The populations of Fass Boye, located in the Thiès region, will not be able to follow tradition and attend the burial of their relatives, victims of the canoe rescued on the high seas off the island of Sal, and who were to be transferred to a Senegalese military plane, with the 38 survivors and the Senegalese government delegation that came to Cape Verde to repatriate them. The military plane took off yesterday with 37 survivors, while the other remains hospitalized at the Central Hospital of Praia. According to the president of the Senegalese Association of Sal, Médoune Ndiaye, the administrative process of repatriating the bodies takes a long time. The Cape Verdean and Senegalese authorities therefore decided to bury them yesterday in one of the cemeteries of Sal.

In Sal, the journey is over and their dreams have been buried there. The 7 people who died during the crossing of Fass Boye’s canoe, rescued off the coast of Cape Verde, were buried far from their native land. “Unfortunately, the dead bodies did not leave with the Senegalese delegation, led by the minister in charge of Senegalese abroad, who traveled (yesterday) aboard a Sal-Praia-Dakar military flight. Only 37 survivors left for Senegal, while the other remains under medical care at the Central Hospital in Praia. As soon as he recovers, the authorities will take the necessary steps to repatriate him,” said Médoune Ndiaye, who has tirelessly supported his compatriots since the rescue of the canoe began.

Case of the Fass Boye Canoe: Complicated Times in Sal!

The president of the Senegalese Association of Sal also specified that there were legal aspects to be fulfilled in order to repatriate the bodies. Finally, the Senegalese and Cape Verdean authorities decided to bury them on the spot, on the island of Sal. “The delegation came for a short period of time and upon arriving here they realized that dealing with all the paperwork would take a long time. In agreement with the Cape Verdean authorities, the team therefore had to leave the bodies here,” he said. Finally, the funeral took place yesterday morning in the cemetery of Sal, in the presence of some relatives of the victims. 

On Sunday, the city organized a reading of the Koran in the company of imams and notables from the 86 villages that make up the commune of Darou Khoudouss, with the aim of praying for the survivors and the people who died in the canoe off Cape Verde. At least they had a burial unlike the sixty people who lie in the depths of the Atlantic.

In addition, the 37 survivors can breathe a sigh of relief because they are now safe in the arms of their loved ones in Fass Boye. The canoe carrying 101 people, including a Bissau-Guinean, left on July 10 from the Fass Boye fishing area in Senegal, bound for Spain. After 20 days on the high seas, 56 of them starved to death and were thrown overboard. The boat was carrying 45 people. Only 38 of them, including five teenagers aged 14 and 15, were rescued alive by a Spanish fishing vessel about 150 miles north of the island of Sal.

By Arlinda NEVES (Special correspondent)

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH