Published on : 29/06/2022 – 09:29
Research continues off the coast of Casamance, in the south of Senegal, after the sinking of a boat on which migrants had embarked on Sunday June 26. The canoe caught fire, causing the death of several people, according to a toll difficult to establish: 87 survivors were rescued, but some witnesses claim that up to 150 people, mostly Senegalese, were on board.
The tragedy occurred in Kafountine, a village near Ziguinchor. ” There was a canoe of migrants who set off from Hillol in the forest. There were more than a hundred migrants, most of them Senegalese “, explains an employee of the town hall of Kafountine, Mamadou Seydou Diabang, joined by Timbi Bah of the Fulfulde editorial staff.
In recent months, it has become a very popular departure point for candidates for exile, often heading to Spain. Mamadou Seydou Diabang testifies to the situation: “ The commune of Kafountine has now become a place of embarkation for irregular migrants who travel by sea from the point of view of its geographical position. It is located on the Atlantic Ocean with 19 villages, including 14 islands, access to which is very difficult for the authorities simply because they are islands. This is what made the illegal migrants choose these islands of the municipality of Kafountine, which are called the Karones Islands, to set off. »
►Also read: In Senegal, a regional meeting to coordinate the fight against human trafficking