Senegal stops ship carrying over 200 migrants crossing the Atlantic

In a statement on its social media account X, the Senegalese Army stated that on July 19, the coastal patrol discovered and intercepted the ship in waters near Lompoul, northwest Senegal. At that time, the ship was carrying 202 people, including 5 women and 1 minor.

Earlier this month, a boat carrying around 170 people from Senegal capsized off the coast of Mauritania, killing nearly 90 people. Following the disaster, Senegalese President Ousmane Sonko urged his people not to risk crossing the Atlantic in small, unsafe boats. He stressed that people should not attempt to leave their homeland because the future of the world is in Africa - the only continent that still has significant potential for progress and growth.

As authorities around the world step up surveillance of Mediterranean sea routes, the Atlantic route has become an alternative for migrants from Africa trying to reach Europe. More than 5,000 people have died trying to cross the sea to Spain in the first five months of this year, according to the non-governmental organization Caminando Fronteras, marking the highest daily average since records began in 2007.