Senegalese farmer Mouhamed Oualy hasn’t ever been to sea, however he’s about to embark on a dangerous sea advance – one who has became the Atlantic Ocean right into a lump grave.
“The boat guys have called me – they said I should get ready. I am asking you to pray for me – the time has come,” he says.
BBC Africa Seeing has won unheard of get admission to to the secretive global of the migrants hoping to achieve Europe by way of the damaging crossing between West Africa and Spain’s Canary Islands.
And Mr Oualy desires to be one of the crucial migrants to achieve the archipelago – whose numbers have reached an all-time top.
The regional executive there warns that what awaits them at the rocky shores of the archipelago is a gadget “overwhelmed” and “at breaking point” – however not anything will dent Mr Oualy’s decision.
Packed directly to an overcrowded pirogue, a standard wood fishing canoe, Mr Oualy may just face days, even weeks, on the oblivion of one of the unforgiving seas on the planet.
From Senegal, it’s an estimated distance of between 1,000km (600 miles) and a couple of,000km at the not hidden ocean – relying on the place you shed from, round 10 occasions the space of alternative migrant routes crossing the Mediterranean.
Combating the sea’s storms and robust sea currents, migrants continuously run over of aqua week affected by unfortunate movement weakness and intense concern.
At evening, surrounded via twilight waters, family continuously turn into delirious, beaten via panic and dehydration.
Some distance clear of the coast, in Senegals’ jap area of Tambacounda, Mr Oualy’s youngsters and prolonged crowd rely at the negligible cash he made via farming.
The 40-year-old has no longer open them for just about a 12 months, upcoming he moved nearer to one of the crucial main leaving issues alongside the coast.
There he has been running as a motorcycle taxi driving force, and borrowing cash from buddies, to bind the $1,000 (£765) charge to board one of the crucial vessels departure for the Canary Islands.
Fearing he may well be scammed, he has correct with the smugglers that he’ll best give up the total quantity if the boat makes it the entire approach.
“Nobody knows what could happen to me in these waters. The evil spirits of the sea could kill me,” he tells the BBC from the security of the seaside.
“The boat could capsize, killing everyone. If you fall into the water, what would you hold on to? The only possibility is death, but you have to take risks.”
Dozens of boats have disappeared with loads of lives on board. With out correct navigation methods, some veer off direction and finally end up drifting the entire approach around the Atlantic, bathing up at the coasts of Brazil.
If Mr Oualy survives the advance, he hopes to build a residing to take charge of his prolonged crowd, however he’s conserving his plans unrevealed to keep away from being worried them.
Dull Waters: Africa’s Deadliest Migration Course – BBC Africa Seeing investigates the perilous Atlantic crossing from West Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands.
To find it on iPlayer (UK best) or at the BBC Africa YouTube channel (outdoor the United Kingdom)
Past Senegal recorded a forged financial efficiency all through the last decade from 2010, greater than a 3rd of the rustic nonetheless lives in poverty, in line with the Global Storage.
“I did any job you can imagine, but things didn’t get any better. If you don’t have money, you don’t matter. I am their only hope and I don’t have money,” he says.
Like Mr Oualy, maximum migrants in this course are sub-Saharan Africans getaway poverty and warfare, exacerbated via situation alternate.
The Canary Islands have turn into a chief gateway for abnormal migrants and refugees hoping to achieve Europe, particularly upcoming international locations reminiscent of Italy and Greece presented measures to fracture ailing on alternative routes crossing the Mediterranean from Libya and Tunisia.
Virtually 40,000 arrived in 2023, the absolute best quantity in 3 a long time. Thus far this 12 months, already greater than 30,800 have made it to its vacationer seashores, greater than double the quantity from the similar length endmost 12 months.
As the elements situations enhance within the Atlantic, the Canary Islands executive fears “the worst” is but to come back.
In an unique interview with BBC Africa Seeing, Fernando Clavijo, the president of the Canary Islands executive, described an “oversaturated” situation gadget the place sea rescuers, police and Purple Go volunteers are stretched past their limits.
“The consequence is that more people will die, we won’t be able to assist migrants as they deserve,” explains Mr Clavijo.
