Madar (Dakar) - Senegal's gendarmerie in Ziguinchor, in the south of the country, intercepted around 30 people preparing to migrate irregularly to the Spanish coast and arrested 17 suspected smugglers in an operation carried out on 8 and 9 November 2026, the state daily Le Soleil reported on Wednesday 11 November.
Those intercepted included men, women and two young girls, the newspaper said, adding that the departure was foiled before boarding.
Presenting the results of the operation on Wednesday at the port of Ziguinchor, the commander of the gendarmerie legion, Colonel Papa Saboury Ndiaye, said 3 pirogues, 5 outboard engines, fuel, GPS devices and large quantities of provisions had been seized, along with 2,020,000 CFA francs in cash.
According to the officer, the boats were to take three routes: via the Gambia, via Thiaroye near Dakar, and directly to Spain. Questioning of the suspects also revealed an organised network extending beyond Senegal's borders.
Colonel Ndiaye called on families, boat builders and fuel sellers to help prevent clandestine departures, voicing concern at seeing entire families undertake these perilous crossings. "A country deprived of its vital forces cannot develop," he said.
The operation comes after the Senegalese navy said it had rescued 759 migrants aboard 4 pirogues in a single day, amid a rise in departures from Senegal's coast.
