Senegal on Thursday suspended an operation to repatriate Senegalese migrants from Spain’s Canary Islands in a blow to a diplomatic offensive by Madrid to close the door on illegal immigration from West Africa.
Senegalese officials said nearly 100 migrants flown to Dakar from the Canaries on Wednesday were mistreated by Spanish authorities by being handcuffed and falsely told they were bound for Spain.
Spain said it would investigate the allegations but hoped to resume the deportations soon.
Set-back for diplomatic deal
Repatriation flights were suspended a day after the two governments announced the start of an operation to return more than 600 Senegalese migrants from the Canaries, where nearly 9,000 sub-Saharan Africans have come ashore in boats this year.
Senegal’s move was an initial setback to intense diplomatic efforts by Spain to gain the cooperation of West African governments to halt an exodus of thousands of illegal migrants trying to reach Europe via the Canary islands.
Hundreds are believed to have drowned in perilous ocean voyages of more than 600 miles undertaken in open fishing boats from the coasts of Mauritania and Senegal.
“Senegal is suspending its cooperation with Spain in the operations to repatriate its citizens from the Canary Islands,” a senior Senegalese official, who asked not to be named, said.
“We’d hoped that the repatriation would be carried out in a dignified manner. That wasn’t the case,” he added.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Senegal had asked it to suspend the repatriations “owing to circumstances surrounding the conditions."
“The Spanish government will naturally investigate,” a ministry spokesman said in Madrid.
He said Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos would visit the region this month, including Senegal.
Diplomats said it was hard to persuade illegal migrants who had survived the dangerous journey to the Canaries to go home.
“If you tell these people that they are going to be flown back home, then they won’t get on the plane,” one Dakar-based diplomat said, asking not to be named.
'Huge surprise'
In comments published by Senegalese media, some of the migrants flown back on Wednesday complained of the way they had been put on the plane by Spanish authorities.
“We were handcuffed. Each of us was escorted by two policemen,” said Samba Ndao. He said they were told they were being flown to Spain but were ordered to keep the plane’s window blinds lowered during the flight.
“To our huge surprise, we landed in Dakar,” Ndao said.
Spain, whose position on Europe’s southern flank puts it in the front line of efforts to halt clandestine immigration, has asked for help from the European Union to reinforce sea and air patrols of the waters off Mauritania and Senegal.
In exchange for commitments to combat illegal migration and take back intercepted migrants, Spain is offering increased aid and cooperation to Senegal and other West African states.
Madrid is also offering guest worker programs allowing Africans the chance to work legally in Spain for a short period.
Hot political issue
The migration wave has become one of Spain’s hottest political issues.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday welcomed the start of the repatriation operation with Senegal. He said Senegal had agreed to accept 623 deportees up to June 6, and the figure could increase to 800.
So far this year, about 8,850 illegal sub-Saharan African migrants have come ashore in the Canaries, more than double the number for all of last year.