Border externalisation: BOZA FII rejects deployment of Frontex in Senegal

Civil society organisation, BOZA FII, has intensified its campaign against the externalisation of European borders into Africa, warning that the growing presence and activities of the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, Frontex, in Senegal pose serious threats to freedom of movement, human rights and national sovereignty.

The organisation, which works with migrants who voluntarily return home, deported migrants and families of people who have disappeared along migration routes, said it is using research, public awareness campaigns and advocacy to challenge policies that restrict mobility and shift European border controls beyond the continent.

BOZA FII said its campaign, tagged “72 Hours: Push Back Frontex,” was launched in September 2022 after research into Frontex’s deployment in Senegal revealed what it described as limited public awareness of the agency and its activities.

According to the organisation, the campaign was designed to educate Senegalese citizens about the implications of Frontex’s presence and mobilise opposition to what it considers the expansion of the European Union’s border control system into African countries.

“We want to make our government understand that we do not agree with the deployment of Frontex in Senegal,” the organisation said, adding that it seeks to expose the impact of Frontex operations in the Mediterranean, the Aegean Sea and other migration routes.

BOZA FII said its response to border externalisation goes beyond public protests. The group said it conducts research into Frontex’s operations, builds alliances among movements campaigning for social justice and human rights, and promotes public debate on migration based on knowledge and evidence.

The organisation has also placed the defence of freedom of movement within the ECOWAS region at the centre of its advocacy, citing regional, African and international human rights instruments that protect mobility, equality in expulsion procedures and prohibit collective expulsions.

It argued that the expansion of surveillance systems, biometric data collection, border intelligence networks and joint security operations could further undermine the rights of migrants and ordinary citizens.

BOZA FII particularly raised concerns about systems designed to strengthen controls at land, sea and air borders, including the Migration Information and Data Analysis System, MIDAS, and the presence of foreign liaison officers and joint security teams.

The organisation said its investigations had also focused on Frontex’s long-standing links with Senegal, including Operation Hera, launched in 2006, and the establishment of the Africa-Frontex Intelligence Community, AFIC, which has expanded to involve dozens of African countries.

According to BOZA FII, exposing these arrangements is critical to helping communities understand how European migration control policies are increasingly being implemented outside Europe’s borders.

The group further warned that proposed agreements allowing greater Frontex deployment could have implications for Senegal’s sovereignty and create additional risks of human rights violations.

It also expressed concern about the potential impact of expanded maritime surveillance on artisanal fishermen in Senegal and the wider ECOWAS region, warning that fishermen could face pushbacks or restrictions if suspected of transporting migrants.

As part of its long-term strategy, BOZA FII said it plans to organise the 72 Hours: Push Back Frontex campaign annually in Senegal, using the platform to sustain public awareness, challenge restrictive border policies and demand greater protection of migrants and their families.

The organisation said its ultimate objective is to resist the externalisation of European border controls, defend freedom of movement and expose what it described as the human consequences of migration policies that prioritise stopping African migrants from reaching Europe.

BOZA FII said it would continue working with civil society and affected communities to ensure that the debate on migration places human dignity, the rights of migrants and the right of families to know the fate of missing relatives at its centre.