The Spanish government said Tuesday it would launch an advertising campaign in Senegal designed to encourage would-be immigrants to stay put and not make the hazardous trip to Spain. "We want to send out a clear message: Clandestine immigration only puts your own life at risk. It's pointless and should be rejected by Spaniards and Senegalese alike," immigration secretary Consuelo Rumi said. The advertising spots in newspapers and on radio and television will tell would-be immigrants seeking to reach Spain: "Don't take a risk for nothing. You are part of Africa's future."
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The million-euro (1.3 million dollars) advertising campaign features excerpts of the stories of three Senegalese whose relatives were lost at sea: a sick mother, an elderly father and a young footballer who all lost relatives or friends. The Spanish government is to appraise the effect of the six-week campaign before deciding whether to extend it to other African countries.
More than 80 percent of those making it to Spanish soil transit Senegal, while last year, more than 31,200 immigrants made it to the Canaries, swamping local authorities on the archipelago. Stepped-up maritime security patrols have brought the arrivals' figure down to 6,700 since last January.