2023-07-17 05:44:36
Waves of irregular migrants follow one another. The phenomenon continues. Each year, when the candidates for the uncertain journey and their smugglers decide to take the sea or the land route, via the Sahara, Senegal is content with a macabre count or recalling the efforts that have been made to settle the young people. However, the various policies implemented have shown their limits over time. The fight against irregular emigration seems to be lost. Senegal, like other African countries of departure of migrants and their European partners and countries of destination, including transit countries, have not yet managed to develop discouraging strategies.
Of “REVA Plan or Return to Agriculture”launched in 2006, in the Program «Tekki Fii» (“Succeed Here”, in Wolof), initiated since May 2017, through the Great Offensive for Food and Abundance (GOANA, April 2008) and the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER-FJ) and the many agencies, projects and employment and funding programs for young people run by the State, and the security approach with the support of FRONTEX to the Navy and the efforts of the Gendarmerie and other Defense and Security Forces, nothing seems to stop the young candidates for the“adventure” perilous towards«Eldorado» European. On the contrary, irregular emigration is a phenomenon that continues, despite state responses.
For years, a migration policy, which is still struggling to be implemented, has been engaged. Young people continue to die at sea or in the Sahara desert or borders of Maghreb transit states. The various partnership agreements between Senegal and the countries of the European Union (EU) have not been able to curb the phenomenon. The two parties have bet a lot on the security approach and surveillance, without this managing to constitute a definitive brake.
L’AGENCE FRONTEX SUBMERGEE…
Indeed, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX), created in 2004, to help EU Member States and countries associated with the Schengen area to protect the external borders of the free movement area of the EU comes up against many difficulties. In 2021, the European Court of Auditors produced a report showing that FRONTEX is struggling to achieve the ambitions of the EU. “In general, we found that the support provided by FRONTEX to EU Member States/Schengen Associated Countries in the fight against illegal immigration and cross-border crime was not sufficiently effective”.
In early 2022, the European Union offered to deploy on the Senegalese coast. The collaborative will of President Macky Sall has come up against opposition from civil society. Nevertheless, Senegal has deployed security forces whose only objective is to thwart the inclinations of candidates for irregular emigration. The support of Europe is sung during meetings on emigration.
In addition to repression, Senegal leads the fight through the creation of income-generating activities such as agriculture. Since the regime of President Abdoulaye Wade, we note the implementation of policies to stabilize young people through a return to the fields. Thus, to counter the phenomenon of canoes used to reach the coasts of Europe, called “Barça wala Barsakh”, and compensate for the repatriation agreement for irregular migrants concluded between Senegal and Spain, two events which had aroused emotion, indignation and anger of more than one in 2005-2006, the former President of the Republic, Me Abdoulaye Wade , had launched, in 2006, the “REVA Plan or Return to Agriculture”. To fix young people in the land.
REVA, GOANA, FNPJ, ANEJ AND OFEJBAN WRECKS
This was a project which, falling within the framework of sustainable development, consisted of “create a national dynamic of massive, sustainable and sustained return of populations, all categories combined, to the land in order to make agricultural trades the foundation of the national economy and agriculture the engine of the country’s development”. And in its design, the «Plan REVA» revolved around the implementation of integrated emergence centers and the promotion of private initiative in the agro-industrial sector in the broad sense (agriculture, forestry, fish farming, aquaculture, crafts, etc.)
Better, this so-called flexible tool which should adapt to the technical and socio-economic context of the country, will see the birth of another more ambitious one, but with which it will walk together: the Great Offensive for Food and Abundance (GOANA). Launched on April 18, 2008, by the then President of the Republic, the GOANA policy, which was a generalization, integration and deepening of the REVA, had as its main objective to increase agricultural production for the main crops consumed in Senegal, in order to ensure more autonomy and food security, in a context of high product prices caused by the soaring price of a barrel of oil…
Added to this is the creation of youth employment agencies, which have multiplied. Thus, the National Fund for the Promotion of Youth (FNPJ), the National Agency for Youth Employment (ANEJ) and the Office for Youth Employment in the suburbs OFEJBAN… housed in the Ministry of Youth, will see the day alongside Departments dedicated to the same task in ministries. What these many agencies have in common is that they have disappeared, with much controversy over their “usefulness and merit” real. Even if these are programs whose merits are praised by the authorities, it is clear that these are state initiatives, gradually becoming billion dollar sinkholes, which will serve more to house or serve a political clientele.
