Senegalese migrants vow to sail to Europe again

Migrants fleeing Senegal have been cramming into boats like this hoping to cross 1000 miles to reach Europe.

Many of the boats don't make it.

Sidi Gaye was on one of them -- it capsized in a collision with the Senegalese coastguard.

Dozens are now missing, presumed dead.

Now back in Senegal, survivors like Gaye are haunted by the experience.

"There were people who, after falling and raising their hands out of the water, they called for help, once, twice and after the third time you couldn’t see them anymore. At that point you just take care of yourself in order to survive, you can't save them, if you try to help, you could die."

Despite his trauma, Sidi says he has no choice but to try again.

Around 17,000 migrants have arrived on Spain’s Canary Islands this year, driven by the economic hardships of the pandemic.

Spain’s Interior Ministry says that’s a 1,000% increase from 2019 -- and that its foreign minister will go to Senegal on November 21 to discuss the issue.

Unlike the Mediterranean Sea route from Libya to southern Europe, the wooden fishing boats on the choppy Atlantic do not carry satellite phones, and so people cannot make distress calls.

Fifty-five-year-old Aminata lost her son at sea last month.

She says 24-year-old Mohamed was an onion farmer.

"I miss him, when I look at this I cry. // He worked hard in the fields. He left behind an onion nursery. Insects destroyed everything. Only yesterday I called and I was told all the crops were destroyed. Maybe that's why he tried his luck."

22-year old Abdou Aziz paid $700 to get on the boat in October.

He says he's lost hope of finding work in Senegal and will try to cross again:

"What we really want is to stay here and succeed, work here, and create jobs here. We have the potential, we have a little bit of training, we might need more training perhaps, but unfortunately, it doesn't work like that with our government."

Spanish security forces said they will deploy at least three boats, a plane, a helicopter and a submarine to slow the flow.

However, it is unclear if that will drastically cut departures from Senegal's long coastline -- which is filled with thousands of identical-looking fishing boats -- or if it will be a deterrent for those desperate to leave.

Migrants fleeing Senegal crammed into a boat in late October hoping to cross 1000 miles to reach Europe.

Dozens of them are now missing, presumed dead.

After the boat capsized in a collision with the Senegalese coastguard.

Now back in Senegal, survivors like Sidi Gaye are haunted by the experience.

"There were people who, after falling and raising their hands out of the water, they called for help, once, twice and after the third time you couldn’t see them anymore. At that point you just take care of yourself in order to survive, you can't save them, if you try to help, you could die."

Despite his trauma, Sidi says he has no choice but to try again.

Around 17,000 migrants have arrived on Spain’s Canary Islands this year, driven by the economic hardships of the pandemic.

Spain’s Interior Ministry says that’s a 1,000% increase from 2019 -- and that its foreign minister will go to Senegal on November 21 to discuss the issue.

Unlike the Mediterranean Sea route from Libya to southern Europe, the wooden fishing boats on the choppy Atlantic do not carry satellite phones, and so people cannot make distress calls.

Fifty-five-year-old Aminata lost her son at sea last month.

She says 24-year-old Mohamed was an onion farmer.

"I miss him, when I look at this I cry. // He worked hard in the fields. He left behind an onion nursery. Insects destroyed everything. Only yesterday I called and I was told all the crops were destroyed. Maybe that's why he tried his luck."

22-year old Abdou Aziz paid $700 to get on the boat in October.

He says he's lost hope of finding work in Senegal and will try to cross again:

"What we really want is to stay here and succeed, work here, and create jobs here. We have the potential, we have a little bit of training, we might need more training perhaps, but unfortunately, it doesn't work like that with our government."

Spanish security forces said they will deploy at least three boats, a plane, a helicopter and a submarine to slow the flow.

However, it is unclear if that will drastically cut departures from Senegal's long coastline -- which is filled with thousands of identical-looking fishing boats -- or if it will be a deterrent for those desperate to leave.