VZCZCXRO6966
RR RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #1918/01 2681144
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251144Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9245
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 001918 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KISL PREF SG
SUBJECT: CLANDESTINE IMMIGRATION-IN SEARCH OF ELDORADO 
 
Summary 
-------- 
 
¶1. (SBU) Goaded by their families who sell everything to give them 
their shot, young men, women and even children are connected with 
unscrupulous middlemen who can charge them over a thousand dollars 
to spend up to 12 days on rickety boats in sometimes doomed attempts 
to make it to Spain or Europe in search of a better life.  In the 
last few years, clandestine immigration has become a major concern 
for Senegal.  While 2007 has seen a significant reduction in 
attempts, the issue remains at the forefront of public and 
government consciousness.  According to the International 
Organization for Migration (IOM), 31,863 people arrived in the 
Canary Islands in 2006 with an estimated death toll of 4,000 to 
7,000.  End Summary. 
 
A Personal Story 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Ousmane Balde is an unemployed 25 year-old information 
technology specialist who twice attempted to leave Senegal.  Citing 
a lack of work, he argued that he wants a better future and that 
many of his friends who have successfully made the trip are now 
working in Madrid and Barcelona.  Ousmane not only had the support 
of his family but they and his friends also assisted him with the 
CFA 500,000 cost (USD 1060) of his first trip.  Ousmane told us that 
they left St. Louis, in Northern Senegal, around midnight and that 
the 15 meters long by 2 meters wide pirogue had so many people 
aboard that he could not sit down.  The pirogue was stocked with 
food, fuel, and water.  As the night wore on, it became apparent 
that the boat was not seaworthy so the captain returned to shore the 
next morning.  No one got a refund. 
 
A Descent into a Nightmare 
-------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) Ousmane's second paid attempt, along with 87 adults and 5 
children, started under better circumstances.  As the journey went 
on, however, the would-be immigrants had to throw their belongings 
overboard in order to keep the leaking boat afloat.  After spending 
nine harrowing days in the Atlantic Ocean (four without food) the 
captain of the pirogue admitted that he had made an error in 
navigation and that they had passed their destination of the Canary 
Islands.  During the trip there was fighting, people were sick to 
the point of vomiting blood, no one slept, large waves threatened to 
flood or overturn the boat, and at one point a whale twice the 
length of the boat seemed to be toying with them.  Ousmane also 
recounts how, half way through the trip, they passed a Russian 
fishing trawler whose amused sailors only took some photos and left. 
 In response to the captain's admission of his mistake, some 
fishermen on the boat assisted in piloting a course to Mauritania, 
after which they sailed back to St. Louis.  Several of the 
passengers had to be hospitalized for physical and psychological 
injuries.  Ousmane says he is now done trying to leave Senegal and 
is working to persuade people to stay.  However, with so many 
desperate would-be migrants still hoping for better opportunities no 
matter the risk, these perilous journeys will assuredly continue to 
be undertaken. 
 
Why do they do it? 
------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) According to the eminent Professor Penda Mbow of the West 
African Research Center, who in 2007 with the collaboration of the 
Dutch Embassy conducted an in-depth study entitled "Clandestine 
Immigration: The Profile of Candidates," fishermen are the main 
instigators of clandestine immigration.  She says that depleted 
stocks mean that fishermen have to now travel further and further 
for less and less catch.  The fishermen have realized that they can 
make more money using their boats to transport migrants - the price 
per person of one trip can range from CFA 400,000 to CFA 1,000,000 
(USD 900 - USD 2000). 
 
¶5. (SBU) Mbow opines that societal factors are at the heart of the 
problem.  Many marabouts (Muslim spiritual leaders) encourage and 
actively support those who want to leave and solicit other people in 
their local community to donate money as well.  Mothers sell their 
belongings with the expectation that, once established, the migrant 
will send money back.  A telephone call from Spain is the sign of 
success and encourages others to do the same.  Mbow sympathizes with 
the migrants because the reality is that economic opportunities are 
sorely lacking for most young Senegalese.  Her hope is that the 
government will become more involved in assisting youth with 
training in technical fields. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Nicolas Sonko, a journalist for the Walfadjri daily, has 
worked extensively on the issue and argues that as well as a lack of 
jobs, Senegalese society is changing.  Families no longer espouse 
the shared education and family unity concepts that were so 
important in the agrarian culture that once prevailed.  Thus 
 
DAKAR 00001918  002 OF 002 
 
 
parents, who are now looking for a quick fix to their economic 
problems, actively encourage their children to leave with the hope 
that they will work and send money back home. 
 
