Senegal has vowed to intensify its crackdown on human smuggling networks following the sinking of a migrant boat that killed at least 39 people in one of the country’s deadliest migration tragedies in recent years.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed condolences to the victims’ families and pledged decisive action against the networks facilitating dangerous journeys across the Atlantic in search of better opportunities abroad.
The death toll rose to 39 following the shipwreck, which occurred on Friday afternoon when a wooden migrant boat, locally known as a pirogue, capsized off the Senegalese coast.
Senegal’s Interior Minister, Mouhamadou Makhtar Cisse, visited the site to pay his respects to the victims.
READ ALSO: 21 Migrants Die as Boat Sinks off Senegal Coast
Cisse acknowledged the economic difficulties and aspirations driving many young Senegalese to attempt the perilous journey to Europe but warned that risking their lives at sea was not an acceptable solution.
“We can understand the young peoples’ wish to leave, their daily difficulties, the desire to fulfil their potential and help their families,” he said. “Leaving is an option but dying at sea should not be an option”.
He condemned the smugglers organising the crossings, describing them as “modern day slave-traders” who must be pursued relentlessly.
The minister also called for public awareness campaigns to discourage young people from being misled by unrealistic expectations of life abroad. He further advocated a system that would allow Spain to issue temporary work permits to migrants for limited periods.
The latest tragedy comes amid growing concerns over the dangers of the Atlantic migration route from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, where thousands of people have died attempting to reach Europe in recent years.
In a statement issued on Monday, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said it had recorded at least 454 deaths and disappearances along the Atlantic route as of October 26, 2026.
The organisation warned that the actual number could be significantly higher because many boats disappear at sea without survivors, recovered bodies or any evidence of what happened.
“Many vessels vanish far from the coast, leaving no survivors, no recovered bodies and no trace of what transpired,” the IOM said.
Senegal’s renewed pledge to pursue smuggling networks underscores growing pressure on authorities to address irregular migration while tackling the economic hardships and limited opportunities that continue to drive young people towards dangerous sea crossings.
Africa News
