What if Africa had drones, ships and even European personnel to control its borders and stem migratory flows? The logic of outsourcing controls is not new, but it took a new turn, a few days before the European Union-African Union summit which is taking place in Brussels on 17 and 18 February.
A “unique opportunity”
A week before the meeting, during the French presidency of the Council of the EU, the European Commissioner in charge of immigration, the Swedish Ylva Johansson, made the following proposal to Senegal during a trip to Dakar: deploy Frontex, the European border protection agency, to Senegal to help fight the smuggling of migrants to the Canary Islands, Spain. This would be the first time that Frontex operates outside of Europe. “This is my offer and I hope that the Senegalese government is interested in this unique opportunity”, she sold. Discussions are already well advanced, and an agreement could be finalized by this summer.
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This “deal” comes at a time of change in migration phenomena. Efforts to curb crossings in the central Mediterranean, via Libya, have led to a sharp increase in attempts to access the Canary Islands, a gateway to the European Union located about 100 kilometers from the African coast. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 1,200 people died or went missing attempting the crossing last year. The Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras counts 4,400.
From fishing to the fight against drug trafficking
The agreement could go well beyond migration issues. EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, who was also present in Dakar, said a Frontex mission to Senegal could also help in the fight against illegal fishing. The global solutions sold in Senegal should also serve as a showcase for other African states tempted by this type of support. Fabrice Leggeri, director of the Frontex agency, advocates a “balanced approach where everyone finds themselves in it”.
The European Border Surveillance Agency has been commissioned by the European Commission to work primarily with “the southern neighborhood”, bilaterally or collectively. This desire for rapprochement concerns Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, and perhaps Libya, once this state-deprived country plagued by civil war is stabilized.
“We can find cooperation that goes beyond questions of remotenesswittily Fabrice Leggeri. Our coastguard function can help these countries detect threats for which they are less well equipped. There are drug trafficking coming from South America to the coast of a number of west coast countries. We can help against these scourges that can destabilize Africa. »