This paper recently reported that Senegalese authorities had intercepted a boat full of migrants heading to the Canary Islands of Spain. The boat was reported to have originated from The Gambia and was intercepted by the Senegalese Navy.
In recent months, reports have emerged of boats filled with desperate migrants intercepted on their perilous journeys across the Mediterranean. Each story tells of human suffering, of lives adrift between continents, and of dreams weighed down by hopelessness. Yet, despite the continuing loss of life and the social crises that follow, the issue of illegal migration seems to have faded from public debate.
The world’s attention today is fixed on biting economic hardships. Rising prices, high unemployment, and dwindling purchasing power have left many families struggling to survive. In such times, public concern naturally turns inward—towards putting food on the table and paying the bills. Governments, too, are preoccupied with stabilising their economies, often leaving less room for discussions on migration and human mobility.
However, ignoring illegal migration does not make it disappear. On the contrary, the same economic despair that dominates local headlines is one of the forces driving young people to risk their lives at sea. With few job opportunities, limited hope, and eroding trust in systems that promise but fail to deliver, migration becomes not a choice but an escape.
This silence is dangerous. Every intercepted boat is a symptom of a larger failure—a failure to create conditions in which citizens see a future at home. The focus must not only be on stopping the boats but on addressing the reasons why they leave. Economic recovery plans should include meaningful youth employment, education, and social support.
As we battle inflation and hardship, we must not lose sight of the human beings who continue to vanish beneath the waves. Illegal migration is not just a border issue; it is a human crisis—and one that demands our collective conscience and action.
