At least 34 dead after Europe-bound migrant boat sinks off Senegal
At least 34 people have died after a boat carrying migrants sank off the coast of Senegal. One person was rescued alive, but it is not yet known how many people are still missing.
The Senegalese Press Agency reported the toll, citing an official source. The country's interior ministry confirmed that one person had been rescued.
The small wooden boat capsized between the capital, Dakar, and the northern city of Saint-Louis. It was heading towards Spain's Canary Islands.
Saliou Diouf, founder of the Senegalese migrant aid group Boza Fii, told the AFP news agency that all the bodies recovered so far were Senegalese. The nationalities of the other people on board were yet to be established, as search operations continued.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye expressed his condolences to the victims' families. In a statement posted on X, he urged Senegalese nationals not to risk their lives on the dangerous sea crossings. He also pledged to intensify efforts to dismantle the networks organising the journeys.
He said, 'We will relentlessly continue the fight against those who organise these crossings and the work that gives our young people reasons to hope here.'
According to the Spanish migrant rights group Walking Borders, 635 people died on the Atlantic route to the Canary Islands between January and May 2026. That was the highest toll among the routes the group monitors.
Walking Borders estimates that about 21 people died for every 100 who reached the Canary Islands during the period it monitored.
Senegalese authorities said they had intercepted another boat on Friday, carrying 142 migrants attempting to reach Spain. Those on board included 23 women, two babies and two other children. Police said the group comprised nationals of Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea and Nigeria.
Meanwhile, a state of emergency was declared on the Spanish island of El Hierro on Saturday following a surge in migrant arrivals. More than 3,300 people have reached the island in about 30 boats since the beginning of November, according to local authorities.
The Canary Islands have become a major entry point into Europe for migrants and refugees making the dangerous Atlantic crossing from West Africa. The route has grown in prominence amid tighter controls and increased cooperation between European countries and North African states, which may have diverted some journeys away from the central Mediterranean.
According to the International Organization for Migration, limited employment opportunities, family pressures and established migration networks are among the factors driving people to leave Senegal. For many young people, the prospect of finding work and earning more abroad remains a powerful incentive, despite the risks of crossing the Atlantic in overcrowded boats.
Nearly one in four young people in Senegal was unemployed in the second quarter of 2026, according to the country's statistics agency. The figure highlights the challenge facing President Faye's government as it seeks to create jobs for a predominantly young population that overwhelmingly voted for him in the 2024 elections.
In a statement on Sunday, Senegal's interior ministry said it would continue efforts to combat people-smuggling networks, including by strengthening cooperation with neighbouring countries.
