Keur Massar (Senegal) (AFP)

Tidiane Konté, an unemployed father from Dakar aged 56, squeezes between his fingers "the last receipt" of the money sent from Spain by his brother. Since the appearance of the coronavirus, the transfers of migrant workers in Europe have almost dried up, putting many Senegalese in difficulty.

"My brother works in plantations in Zaragoza (northern Spain). The last time he sent us money was in February, 422 euros", almost five times the minimum wage at Senegal, mournful Tidiane Konté in his house of Keur Massar, in the outskirts of the Senegalese capital.

Consequence: "We no longer eat meat," he says.

The World Bank estimates that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, remittances from migrant workers to their countries of origin, which account for up to a third of the economies of some poor countries, will drop by 20 % this year, reaching 445 billion dollars against 554 billion in 2019.

The drop, the largest in recent history, is largely linked to "job losses, business closings and containment measures" in emigration countries, Dilip Ratha, an economist in the Migration department, told AFP. and World Bank money transfers.

It represents "the loss of an important safety net for many poor families and has a direct impact on spending on food, health and education," he said.

The Senegalese Ministry of Economy is even more pessimistic: "We anticipate a drop of around 30% by 2020" in transfers from abroad, said one of its officials.

- Three million emigrants -

Senegal, a former French colony in West Africa, has so far been relatively spared from the epidemic. The country has less than 1,000 cases and a dozen deaths.

However, measures to stem the spread of the virus, such as the establishment of a curfew, the closing of borders and the prohibition of movement between regions make the daily life of a population living largely in the even more difficult. day by day.

The authorities estimate that around 3 million Senegalese have left to work abroad, notably in France, Spain and Italy, out of a population of 16 million.

The approximately 2 billion euros that they officially send each year to their loved ones represent 10% of Senegal's GDP and a vital oxygen tank for very many families.

By counting "the sums paid by the informal way", these amounts can even be doubled, estimates an official of the ministry for Foreign affairs.

In recent weeks, however, shipments have fallen "by at least 25%," said the manager of a shop in Rufisque, another suburb of Dakar, where beneficiaries can come and withdraw their money.

"I even made four transfers intended for Senegalese in Europe, that their families wanted to help", is astonished for its part a bank employee.

- Millet porridge -

Same observation inside the country. "We manage to ensure, with difficulty, the three meals" daily, says Fatou Seydi, first wife of a polygamous family from Kolda, in Haute Casamance (south). Her husband, who "works on a farm in Spain" has suspended his monthly transfers from 300 to 450 euros intended to feed the 15 members of the family.

Abdoulaye Cisse, a young volunteer journalist from a radio station in Kolda, can no longer count on the help of his brother, who emigrated to southern Italy.

"He says he has the money but cannot send it because of confinement" in the peninsula, which prevents him from going to the pharmacies specializing in international transfers. The eight members of his family therefore "replaced milk and breakfast bread with millet porridge," he said.

Other Senegalese are retained in the country by the closure of air borders. This is the case of Abdoulaye Baldé, 45, who has been working "for twenty years" in a fruit and vegetable store in Barcelona and who was to "return to work on February 24".

"I know that I lost my job. I sent more than 300,000 CFA (450 euros) per month for my mother, my two wives, my children, my brother and my sister. I have no income here" , he sighs.

The Senegalese government has set aside around twenty million euros to "assist, support and protect" migrant workers. It also launched a large distribution of food to support families in difficulty across the country.

© 2020 AFP