WHY THERE «TEKKI FII»DER/FJ… TOUGH
After the liberal regime, the President of the Republic, Macky Sall, with his Emerging Senegal Plan (PSE), came to power, continuing and multiplying approaches. The situation never changes. Moreover, in a study published in 2020 on: “Migrations in Senegal: need for a societal vision and to humanize the issue rather than criminalization and a rhetoric of fear», the Heinrich Böll Foundation finds that the PES contains many projects for the education of young people and the creation of jobs. However, “a multitude of government agencies and programs, all with a mandate to create jobs for young people, are usually launched shortly before elections in order to secure votes but, in the end, the situation of the majority of young people does not don’t change”.
Projects and programs of employment and financing of young people follow one another, the phenomenon worsens. And, among other findings of this diet: «Tekki Fii», a program to boost entrepreneurship in Senegal, developed to counter the waves of irregular departures. With the objective of “developing employment in Senegal”, «Tekki Fii» (“Succeed Here” in Wolof), is a program launched in May 2017 which aims to “promote employment and professional integration of young people in areas of departure of migrants”. But the mayonnaise of «Tekki Fii» always difficult to take. Just like the support and funding initiative for returning migrants. Worse, the latter, for the most part, have only one dream: to try the adventure again to enter Europe. And all means are good, say some of them, for that.
Previously, upon his accession to power, in the name of rationalizing expenditure, President Macky Sall dissolved many agencies and companies. The FNPJ, the ANEJ and the OFEJBAN will fall by the wayside and will become an entity: the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment (ANPEJ) which will also be put to the test.
FONGIP, 3FPT ET «XËYU NDAW ÑI», AID…FAR FROM BEING THE SOLUTION
Macky Sall will also create the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship for Women and Young People (DER/FJ), by decree n°2017-2123 of November 15, 2017. And for better monitoring of its policy, this structure is attached to the Secretariat General of the Presidency of the Republic of Senegal, with the following missions: “the definition and implementation of strategies to promote the self-employment of young people and women; the mobilization of resources and the financing of business creation projects and income-generating activities; strengthening the technical and managerial capacities of beneficiaries; supervision and monitoring-evaluation of funded projects and activities”.
In short, for greater efficiency and to overcome the mortgage and financing problems encountered with banks, the Priority Investment Guarantee Fund (FONGIP) is operated through partnerships. Similarly, the Vocational and Technical Training Financing Fund (3FPT) will come in to help, to remedy the deplored qualification concern.
Only, it is clear that these state policies have never managed to fix the candidates at the start. On the contrary, after the lulls in winter, the phenomenon picks up again in summer. And this despite the many tragedies, with hundreds of deaths and disappearances, reported in the media and the self-satisfaction of the authorities with the Emergency Program for the socio-economic integration and employment of young people, “Let’s go”. This initiative of President Macky Sall, implemented since April 2021, is financed to the tune of 450 billion CFA francs for the period 2021-2023; i.e. 150 billion CFA francs per year. Its objective was to create 65,000 jobs.
LACK OF A GOOD MIGRATION POLICY IN SENEGAL
Success is sometimes measured by the investments of young people established abroad, which contributes to motivating departures. Sometimes analyzing the profile of migrants, experts continue to say that Senegal does not have a good migration policy. Economic motivations remain the main causes put forward to justify irregular emigration. Thus, the whole answer seems accentuated on the repression of departures, through checks, and the creation of economic benefits.
However, it should be noted that the migration issue often goes beyond the search for profits. Mirage or not, young people are more and more attracted by the quality of life offered by Western countries. For a life of high standards, they are ready for anything; even brave the Atlantic or even take the very uncertain land routes of the Sahara, due in particular to the slave trade and practices in countries such as Libya.
Fatou NDIAYE & ID
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