Reuters AlertNet Lite - Senegal navy stops 132 migrants headed for Spain

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Senegal navy stops 132 migrants headed for Spain

27 Mar 2007 13:26:26 GMT
Source: Reuters

DAKAR, March 27 (Reuters) - A Senegalese patrol boat has intercepted 132 migrants off the coast of West Africa who were trying to reach Spain in an open fishing vessel, the army said on Tuesday.

The migrants, who were mostly Senegalese but also included two Malians and two Gambians, were arrested off the coast of the tourist town of Mbour by a Senegalese patrol boat working as part of a joint patrol with European Union forces.

"We intercepted the boat in deep waters where it was waiting for more migrants to arrive in smaller fishing boats," said a spokesman for the Senegalese operation, which includes army, navy and police and works with the EU border control agency Frontex.

More than 31,000 illegal immigrants reached Spain's Canary Islands from West Africa last year, six times more than in 2005. Many died on the journey. The EU has said it expects new flows of illegal immigrants this year.

Women and children have been among them but most are young African men fleeing poverty and unemployment in the hope of finding work in Europe and sending money back to their families.

Frontex was created in 2005 to coordinate EU border security using aircraft, helicopters and ships for operations mostly in the Mediterranean.

Senegalese, Spanish and Italian security forces have been conducting joint sea, air and land patrols since September, meshing with similar EU-coordinated operations around Mauritania and the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa's Atlantic coast.

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Last updated:Tue Mar 27 13:29:04 2007