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On board with Senegal’s navy as it searches for migrants on a popular but deadly route toward Europe
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Senegalese sailors on their zodiac, background, approach a fishermen's pirogue to check during a mission to search for illegal migrant boats near the coast of Dakar, Senegal, Saturday, Nov.16, 2024. - photo by AP Photo/Sylvain Cherkaoui
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — As dawn arrived off the coast of Senegal, navy commander Assane Seye scanned the horizon. He is captain of the Niani, one of three new patrol vessels tasked with patrolling waters off the West African nation in search of a rapidly growing number of vulnerable boats carrying migrants on one of the world’s deadliest migration routes. Dozens of people pile onto the wooden fishing vessels known as pirogues and risk their lives on a journey toward Spain's Canary Islands, which have become the preferred landing point for West African migrants dreaming of a better life in Europe.