Senegal: Rising Irregular Migration to Canary Islands

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Senegal has been monitoring the main departure points along the country's coastline since 2019. The Atlantic West Africa Route (WAAR) has seen a surge in irregular maritime migration, with migrants departing or transiting through Senegal en route to the Canary Islands. Although the number of irregular arrivals has fluctuated, it shows a global trend of increase, reflecting evolving migration dynamics. Migrants have departed from the coasts of Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, and The Gambia. During the period, two boat departures and three observed pirogues in high seas were recorded, involving a total of 801 migrants. Additionally, 939 migrants were involved in departure preparations, with three cases of recruitment and two cases of migrant interception reported.