Spain sends Senegal migrants home

Spain repatriated to Senegal several hundred would-be migrants yesterday as part of a joint effort to stem the tide of illegal job seekers trying to reach Europe from Africa.

The latest batch of Senegalese migrants to be sent home were flown from the Spanish Canary Islands to Saint-Louis, 320 kilometres north of Senegal's capital Dakar.

"Three flights have arrived from Tenerife with a total of 213 people on board. Three more flights are expected this afternoon with about the same number of people," an airport official in Saint-Louis said.

Spain, on the front line of Europe's efforts to keep out a flood of clandestine African migrants, sent home more than 4,000 Senegalese last year.

These were among more than 31,000 Africans who landed in the Canaries in 2006 after perilous sea journeys of up to 2,000 kilometres packed into open wooden fishing boats.

Spanish officials estimate almost one in six illegal migrants die in the attempt to reach the islands.

Although Spain and Senegal have failed to sign a framework cooperation accord on migration, Madrid has increased development aid to the West African country and has agreed to grant more legal Spanish work permits for Senegalese.

On Friday, a first group of 75 Senegalese granted these work visas flew to Spain.

The Senegalese migrants repatriated from the Canaries yesterday complained they had been told initially they were being flown to the Spanish mainland.

"When we took the plane, we were told we were going to Madrid or Barcelona. Now here we are back in Senegal," one of the men, who did not give his name, told Senegalese radio.