Meet one of the teams patrolling Senegal's waters to rescue migrants on small boats

The Canary Islands are a popular destination for migrants departing from West Africa, hoping for a better life. But the route there across the sea is one of the most dangerous in the world.

Assane Seye, a commander in the navy, and his team, are among those seaching Senegal's waters for boats carrying migrants. The team has saved thousands of people since the start of the year.

“Since January 1, 2024, the navy has saved 4,780 people, who had left on 33 small boats,” Seye says.

The team are keeping their eyes out for pirogues, small wooden fishing boats sometimes used by migrants heading to Europe.

A month ago, they intercepted a pirogue transporting more than 200 people.

Oumar Ndiaye, a lieutenant, says, “it’s a humanitarian mission. There were a large number of people on this pirogue in really difficult conditions, who had already spent two or three days at sea.”

Its a view echoed by Seye, who adds, “when we are talking about illegal immigration on pirogues, we’re talking about something really important. These are pirogues that have a minimum of 70 people on them. So automatically, their lives are in danger. A pirogue is not built to transport these numbers. All that has to happen is a weather change, or one wrong move taken by the captain, for the pirogue to turn over and for people to be in danger.”

During his campaign, president Diomaye Faye pledged to improve living standards; many young people in the country hope this will give them better prospects at home, so they don't have to look elsewhere.