Last Thursday, Senegalese naval forces intercepted a boat carrying 102 Gambians, including four girls, who were trying to reach Spain by sea. They were detained in Senegal.
“On Thursday, October 19, 2023, at 3:00 a.m., we departed from Nuimi Lamen in the North Bank Region of Gambia on a voyage in reverse. We were intercepted by the Senegalese Navy at 2:00 p.m. in the middle of the ocean as we were navigating. We were transferred from our vessel to their patrol boat, where we remained until 9 p.m. One of the migrants told Kerr Fatou, “We were then transferred to a larger naval vessel and taken to their main seaport, where we arrived at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, October 20, 2023.”
He stated that the Senegalese police later detained them for interrogation.
“They asked us who the boat’s commander was, but we responded that we had no idea. We requested their assistance in contacting our ambassador, but we have yet to hear back from them. We last consumed food on Friday morning. We are requesting assistance from the government,” he said.
According to reports, the vessel is transporting 109 migrants, 102 Gambians and seven Senegalese.