Senegalese farmer Mouhamed Oualy has never been to sea, but he is about to embark on a dangerous canoe journey, one that has turned the Atlantic Ocean into a mass grave.
“The guys on the boat called me, they told me I should get ready. I ask you to pray for me, the time has come,” he says.
BBC Africa Eye has gained access to the secret world of migrants hoping to reach Europe through the dangerous journey between West Africa and Spain’s Canary Islands.
And Oualy wants to be one of those migrants who reach the archipelago, whose number has reached an all-time high.
The regional government warns that what awaits them on the rocky coasts of the archipelago is a system “overwhelmed” and “on the brink of collapse”but nothing will dent Oualy’s determination.
Crammed into a crowded cayuco, a traditional wooden fishing canoe, Oualy could face days, even weeks, at the mercy of one of the world’s most unforgiving seas.
From Senegal, it is estimated that The distance they travel in the open sea is between 1,000 and 2,000 kmwhich, depending on the starting point, is about ten times the distance of other migratory routes that cross the Mediterranean.
Battling storms and strong ocean currents, migrants often run out of water, suffer from severe dizziness and intense fear.
At night, surrounded by dark waters, people often become delirious, overcome by panic and dehydration.
Far from the coast, in the eastern Tambacounda region of Senegal, Oualy’s children and family depend on the little money he earned from farming.
The 40-year-old hasn’t seen them for almost a year. The time he has been living in one of the main points on the coast where the boats leave from.
There he has been working as a motorcycle taxi driver and borrowing money from friends to raise the US$1,000 that it would cost to get on board from one of the boats that leave for the Canary Islands.
Fearing that he will be scammed, he has agreed with the smugglers that he will only hand over the full amount if the ship manages to make it to the end.
“You have to take risks”
“No one knows what could happen to me in these waters. “The evil spirits of the sea could kill me,” he tells the BBC from the safety of the beach.
“The boat could capsize and we would all drown. If you fall into the water, what do you hold on to? The only possibility is death, but you have to take risks.”
Dozens of boats have disappeared with hundreds of lives on board. Without adequate navigation systems, some drift off course and end up drifting across the Atlantic, until they reach the coast of Brazil.
If Oualy survives the trip, He hopes to earn a living to take care of his extended family.but he keeps his plans a secret so as not to worry them.
According to the World Bank, Senegal recorded strong economic performance during the decade beginning in 2010, but More than a third of the country still lives in poverty.
“I worked every job you can imagine, but things didn’t get better. If you don’t have money, you don’t matter. “I am their only hope and I have no money,” he says.
Like Oualy, most Migrants on this route are sub-Saharan Africans fleeing poverty and conflictaggravated by climate change.
The Canary Islands have become a main gateway for irregular migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe, especially after countries such as Italy and Greece will introduce measures to end other routes that cross the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia.
Almost 40,000 arrived in 2023, the highest number in three decades. So far this year, more than 30,800 have already arrived at its tourist beaches, more than double that of the same period last year.
As weather conditions improve in the Atlantic, the Canary Islands government fears that “the worst” is yet to come.
In an exclusive interview with BBC Africa Eye, Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canary Islands government, described an “oversaturated” emergency system in which maritime rescuers, police and Red Cross volunteers are at the limit of their capabilities.
“The consequence is that more people will die, we will not be able to care for migrants as they deserve,” explains Clavijo.
“At the moment, Europe has blocked the Mediterranean Sea, which means that the Atlantic route, which is more dangerous and lethalhas become the escape valve.”
The BBC spoke to members of the Spanish emergency services, who asked to remain anonymous as they described their exhaustion.
One said: “The workers can’t stand it anymore. witness death and devastation”.
On El Hierro, the smallest island in the archipelago, the number of migrants who have arrived since the beginning of 2023 has already more than doubled the local population to almost 30,000.
Clavijo says that locals cannot use public buses because they are all being used to transport migrants, which he fears could fuel xenophobia and create social unrest.
“We will all have to take responsibility, from the European Union to the Spanish government, because the Canary Islands cannot be left to face this crisis on our own.”
In the traffickers’ house
In recent months, the sharp increase in arrivals has fueled an intense national debate in Spain about how to tackle irregular migration, with the Canary Islands calling for more state aid to care for those arriving, especially unaccompanied children.
Back in Senegal, Oualy has finally been summoned by human traffickers to join other migrants in a secret hideout. Your destiny is now in your hands.
“There are many of us, we have filled the house. There are also people from Mali and Guinea. They take us in small boats of 10 to 15 people until we reach the big boat, then we leave,” he says.
To survive the long journey, Oualy has only taken a few bottles of water and a handful of cookies.
For the first two days, he is constantly sick. He stands most of the time due to lack of space and sleeps in seawater mixed with fuel.
Also runs out of water and has to drink from the sea.
Some people on the ship start screaming and raving. The crew tells the others to hold on to them so they don’t fall overboard or push someone else.
According to data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Atlantic route is becoming quickly on the world’s deadliest migratory journey.
It is estimated that 807 people have died or disappeared so far in 2024, which represents an increase of 76% compared to the same period last year.
But the number of victims is likely to be significantly higher, because fatal accidents tend not to be recorded on this route.
“Every 45 minutes, a migrant dies trying to reach our beaches. This means that trafficking mafias are increasingly more powerful,” says Clavijo, referring to data from the Spanish human rights group “Caminando Fronteras”.
US$150 million a year
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that Criminals earn around US$150 million a year in this route.
“The mafias that organize the trips have realized that this is like drug trafficking, with little chance of being detected”Lieutenant Antonio Fuentes, from a team of the Spanish Civil Guard created to fight against smugglers, explains to the BBC.
“For them, A migrant is a mere commodity. They transport people like they might transport drugs or weapons. “They are simply victims.”
To better understand these criminal networks, the BBC spoke to a Senegalese smuggler who organizes boat trips, who asked to remain anonymous.
“If you take a big boat, one that can carry 200 to 300 people, and each of them pays about 500 dollars, “We are talking about a lot of money,” he says.
When asked about his criminal responsibility as a smuggler, on a journey that has killed many people in his community, the smuggler is unrepentant and tells the BBC: “It is a crime, whoever is caught should be imprisoned, but not There is a solution.”
“You will see people in the water who have died, but the boats keep moving.”
For five days, the BBC receives no news from Oualy. Then one night, he calls.
“The engine was warming up and the wind was so strong that some of the fishermen suggested we head to Morocco. But the captain refused. “He said that if we moved slowly, we would be in Spain at 6 in the morning.”
Oualy was less than a day away from reaching the Canary Islands when the boat’s engine began to fail and many of the migrants, fearful that the winds would be stronger once they ventured further into the Atlantic Ocean, rebelled against his captain.
“Everyone started arguing and insulting each other. The captain relented and returned to Senegal”.
Oualy survived the trip, but suffered injuries and has serious health problems. He is in constant pain and moves slowly.
After a year planning the trip, Oualy has returned to where he started and returned to his family. Try to save enough money for another ticket.
“I want to go back and try again. It’s the best for me. If I die, it is God’s choice.”
If Oualy makes it to Europe, he likely won’t see his family for years. If he dies at sea, he will be lost forever.
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