Fass Boye, the close-knit community where the Senegal migrant boat disaster hits home

A wooden boat with more than 100 people on board drifted at sea for more than a month. 38 men, women and children were rescued, at least 60 people died from hunger and thirst. Almost all those on board came from the Senegalese fishing village of Fass Boye. “Everyone here knows someone who was on that boat.”

“One of the survivors said he saw my son in the hospital,” says Arona Boye. He is convinced that his son Pape is still alive, he does not want to hear any condolences. Half an hour later the bad news arrives: Pape's body has been found.

The boat was supposed to go to the Canary Islands, but got into trouble. Maryam's son also did not survive the journey. She fights back tears. “Allah has sent him to help his parents, so all we have to do is remain patient and gentle.”

Ibrahim Sarr's phone is full of messages. Photos and videos show the men, women and children who survived the shipwreck. His son is one of them. “Allah gives and takes,” he says, “but that does not mean that this disaster could have been prevented.”

Despite warnings from the community, Senegalese authorities did not search for the missing boat. If they had, those on board might still have been alive. The sadness and powerlessness turned into anger on Wednesday evening: government buildings were destroyed.

On the beach of Fass Boye there are hundreds of 'pirogues' like the one that left on July 10. 'España!' shout the boys hanging around the boats. Due to overfishing there are fewer and fewer fish in the sea, but men and women continue to leave to earn money for their families.

Meanwhile, the village's 'chef de village' is working overtime. “This is the fate of Fass Boye,” he says. “There is nothing left for us but to pray.”

The entire report that I wrote in Fass Boye is published in today’s Volkskrant (and here online).

Do the people from Niger support the coup d'etat?

The Nigerien junta refuses to talk to representatives of ECOWAS, which means that a possible military intervention by that regional partnership is getting closer.

How do people in Niger respond to this ever-increasing tension?

Today in the Volkskrant.

2 pages about the coup in Niger

Two pages in De Volkskrant about the rising tensions in the Sahel. Regional bloc ECOWAS is threatening military intervention in Niger, but how realistic is it that they will unleash a war (with or without support from France)?

With insights from Ulf Laessing & Nathaniel Powell: my story.

Back to Gambia, as Germany wants in new deal? There, scorn awaits the 'failed' migrant

A migration deal that goes further than just stopping migrants – if it were up to the German government, this would be the aim of an agreement that they want to conclude with the government of the West African Gambia.

The Germans want to prevent migrant workers from doing business with human smugglers, who bring them to Europe via often life-threatening routes. Moreover, Germany has a labor shortage – so a migration deal could be a win-win situation.

'Legal migration' is the key, says a recently appointed 'representative for migration agreements' in Berlin. His plan for a Gambia deal, which comes from the man who also devised the Turkey deal, seems simple: Germany gives more work visas to Gambian migrants and sends new 'irregular' migrants straight back to Banjul.

However, that is exactly where the problem lies, I heard in Gambia: many Gambians do not want those 'failed migrants' to be sent back at all, and are putting pressure on the government to stop returnees. I have written down what is behind this in this report for the Volkskrant.

With the collaboration of Kebba Ansu Manneh and photos by Guy Peterson.

Hooray, Léa is here!

Birth announcement card by Philip Hopman.

Concerns about fleeing Sudanese are increasing, including among their compatriots in Egypt

In Egypt, the huge Sudanese population hosts hundreds of thousands of fleeing compatriots. Out of charity, but also out of self-preservation. I wrote down how that works for the Volkskrant.

A report from Cairo.

Sudanese flee to Egypt: "a journey from hell"

After a "journey from hell", tens of thousands of Sudanese are trying to cross the border with Egypt. Women and children do not need a visa, but most men do. For the Volkskrant I traveled to the south of Egypt, where I spoke with torn families who are looking for safety.

The report, with beautiful photos by Rene Clement, is in the paper newspaper today, and online here.

Anti-French sentiments are on the rise in Senegal, and the supermarché is the largest victim

Saucisson, French mustard-flavored chips, six types of Camembert – even the rolls of toilet paper in the Auchan supermarket come from France. That is striking, because this Auchan hypermarché is not on the edge of a French suburb, but in the middle of a residential area of Dakar, the city where my family and I settled a few weeks ago.

