Senegal migrants risk Canary Islands and Central America crossings for a new life

As record numbers of young Africans risk their lives trying to reach the Canary Islands, Spain’s prime minister begins crisis talks with Senegal, Mauritania and The Gambia to tackle migration.

But this will come as little comfort to Amina.

“I found out that my son had died on social media,” she tells the BBC from her home near Senegal’s capital.

“We used to talk all the time and he told me he wanted to go to Morocco,” the 50-year-old says.

“He never mentioned he was planning to take a boat.”

She last heard from her son, Yankhoba, in January. A soul-crushing, six-month search for the devoted 33-year-old tailor proved fruitless.

Then, in early August, fishermen discovered his body on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, about 18km (11 miles) off the coast of the Dominican Republic.

At least 14 decomposing bodies were on that small, wooden boat, say local police. Mobile phones and personal documents found alongside them indicated that most were from Senegal, Mauritania and Mali.

Among the items on board was Yankhoba’s identity card.

Dominican authorities also reported the presence of 12 packages containing drugs.

Analysis is being carried out to determine the time and cause of the deaths, although it is presumed that the passengers had been trying to reach the Canary Islands and had got lost. Their boat was typical of the wooden fishing boats often used to transport illegal migrants from West Africa towards Europe.

Yankhoba was his mother’s first child and only son. It is a position which comes with a great deal of responsibility in Senegalese society.

The young tailor is survived by his wife and two young children, including one he did not live long enough to see.

Before Amina learnt of her son’s death, she appealed for help from missing person pages on Facebook and asked social media influencers with big followings to highlight his case.

“I held onto the belief that Yankhoba might have been held in a prison somewhere in Morocco or maybe even in Tunisia,” she says, her voice breaking.