¶7. (U) Importantly, many youths attempt the trip because legal 
immigration is not an option.  Many young, working-age men with 
little to no education try their luck at getting a visa at the U.S. 
and other Western embassies.  They come with their new passports 
posing as traders, religious leaders, and tourists.  At USD 100, a 
nonimmigrant visa fee is a bargain compared with the more expensive, 
clandestine alternative.  However, even honest applicants find that 
the doors are closed to them.  One young man, making no attempt to 
hide his intentions, told the consular officer in his B1/B2 visa 
interview that he was responsible for his entire family's economic 
well-being and that he just wanted to work.  He had already been 
refused a visa by the Spanish, Portuguese, and British embassies. 
"What can I do?" he asked as he was denied yet again. 
 
So what's being done? 
-------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Lieutenant Colonel Alioune Ndiaye is Senegal's 
Representative to the European Agency for the Management of 
Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States 
of the European Union (FRONTEX).  FRONTEX is an EU border security 
organization through which Italy, Spain, and Portugal are providing 
assistance to Senegal along with materiel to enhance surveillance 
patrols along the coast.  Ndiaye said that in 2006, there were two 
to three departures per day with the majority leaving from St. 
Louis.  However, with increased patrols, the departures have 
decreased to about one every two weeks leaving from as far south as 
Mbour.  This change in location increases the journey from as little 
3-4 days to 10-12 days. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Confirming what Balde told us, Ndiaye said that departures 
mostly take place during the night but that in the morning, a 
FRONTEX surveillance flight can quickly identify a boatload of 
people.  A FRONTEX ship then intercepts the pirogue and they are 
redirected back to Senegal.  In 2007, over 10,000 people were 
stopped by FRONTEX.  In September 2007, FRONTEX intercepted a 
pirogue with 179 people on board comprised of 125 Senegalese, 32 
Gambians, 14 Guineans, 6 Malians, and the rest from other West 
African countries. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Ndiaye said that the brains behind these operations are 
difficult to identify, bt that they are primarily Senegalese - he 
doubtsthe existence of any major international traffickig groups. 
Many times passengers never see the oranizer unless the organizr 
is the captain of theboat.  Different migrants are assigned to 
obtaindifferent materials.  Thus, one person will get th motor, 
one the food, and a third the boat.  Sengalese captains are 
especially sought after becase they can navigate the waters. 
 
¶11. (U) He went on to say that clandestine immigration is affecting 
the local fishing industry, which is subsidized by the government. 
Normally, a boat can be used for many years, but for a trip it is 
used once and then destroyed in Spain.  Fishermen are also selling 
their boats to those who want to make the voyage.  Ndiaye believes 
that people will continue to attempt to leave because they see it as 
the best way to help their families.  A person sending back CFA 
200,000-300,000 CFA (up to USD 600) per month to their families will 
enable them to live quite well. 
 
International Efforts 
--------------------- 
 
¶12. (U) The International Organization for Migration has been 
working to encourage people to immigrate under a legal program set 
up between Spain and Senegal.  Another area where IOM has been 
successful is in increasing public awareness of the dangers of the 
trip and the conditions found upon arrival in foreign countries. 
Shocking images on the television are most powerful in persuading 
people not to attempt the trip.  IOM has also implemented some pilot 
programs in areas where the likelihood of immigration is highest. 
They assist youth with sports and other programs.  For example, one 
program allows young people to propose a project and receive 
assistance in bringing the project to fruition.  IOM assists with 
oversight and, if needed, with a little cash (up to 20 percent) to 
get started.  Other programs are in the vocational training areas of 
construction, farming, and fishing.  IOM admits it has limited 
resources that include four separate teams and 12 vehicles.  In 
Europe, IOM and FRONTEX work together to help repatriate people. 
IOM said that many government officials admit that remittances help 
the country's economy, but that they are also concerned about the 
impact of clandestine immigration on the national image. 
 
SMITH