Senegal adopts national Strategy against illegal migration

Senegal adopted Thursday July 27 a national strategy to curb illegal migration (SNLMI).
The strategy is made of five pillars namely prevention, border management, repression and return and rehabilitation of migrants, Interior Minister Antoine Félix Diome indicated.
The prevention will encompass employment of youth and financing of youth initiatives. The repression will hunt down traffickers and smugglers, provide support and protection to migrants.
The SNLMI will be used as the West African country’s roadmap to tackle illegal migration. It came after 18 months of work by an Interministerial Committee to combat clandestine emigration and find inclusive solutions.
The adoption of the strategy came amid concerns about illegal migration from Senegalese coasts with many candidates being from the West African country. 16 people, migrants, died early this week after their vessel capsized off near the capital Dakar.
The incident is the second so far in this month. Early this month, the ministry of Interior indicated that 14 people died after a boat carrying illegal migrants heading to the Spanish autonomous Canary Islands capsized off.