Faced with increased coastal controls in Morocco, Senegal, and Mauritania, many migrants are now setting sail from Gambia in an attempt to reach the Spanish Canary Islands. A highly risky Atlantic journey of over 1,600 km. "It takes between 4 and 7 days of sailing if all goes well," recalls researcher Delphine Perrin, a specialist in African migration policies. Interview.

On September 16, a pirogue carrying about 100 migrants was rescued off the coast of Dakar. The boat had left Gambia five days earlier and was bound for the Canary Islands, more than 1,600 km away.

The day before, on September 15, 235 people, also crammed onto a pirogue, had been rescued by Spanish authorities. Their overloaded boat had been spotted in the morning by the Civil Guard about 20 km from La Restinga, on the island of El Hierro, the smallest in the Canary Islands. The exiles, originally from West Africa, had been at sea for 11 days. They had left the port of Gunjur, in southern Gambia.

On August 29, at least 69 bodies were recovered after a boat sank off the coast of Mauritania. The boat had also set sail from Gambia.

Is the small West African country, nestled within Senegal, becoming a new clandestine departure point for the European Union? Until now, boats that managed to reach the Spanish archipelago via the Atlantic Ocean generally departed from Morocco, Mauritania, or Senegal. InfoMigrants interviewed Delphine Perrin, a research fellow at the IRD (Institute for Research and Development) and a member of POMAF, a collective of researchers specializing in African migration policies.

InfoMigrants: Are we seeing a shift in irregular departures from Gambian beaches?

Delphine Perrin: Gambia is a potential departure area, like all the coastal countries in this area (Mauritania, Senegal, Guinea), given that departures have already tended to shift – from Morocco to Mauritania and Senegal. Recently, therefore, we have noted an increase in departures from Gambia, but also further south, from Guinea-Bissau and Guinea.

These departures, however, are not unprecedented. A similar dynamic was observed in 2006-2008, when coastal controls expanded considerably from Libya to Mauritania via Morocco.

This recent displacement is again due to the narrowing of other migratory routes: that of Morocco for some time, and more recently that of Mauritania and even Senegal due to increased controls on the coasts.

Furthermore, Mauritania has this year intensified the fight against irregular migration, but also reduced the tolerance of the presence of nationals from neighboring countries, by increasing controls including for entry into its territory, and by expelling thousands of West African nationals to Senegal and Mali.

More than 30,000 migrants were intercepted on Mauritanian soil between January and April 2025. In four months, the country also dismantled 88 smuggling networks. Nouakchott is stepping up its efforts to combat irregular immigration. Mauritania has been implementing a stricter immigration policy since the beginning of the year. As a result, arrests are increasing, and a climate of fear has taken hold in the country.