Senegal’s Consul General in Dakhla formally denies reports of Senegalese migrants stranded in Moroccan desert

The Consul General of Senegal in Dakhla, Babou Sène, has formally denied the information circulating on social networks and relayed by certain media alleging that Senegalese would-be migrants are stranded in the Moroccan desert.

“This is unfounded information that I formally deny,” Sène told MAP news agency, stressing that “the Senegalese authorities are aware that there is a lot of manipulation on social networks.”

The Senegalese would-be migrants, who are usually rescued by the Royal Navy, “are always accommodated in reception centers in Dakhla and not in tents in the desert,” he stressed.

The Senegalese Consulate General in Dakhla is informed by the Moroccan authorities as soon as a pirogue is rescued by the Royal Navy, and immediately dispatches a team to the site to observe the living conditions of the would-be migrants, he noted.

“The Senegalese are very well received in Morocco,” said Babou Sène.

The diplomat praised, in this regard, the efforts made by the Moroccan authorities to welcome in “good conditions” migrants from sub-Saharan African countries in general and Senegal in particular, noting that last year alone, over 300 Senegalese were hospitalized in Dakhla for a period ranging from 3 days to two months at the expense of the Moroccan authorities.

Sène also commended the reception and living conditions of Senegalese nationals in Morocco, noting that thousands of his fellow citizens live in the Kingdom in excellent conditions, with residence permits and decent jobs.