The Mauritanian authorities have announced the interception, this Sunday, of a boat carrying 156 illegal migrants off Nouadhibou. Among them, more than 100 Senegalese nationals, according to a communiqué published this Monday by the Mauritanian Ministry of Fisheries and Maritime Economy. The ship, which left Gambia four days ago, also carried 21 Gambians, 32 Ghanaians and two Guineans (Conakry). Caught in bad weather conditions and faced with strong winds, the crew would have been forced to deviate its trajectory and approach the Mauritanian coast to seek refuge. It was in these circumstances that the Mauritanian coast guard intervened, interpelling the vessel in the vicinity of the autonomous port of Nouadhibou. This operation occurred less than a week after another similar interception. On 15 July last, another boat carrying 171 migrants from Guinea Conakry had been arrested in the same waters. The massive presence of Senegalese on board these vessels revives the debate on the root causes of clandestine emigration, including unemployment, poverty and the lack of prospects for a large part of the Senegalese youth. With Emedia
More than 100 Senegalese were intercepted in Mauritania
