Al-Hijrah: “Our boat ran out of fuel and we were stuck in the middle of the sea”

“They wrote down our names and personal details and sent us on buses to our country, Senegal.”

Doudou Diop has been missing for a week, so his family is relieved to know he is still alive.

It is not clear whether the boat he traveled on was mentioned in any press reports or news.

Meanwhile, a conflict erupted between the Senegalese government and the refugee organization Walking Borders over the number of migrants missing at sea.

Walking Borders founder Helena Maleno launched a campaign on July 9 to raise awareness of missing migrants on boats.

He contacted authorities in Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco and Spain, urging them to join the search for the missing boats.

Spanish authorities have rescued 86 migrants from a boat that drifted off the Canary Islands while searching for one of three missing boats.

The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs later issued a statement.

“Investigations carried out show that this information is unsubstantiated,” the report said, adding that between June 28 and July 9, 260 of its citizens were rescued in Moroccan territorial waters.

Walking Borders later issued another statement saying it was able to verify that the rescued people mentioned by the Senegalese government were “on other boats that left the coast of Senegal, but not on the 300-person boat.”

On July 13, another boat arrived off the coast of the Canary Islands with 41 migrants from Senegal.

As I tried to piece the facts together, I found a woman in Cafontaine who said she had a missing relative. She wished to remain anonymous and told me she had lost touch with her 17-year-old nephew.

He seems to have boarded one of these three boats, she said, “I’m afraid.. we have no news about him.. Days have passed and we still don’t know anything about him.”

“There is real confusion about the fate of the 300 people who went missing,” a member of the local security service told me, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added, “Apart from this woman, no one in the city approached the authorities or security forces looking for their brothers or relatives.”

But of course this is not surprising, because many people come from other regions or from neighboring countries, and have no connection with the village.

At least 559 people died trying to reach the Canary Islands from Senegal last year, according to the United Nations.

In the first half of the year alone, the Canary Islands welcomed more than 7,000 immigrants.

As a result of the difficult economic situation, there is always a group of young people looking for an opportunity for a better life.

Doudou lived his entire life in the Casamance region of southern Senegal. After his father’s death, he said he felt the pressure of taking on the responsibility of providing for his family as the eldest son.

“I dreamed of better living conditions and enough money so I could take care of my wife, daughter, mother and the rest of my family,” he said, adding that a seat on the boat costs 400,000 CFA francs ($682).

“I left without telling anyone… I had a plan… I wanted to go to Europe because there was nothing here, no hope in sight.”

He continued, “I was very disappointed because I wanted to go to Spain. I have friends who were able to go there and they were waiting for me.”

A group of youths sit in the shade between two caves. Some play traditional board games, while others engage in heated debates on political topics.

Gnara Thiabong Pa is one of the deputy mayors and a member of the opposition.

“It worries me a lot,” says Knara, “and it’s very sad to see that we get so much publicity because of migrants leaving or trying to get to Europe.”

“As an elected local authority, I feel responsible. If we ask young people to stay, we have to give them jobs and a good education. If we don’t do that, we’ve failed miserably.”

Mayor David Diatta of the same party shares Gnara’s view, adding that the unique security situation in the area is also a factor.

“Illustrating the immigration movement is the strategic location of the Goventin municipality,” he says.

“Ninety-one percent of our society is made up of islands, and the military and navy have very little access to that area and deal with what’s going on there.”

The youth unemployment rate is 40 percent, even among university graduates.

“We are suffering a lot, there are no jobs, no help from the authorities,” said 28-year-old Ibrahima, who has a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

He adds, “Many of my friends took fishing boats to reach the Canary Islands and succeeded. We see them on social networks and there seems to be a real difference.”

“I’d like to go one day, but I need the money.”