ministry of the Interior and Public Security confirmed in a statement that the vessel was transporting individuals attempting irregular migration, though officials did not disclose the exact number of people aboard.
Broader Migration Crisis
Data from the migrant rights organization Walking Borders indicates that thousands of individuals have perished in recent years while trying to navigate the treacherous route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, including 635 deaths recorded in the first five months of the year.
Meanwhile, officials on the Canary Island of El Hierro declared an emergency on Saturday following a sudden wave of migrant arrivals. Local authorities on the island reported that over 3,300 people had reached their shores on approximately 30 boats since the beginning of November.
