The European Commission is negotiating with Senegal on a proposal to deploy the European Union border agency, Frontex, in the West African country’s territorial waters to guard against illegal fishing and migrant smuggling.
Non-governmental organizations, including the Environmental Justice Foundation, have warned illegal fishing is ongoing in Senegal, fueled by foreign vessels taking advantage of the region’s high levels of poverty and corruption.
EC Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson said deploying Frontex in Senegal could reduce the perilous migrant crossings using the dangerous, open-ocean route from West Africa to the Canary Islands. It could also curtail illegal fishing, which has been linked to vessels from Europe and China, the East African reported.
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