“Right now, Europe has the Mediterranean Sea blocked, which means that the Atlantic route, which is more dangerous and lethal, has become the escape valve.”
The BBC told to contributors of Spain’s situation products and services, who requested to stay nameless as they described their exhaustion.
One stated: “Workers can’t bear witnessing death and devastation any longer.”
In El Hierro, the archipelago’s smallest island, the choice of migrants who’ve arrived because the get started of 2023 has already greater than doubled the native family to just about 30,000.
Mr Clavijo says locals can’t importance folk buses as a result of they’re all being old to hold migrants, which he fears may just gas xenophobia and assemble social unrest.
“We will all have to take responsibility, from the European Union to the Spanish government, because you cannot leave the Canary Islands facing this crisis on our own.”
In contemporary months, the smart stand in arrivals has fuelled a fierce nationwide debate in Spain over the right way to take on abnormal migration, with the Canaries calling for extra circumstance help to take care of the ones arriving, particularly unaccompanied youngsters.
Again in Senegal, Mr Oualy has in any case been summoned via the smugglers to attach alternative migrants in a unrevealed hideout. His destiny is now of their fingers.
“There are a lot of us, we’ve filled the house. There are people from Mali and Guinea too. They take us in small boats of 10 to 15 people until we get to the big boat, then we leave,” he says.
To continue to exist the lengthy advance, Mr Oualy has best taken a couple of bottles of aqua and a handful of biscuits.
For the primary two days, he’s repeatedly unwell. He stands up many of the future on account of the shortage of range and sleeps in sea aqua blended with gas.
He additionally runs out of aqua and has to drink from the ocean.
Some family at the boat begin to call and turn into delirious. The group tells the others to stock them ailing, so they don’t fall overboard or push anyone else in.
Consistent with information from the United Countries migration frame (IOM), the Atlantic course is speedy changing into the deadliest migrant advance on the planet.
An estimated 807 family have died or disappeared up to now in 2024 – an building up of 76% in comparison to the similar length endmost 12 months.
However the choice of casualties could be considerably upper, as a result of tragic injuries generally tend to advance unrecorded in this course.
“Every 45 minutes, a migrant dies trying to reach our beaches. This means trafficking mafias are increasingly becoming more powerful,” says Mr Clavijo, referencing information sourced from the Spanish rights staff Strolling Borders.
The UN’s Workplace on Medicine and Crime estimates that criminals build round $150m a 12 months in this course.
“The mafias that organise trips have realised that this is like drug trafficking, with little chance of being detected,” Lieutenant Antonio Fuentes, from a team in Spain’s Guardia Civil set up to tackle the smugglers, tells the BBC.
“For them, a migrant is a mere commodity. They carry people like they could carry drugs or weapons. They are simply victims.”
To better understand these criminal networks, the BBC spoke to one Senegalese smuggler organising boat trips – who asked to remain anonymous.
“If you take a big boat, one that can carry 200 to 300 people, and each of them pay around $500, we are talking about a lot of money,” he says.
When challenged about his criminal responsibility as a trafficker, on a trip that has killed many in his community, the smuggler is unrepentant and tells the BBC: “It is a crime, whoever gets caught should be put in prison, but there’s no solution.
“You will see people in the water who have died, but the boats keep going.”
For five days, the BBC receives no news from Mr Oualy. Then, one evening, he calls.
“The motor was heating up and the wind was so strong, some of the fishermen suggested we head to Morocco. But the captain refused. He said if we moved slowly, we’d be in Spain by 6am.”
Mr Oualy was less than a day away from reaching the Canary Islands when the ship’s engine ran into trouble – and many of the migrants, fearful of stronger winds once they went further out into the Atlantic Ocean, rebelled against their captain.
“Everyone started arguing and insulting each other. The captain gave in and turned back to Senegal.”
Mr Oualy survived the journey, but he sustained injuries and serious health problems from the journey.
He is in constant pain and moves slowly.
After a year planning the trip, Mr Oualy is back to square one – and has now returned to his family and is saving enough money for another passage.
“I wish to go back and try again. Yes, honest to God, that is my belief. That is better for me. If I die, it is God’s choice.”
If Mr Oualy makes it to Europe, it is likely he will not see his family for years. If he dies at sea, he will be lost to them forever.