TRAGEDY struck in the waters near Cape Verde as a Spanish fishing vessel rescued a migrant boat carrying more than100 people. Authorities and migrant advocates fear that more than 60 individuals may have lost their lives in the incident, while several others remain unaccounted for.
Safa Msehli, spokesperson for the International Organisation for Migration, revealed that seven bodies were discovered on the rescued boat. An estimated 56 people are presumed to be missing at sea. The Senegalese foreign affairs ministry reported that 38 individuals were rescued earlier near Cape Verde earlier in the week, located about 385 miles off West Africa’s coast.
The migrant vessel, identified as a Senegalese pirogue, embarked on its journey from Senegal on July 10. Distressed families from Fass Boye, situated 90 miles north of Dakar, reached out to the advocacy group Walking Borders on July 20 after going without contact from their loved ones for 10 days. Helena Maleno Garzón, the founder of Walking Borders, shared the distressing accounts.
Cheikh Awa Boye, the president of the local fishing association, revealed that survivors made contact from Cape Verde after their rescue. Among the missing were Boye’s two nephews. Spain’s Maritime Rescue Service affirmed the rescue of 38 individuals and the recovery of seven bodies by a Spanish fishing boat named the Zillarri on August 14. The boat was found adrift northeast of Cape Verde.
The survivors, in a dire condition, were seeking assistance, as conveyed by an official from the tropical tuna fishing company PEVASA, which operates the Zillarri. The journey from West Africa to Spain via the perilous Atlantic route has witnessed a surge in migrant departures from Senegal. Despite the dangers, migrants set out on rickety wooden boats with hopes of reaching Spain’s Canary Islands, a steppingstone to continental Europe.
According to Walking Borders, nearly 1,000 migrants lost their lives while attempting to reach Spain by sea in the first half of 2023. Youth unemployment, political unrest, armed group violence, and climate change drive migrants from West Africa to undertake perilous journeys on overcrowded boats. The Canary Islands have seen the arrival of nearly 10,000 people by sea from the northwest coast of Africa this year, as per Spanish Interior Ministry figures.
The incident underscores the dire conditions facing migrants in the region. The tragedy near Cape Verde echoes previous occurrences, where boats have capsized and lives have been lost in the treacherous waters. The relentless pursuit of a better life prompts migrants to undertake journeys fraught with danger and uncertainty.