Although it is estimated that more than 25 thousand French people live in Senegal, the French supermarket does not only serve the French community: the lion's share of the customers we encounter in the Casino, Auchan and Carrefour supermarkets are Senegalese. The number of Senegalese (from the richer middle and upper class) coming to the Auchan has even increased considerably in recent years, since that big grocer unleashed a price war a few years ago.

The fact that there are so many supermarkets that almost exclusively sell French products says a lot about the close ties that Senegal still has with its former colonizer. Many Senegalese have adopted French eating habits, as I saw when I recently made my first report on baguettes here. More than 8 million typical French baguettes are eaten in Senegal every day, even though the wheat used for the breads cannot grow anywhere in Senegal.

For the story about the baguettes, I spoke to an entrepreneur who wants to get rid of French dependence, a sentiment that more Senegalese companies are responding to. While imported French products often show exactly which region in France they come from, even displaying a proud French flag, there are now more and more companies that consciously profile themselves as a 'Senegalese brand'.

About how those Senegalese brands market themselves, the growing anti-French sentiment in Senegal and its neighboring countries and what French companies (which together are responsible for a quarter of Senegalese GDP) like Auchan are trying to turn the tide , you can read in this column that I wrote for de Volkskrant here.

How RSF became rich by money from Gulf states

Through lucrative deals with Gulf states, the Sudanese paramilitaries became so big, rich and powerful that they can now rival the Sudanese army.

My analysis of how the RSF benefited from the fighting in Yemen is published in today’s edition of De Volkskrant.

A record wheat harvest for Zimbabwe: a success story from Southern Africa

I recently traveled to Zimbabwe for de Volkskrant, a country with an incredible amount of agricultural potential. After decades of mismanagement, hopeful news is finally coming from the country in southern Africa: last year, a historically large amount of grain was harvested.

Former president Mugabe decided in 2000 to distribute all agricultural land (much of which was owned by white farmers) to black Zimbabweans, causing production of grain, tobacco and maize to plummet. Much of the country quickly deteriorated.

But thanks to enough rainfall and significant investment from the business community, the fields in the Zimbabwean countryside are blooming again. One of the investors who works with farmers is the young Tino Zinyemba, whom I followed for this story.

Tino hunts overgrown plots of land, hoping to add the land to his collection of farms. If he can persuade the owner to allow Zinyemba to cultivate the land, he or she will receive a share of the harvest.

He often approaches landowners who are struggling, he explains. “They often lack the resources or knowledge to grow on their land, or do not have enough money to get outdated equipment working again.”

You can read more about these joint ventures in the major report in the daily section of the newspaper today. The piece is also online here.

Interview: podcast Alledaagse Vragen (BNNVARA)

Do foreign correspondents also get paid when there is no news?

That's what a listener of the BNNVARA podcast ‘Everyday Questions’ wondered. I was allowed to answer that question: https://open.spotify.com/episode/792poD8KHFivxX714zq4pF

Alternatives for wheat - How Senegal is moving to fonio instead

In Senegal wheat cannot grow, but people still eat 8 million baguettes a day. Due to Putin's war in Ukraine, the global grain price has also risen sharply.

A baguette made from (also much healthier) fonio, a climate-resistant grain that has been grown for thousands of years in the dry east of Senegal, therefore offers a solution.

For my first report from Dakar, I visited Réseau MBURU – Mburu means 'bread' in Wolof and Bambara – where Isseu Diop Sakho tries to get the Dakarois to eat baked goods made from forgotten grains.

The story, about the ripple effects of the massive Russian invasion of Ukraine and the decolonization of taste buds, was featured last Saturday with photos by Guy Peterson in the large Ukraine special of the Volkskrant.

We have moved to Dakar!

After a bit more than 5 years in Kenya, it’s time to focus a bit more on the Western side of the African continent. That’s why Saskia and I, with our daughter Lou (and upcoming second daughter) have moved to Dakar, the capital of Senegal. Saskia will be working as the West Africa Correspondent of Dutch broadcaster NOS, whereas I will still be covering the entire Sub Sahara part of Africa for De Volkskrant.