Senegal's collaboration with Spain against human trafficking rings has prevented 3,500 irregular departures of migrant boats bound for the Canary Islands this year.
The Spanish Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, thanked his Senegalese counterpart, Mouhamadou Bamba Cissé, this Tuesday for his cooperation, in a bilateral meeting during the sixth Ministerial Meeting of the International Security Alliance, held in Abu Dhabi.
According to a statement from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior, Grande-Marlaska has praised Senegal's "daily and permanent preventive effectiveness" and the joint work between the security forces of both countries.
Surveillance has made it possible to reduce the number of irregular arrivals to Spain from the coasts of Senegal by more than 90% compared to 2024.
"Until October 31 of this year, less than 600 people have arrived irregularly in the Canary Islands from the Senegalese coast," the Spanish minister stated.
He has described Senegal as a "key partner and ally" of Spain in protecting migrants in vulnerable situations, preventing deaths at sea, and confronting the mafias.
Forty Spanish agents collaborate with Senegalese forces
Currently, Spain maintains a contingent of forty security agents in Senegal working alongside the Gendarmerie and National Police of the African country in land, sea, and river patrol duties.
Added to the deployment are three vessels (two offshore and one mid-shore), a helicopter, and 13 all-terrain vehicles; and periodically, a surveillance plane and an oceanographic vessel.
Both ministers pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation and joint participation in international forums, such as the Niamey Declaration, to combat trafficking in persons and the International Security Alliance.
In August 2024, when the Canary Islands were suffering extreme migratory pressure from the African continent, the Spanish Government signed agreements with Mauritania, Gambia, and Senegal to reinforce safe and regular migration pathways.
Since last January, irregular migrant arrivals to those Spanish islands have decreased by 58.6% compared to the same period in 2024. In contrast, the number of migrants arriving in the Balearic Islands (Mediterranean Sea), mainly from Algeria, in North Africa, increased by 66%.