By Nurul Nabihah
CAPE VERDE, 21 August 2023: 130 Senaglese asylum seekers’ hope for a brighter future in Europe drowned in the sea, with only 38 surviving to see the daylight after nearly a month being left adrift off the coast of Cape Verde.
Alarms were raised when the status of a fishing boat that housed the 130 asylum seekers remained unknown after nearly two weeks of its departure from Fass Boye, Senegal, to Canary Island, Spain, on 10 July.
An effort for search and rescue was initiated on 20 July by the Walking Borders, a Spanish human rights NGO, who received pleas from the passengers’ relatives to find their whereabouts. The Walking Borders alerted authorities of Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and Spain of the rescue of the route between Senegal and the Canary Islands.
On 14 August, the missing boat was found by a Spanish vessel off the coast of Cape Verde with 38 survivors in bad condition and seven dead onboard. According to the International Organization on Migration (IOM), those lost at sea were presumed dead.
Mr. Ba, the brother of Ibrahima, who did not survive the journey, recounted his own failed attempts to leave Senegal for better economic opportunities. The same desperation has driven his brother and his people to brave the sea, even when it is clear that the journey does not promise a safe passage.
The journey to the Canary Islands has been famous in recent years due to the strategic location creating a pathway for migrants from West Africa to enter Europe.
Nevertheless, the route is considered one of the deadliest migration routes in the world. Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesperson for the IOM, stated, “These are long journeys, subject to strong Atlantic winds, and only a few of those who leave arrive at their destination. We just don’t know what happens to the missing.”***
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