Beyond “Kamikaze Migrants”: Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe

The research examines 'pirogue migration' from West Africa to the Canary Islands, arguing that migrants are not irrational or suicidal but make decisions based on a specific socioeconomic and moral context. It identifies that the inability to achieve social adulthood—defined by financial independence and the ability to marry—creates a 'social moratorium' that makes the risks of the journey acceptable. The study finds that migrants actively filter risk information, often discrediting official awareness campaigns as biased. Furthermore, notions of masculinity, honor, and Sufi Islamic beliefs frame the journey as a courageous sacrifice or a matter of divine destiny, effectively neutralizing the fear of death.

• Pirogue migration is driven by a 'social moratorium' where young men are unable to achieve the status of adulthood due to economic obstacles, such as low salaries (typically around 50,000 FCFA per month) and the high financial barriers to marriage, including bridewealth and housing.
• The decision to migrate is heavily influenced by gendered expectations of masculinity; avoiding the journey can lead to being labeled as 'women,' while undertaking it is seen as a way to restore dignity and prove courage.
• Migrants do not necessarily lack information about the dangers of the journey but actively manage this information through three mechanisms: avoiding unfavorable data, discrediting sources (especially government awareness campaigns) as biased, or dismissing the risks as irrelevant to their own perceived bravery or experience.
• Sufi Islam and traditional beliefs provide both pragmatic and cognitive tools to minimize risk, including the use of amulets (leather-bound verses of the Qu’ran), prayers, and the belief that the timing of death is predetermined by God, rendering the journey's danger secondary to divine will.
• The perceived risk of remaining in the home country is often viewed as greater than the risk of the sea journey, with some migrants stating that staying in Senegal is the only true 'danger' or 'death'.
• The physical and psychological risks of the journey are severe, including death by drowning, dehydration, starvation, and psychological trauma, as well as the risk of 'involuntary return' through interception by patrols (such as Hera operations) or repatriation from Spain.

APA

Carling, J., & Hernández-Carretero, M. (n.d.). Beyond “Kamikaze Migrants”: Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8f6fcc69-444e-485f-b1ca-b20bce25f5af/Beyond Kamikaze Migrants.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Carling, Jørgen, and María Hernández-Carretero. Beyond “Kamikaze Migrants”: Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe. Peace Research Institute Oslo, n.d. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8f6fcc69-444e-485f-b1ca-b20bce25f5af/Beyond Kamikaze Migrants.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Carling |first1=Jørgen |last2=Hernández-Carretero |first2=María |title=Beyond “Kamikaze Migrants”: Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8f6fcc69-444e-485f-b1ca-b20bce25f5af/Beyond Kamikaze Migrants.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carlingndbeyond, author = {Carling, Jørgen and Hernández-Carretero, María}, title = {{Beyond “Kamikaze Migrants”: Risk Taking in West African Boat Migration to Europe}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/8f6fcc69-444e-485f-b1ca-b20bce25f5af/Beyond Kamikaze Migrants.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }