Spain grants residency to migrant who saved disabled man
An undocumented migrant from Senegal was granted residency in Spain on Friday after he was celebrated as a hero for having saved a disabled man from a burning building last month.
Senegal
Hero without papers: Undocumented Senegalese man saves Spanish resident from fire
Gorgui Lamine Sow, an undocumented migrant from Senegal has become a hero in Spain after he saved a man in a wheelchair from a fire in the man’s apartment. Now, the Spanish authorities are considering whether to award Sow a residency permit. More than 55,000 people have signed an online petition asking that they do so.
Mauritanian coast guard intercepts boat carrying around 190 migrants, IOM says
A boat carrying around 190 migrants was intercepted by the Mauritanian coast guard on Friday, the UN migration agency said. This comes less than two days after 63 migrants drowned when their vessel sank in the same waters en route from The Gambia. The country's president has vowed to crack down on people traffickers.
Questions on EU evacuation programs from Libya
A new document by the German government highlights strengths and weaknesses in ongoing EU efforts to evacuate migrants and refugees stranded in Libya. It focused in particular on recent initiatives to move migrants to Rwanda and Niger.
Ghosts from Senegal
The French-Senegalese filmmaker and actor Mati Diop’s first feature film 'Atlantique' tells the story of two types of youth in Senegal -- those who try to make their way to Europe and those who decide to stay behind -- and how the two groups haunt each other and the societies in which they live. The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes and is Senegal’s submission to the Academy Awards in the International Film category.
‘One failed journey is not the end of your life’ – fighting the stigma of return
Tens of thousands of people have set out from West and Central Africa in recent years in the hope of reaching Europe. Not all have completed the dangerous journey – opting instead to retrace their steps and return to their families. But going home brings new risks – including being seen by the community as ‘a failure’.
Most African migrants in Europe are educated, study found
A new UN study takes a closer look at who the migrants coming from Africa to Europe are - and why they left. One of the findings: Migrants are often more educated than their peers who stayed home.
Opera dealing with migrant drama debuts in Sicily
An opera titled "Winter Journey" tells the story of a migrant who leaves his family in Africa to board one of the many boats from Libya to follow his dream of working in Europe and sending money back home.
'The Other 1 Percent' photo exhibit aims to show student refugees from around the world
Although access to education is a fundamental human right, only one percent of the refugee population worldwide are enrolled in university. The photo exhibition titled "The Other 1 Percent - Refugees at Institutions for Higher Education Worldwide" wants to shine a light on this deficit by highlighting young refugees' often difficult path to attend university.
Spain's Canary Islands – still a magnet for migrants
A thirteen-month-old baby recently drowned while crossing with her mother from Morocco to the Canary Islands in a wooden boat. The Spanish territories continue to draw migrants from Western Africa, costing thousands of lives.
In the Senegalese village of Thiaroye-sur-Mer ‘all the young people want to go to Europe’
In the early 2000s, the Senegalese coast was a main departure point for migrants trying to reach Europe via Spain and the Canary Islands. The migrant route has since changed, and most migrants now pass through either Libya or Morocco. InfoMigrants went to Thiaroye-sur-Mer, a small fishing village on the outskirts of Dakar, where the majority of the unemployed youth have their minds set on one thing: Going to Europe.
'What I went to Europe to find, I already had at home'
After spending seven years in Spain, Issa went back to live in his village in Senegal. He told InfoMigrants that many people who are headed to Europe underestimate how hard life can be for migrants.