Senegalese village 'thriving'

2007-11-19 15:40

Elinkine - This sleepy, southern Senegalese coastal village is quietly thriving thanks to illegal emigration, with the boom undeterred by survivors' harrowing tales of death and danger at sea.

Because of the clandestine nature of the business, it is not known how many migrants are processed or how many fishing boats set sail from Elinkine, nestled in the deep mangroves on the mouth of the Casamance River, in Senegal's southern province of the same name.

But what was certain was that it was a key departure point for west African illegal emigrants trying to cross the Atlantic Ocean to the so-called European Eldorado and that a network of smugglers were raking a fortune from the trade.

Alioune who identified himself by a pseudonym said: "Here everybody benefits, that is why people are careful."

Residents of this tiny, leafy village were very cagey when it came to talking about the booming trade that had prospered in recent years, from desperately poor Africans who exhausted their family's meagre resources for the risky 1 000-plus kilometre-long trip on high seas in ramshackle fishing boats.

'We can make lots of money'

When and if they talked, they neither gave their full names nor details for fear of upsetting the system. Boat owners and smugglers were directly involved in the trafficking, as were fishermen enlisted to sail the pirogues.

Along a sandy village street, a ferryman sitting on his veranda who gave his name as Joseph said that he was aware that he was on a police wanted list. He said: "We can make lots of money, but a lot of smugglers have been arrested."

According to Alioune, an average two boats set sail from Elinkine aiming for the Spanish Canary Islands every week, but it was generally not a subject of open discussion because "it is a very dangerous game" that concerns the entire village.

Some homes around the village served as "lodges", where days before takeoff, the prospective migrants were gathered and prepared for the trip.

Alioune said: "Everybody is well aware and most of the people are involved. It comes with lots of money, it's a mafia here." He said boats owners had created what he called a commission that "facilitates" the departures.

'My friend threw himself into the water'

Each boat owner contributed an annual fee to this commission of three million CFA francs ($6 600) "and in return the departures are facilitated and the police get their share", he said.

According to Alioune, the only four boats to have been caught by police this year in Elinkine were not organised in the village.

Last month, a boat with more than 100 would-be migrants took off from Casamance headed to the Canaries. The engine broke down and for weeks the group was stranded at sea. One by one, they started dying from thirst and exposure.

By the time the boat drifted ashore near Mauritania, more than 40 had perished on board and their bodies tossed overboard by survivors.

Keba Sow, 31, a carpenter who made it to the Canaries last year but was repatriated, recounted harrowing experiences of having to deal with raging storms, sea sickness and suicides.

"I saw one of my friends throw himself into the water. It's not easy," he said adding that four others committed suicide that way during the same 10-day trip.

And if caught in a heavy storm, there was no time to rest, but to deal with the waters gushing into the boat. He said: "For 10 days we did not sleep, we were scooping out water day and night."

Another survivor Abdoulaye Ndiaye said they ran into one bad storm that actually cracked the boat and it was decided to call off the trip and seek help from a passing vessel.

31 200 immigrants arrival in the Canaries

By the time the ordeal was more than nine people had died. He said he counted at least 10 others, supposedly thrown overboard by other boats, floating on the water. Despite the drama of his first attempt, Ndiaye wanted to try again.

He said: "I would rather die at sea than stay here unable to fend for my family, which looks up to me, and I have nothing to give it. It's horrible."

Last year was record for the canaries with more than 31 200 illegal immigrant arrivals in the Canaries, which lied off northwest Africa, more than tripling the previous annual record and overwhelming the island chain's authorities.

But stepped-up maritime patrols off Africa's Atlantic coast run by the European Union border agency Frontex, which operated alongside some African countries, had seen a lull in departures this year.

To avoid detection, the departure points had shifted farther to the south, where patrols were still weak, but the move only meant the already dangerous trips were longer and more perilous.

Senegalese police spokesperson Alioune Ndiaye, said the fight against illegal emigration was now facing "real stubbornness" and daring attempts to evade the controls.

He said: "They are forced to take onto to open and high seas, where the risks are doubled."

- AFP