Travelling in Africa is bittersweet.  I always appreciate the warmth of fellow Africans, the humanity that characterises daily life and the untold stories of Ubuntu. But there is a dark side. If poverty and quality of life are measured...

Honourable Members, I am writing this note to you before embarking on my pirogue to be able to feed my family. I trusted you in 2012 and would like to renew that confidence in 2017. But first, I want you to make my voice heard at...

My years as an oceans campaigner in Senegal have really allowed me to understand many facets of illegal fishing in this part of the world.  Along with the devastating effects it has on fishing communities, slashing jobs and the size of...

This message comes from Africa, the continent of considerable economic progress and some of the top emerging economies. The continent that is also highly vulnerable to climate change, despite being home to some of the most beautiful...

Dear Greenpeace, My name is Moustapha Sarr and I'm a Senegalese artisanal fisherman. Ibra, my son, and I are writing to you just as we finish landing our catch of the day to show you our support in these hard times. My name...

In February 2012, I had the fabulous opportunity to form part of the Arctic Sunrise crew in the fight against overfishing in the Senegalese-Mauritanian waters. There were more than twenty nationalities onboard during this ship tour. It...

Oceans do not separate us, they connect us together. They are beautiful, ruthless, and expansive; they have abundant life within them that we respect and revere but, sadly, they are also being overexploited by industrial...

Overfishing is no fairy tale; it’s a sad, harsh reality of life in the ocean today. Already, 90% of fish stocks are either fully or overexploited and that wave of lifeless oceans is already spreading to West African waters. Once...

Every year, World Oceans Day is an important opportunity for us to reflect on our campaign to protect West Africa’s ocean ecosystems. This year Greenpeace Africa and Senegalese fishing associations are marking the day with a public...

It’s a question that’s plagued NGOs for decades: How do we tackle some of Africa’s biggest challenges, like energy access, water access, and proper health services? While many community projects are planned and started from outside...

We’re at the fishing port of Mbour, 80 km from Dakar, one of the largest ports in Senegal. After spending 8 hours at sea defying waves and bad weather with low morale, Ndiaga Diop, a local fisherman, returns home with an almost empty...

It wasn’t just a shout that reverberated across my country Senegal: it was so much more. It was a cry that erupted from artisanal fishermen, a chorus of "no" to the proposed fisheries agreement between the European Union and Senegal.

When I stepped into Greenpeace back in October 2008, I was told I was the first African lady to join this organisation in Africa. I felt it was a continuation of the duty I started when I worked at Oxfam. With the latter, I was...

Have you heard the one about Greenpeace controlling the French Navy? No, me neither. But you might be forgiven for being confused by  some recent reports  about the Russian trawler seized in West Africa. Pirate fishing is a big...

In the summer of 2012, small-scale Senegalese fishermen   reported a rapid and significant increase   in their catches. They attributed their rising fortunes to newly elected President Macky Sall's decision to revoke the licences of...

The Russian trawler Oleg Naydenov has once again been the main player in the saga "IUU fishing off the Senegalese coasts." In late December, it was caught engaged in suspected looting in southern Senegal by the National Navy. Oleg...

Just one week after Chilean fishermen and Greenpeace vigorously protested against the Margiris mega trawler, Mauritanian fishermen and fishing communities in West Africa are also raising their voices against monster boats in their...

Like a wildfire, the decision by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) to sanction vessels involved in illegal fishing activities in Africa has spread throughout the region. From Nouadhibou (in Mauritania) to Tumbu (in Sierra...

Greenpeace's call for the preservation of the Senegalese "thiof" and the termination of its marketing by supermarkets, including the Casino Group, was a resounding success at the 14th International Fair of Agriculture and Animal...

The announcement of President Macky Sall as the winner of the sixth "Excellence in National Stewardship" inspires faith, hope and confidence in me. It gives me hope that there are decision makers who cannot be diverted from the...

If there was ever a scandal that needed definitive action to be taken against those responsible for it, it is the issue of fishing permits in Senegal between March 2010 and April 2012. The effects of large factory trawlers that were...

After the removal of AFP (Association of Pelagic Freezer Ships) boats from Mauritanian waters about a week ago, it was the Senegalese government’s turn to cancel all fishing authorizations allocated to pelagic trawlers operating in its...

Today, fishing communities in the Netherlands and West Africa had their eyes set on Australia and the Abel Tasman “monster boat” – a ship more than twice the size of any fishing vessel to have ever fished in Australian waters. ...

The last few months have seen a string of victories for our oceans campaign in West Africa – and the most recent is just as sweet. Two months ago the newly elected Senegalese government cancelled 29 licenses previously granted to...

You’ve no doubt seen our campaign for fairer fishing in West Africa. You’ve hopefully watched the videos showing the impact overfishing is having on human lives in Senegal, and how foreign fishing fleets are to blame. You’ve...

As Senegalese presidential hopefuls battle it out ahead of the upcoming elections, Greenpeace and community fishermen are calling on them to make African fisheries – and the many livelihoods that depend on them – a priority. ...

The traditional Senegalese delicacy leads the way in the decline of West African fish population while local government gives fisheries no respite. The Senegalese Maritime Economy Ministry has failed to save its country’s...

On the bridge of the Arctic Sunrise, it is not hard to see what the problem in West African waters is. On the radar, within a range of 20 nautical miles, I see the little blips of nine super trawlers. They are fishing the West...

It is no secret that Europe’s seas, once teeming with life, are now unable to provide fish for all its citizens. EU governments and the fishing industry have known for decades that they catch more than their seas can provide, so much...

The curtains of the World Social Forum (WSF) came down on the 11th of February at the Cheikh Anta Diop university of Dakar after a week-long opportunity for Civil society, religious groups, and other NGOs to network, create...