The Senegalese police have arrested five people in Saint-Louis as part of an operation that uncovered three cases of attempted clandestine departures to Spain. The arrests were made on October 31, 2026, in the Hydrobase neighborhood by the regional branch of the National Division for the Fight against Trafficking in Migrants and Related Practices.
The arrested individuals are being prosecuted for association of malefactors, attempted trafficking of migrants by sea, fraud, and complicity. The first intervention followed reports of a person buying a pirogue to prepare a clandestine departure to Dakar. Police arrested the individual as the boat was being put to sea and seized nine cans of gasoline and immobilized the pirogue.
In a second case, investigators thwarted a group suspected of trying to bribe a DNLT agent. The alleged organizer of a crossing offered 1 million FCFA to a police officer to facilitate the departure of a boat to Spain. A sting operation led to the arrest of the individual and another person presented as his accomplice.
The investigations also led to the discovery of two places used to shelter candidates for clandestine emigration. Four people were found in one of these sites. Thanks to collaboration between the DNLT and the Island commissariat, a crossing attempt had already been foiled the day before, and 3.225 million FCFA and a motor pump were recovered.
A third operation resulted in the arrest of two individuals involved with a boat already identified by investigators. A pirogue, a 40-horsepower engine, and 1.372 million FCFA were seized and placed under seal. These arrests come in a particularly tragic context, marked by the sinking of a pirogue off Lompoul, which killed 39 people.
The sinking of the pirogue has revived the urgency of the situation. The Minister of Interior and Public Security, Mouhamadou Makhtar Cissé, visited the area on November 9 and presented condolences to the bereaved families. He emphasized the need to strengthen the fight against traffickers and increase cooperation with neighboring countries.
The Senegalese police have pledged to continue pursuing organizers of these crossings and are calling on the population to contribute to their identification by communicating any useful information to the free numbers 17 or 800 00 17 00. The authorities face a major security and humanitarian challenge in dismantling these networks and reducing the toll paid by candidates for emigration.
Key points
- Five individuals were arrested in Saint-Louis for involvement in irregular migration networks.
- The arrests were made in the context of a tragic incident in which 39 people died in a pirogue sinking off Lompoul.
- The Senegalese police are seeking to strengthen the fight against traffickers and increase cooperation with neighboring countries.
