Gambian security agencies say they have intercepted more than 780 people attempting to travel irregularly to Europe by sea and arrested four suspected organisers, in an intelligence-led crackdown launched after public alarm over a surge in departures from the country’s coastline.
In a statement attributed to the Ministry of Interior, the Gambia Immigration Department and the Gambia Police Force said special operations units were activated after authorities observed “a rapid increase” in people using The Gambia as a “launch path” for the Atlantic crossing to Spain’s Canary Islands.
The ministry said the latest operation resulted in the interception of 782 “intending migrants” of multiple West African nationalities. Those detained included 233 Senegalese, 197 Gambians, 176 Guineans, and 148 Malians, as well as smaller numbers from Côte d’Ivoire (16), Nigeria (6), Mauritania (2), Guinea-Bissau (1), Liberia (1) and Ghana (1).
Officials said recent departures have shifted farther south along the West African coast because Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco have increased maritime patrols, pushing smugglers and migrants to seek alternative launch points.
The crackdown comes days after a migrant boat capsized off Gambia’s coast on New Year’s Eve, an incident that has become a national trauma and reignited debate about the dangers of irregular migration. Reuters reported that the death toll from the sinking had risen to 39, with 112 rescued as of midweek; some bodies were recovered in Gambian territory and others in Senegal.
In its press release, the interior ministry thanked members of the public for providing information leading to interceptions and urged continued vigilance, while also condemning the “indiscriminate publication” of images of dead bodies without families’ consent.
The Atlantic route to the Canary Islands is one of the world’s deadliest migration corridors, used by tens of thousands of mostly young West Africans fleeing poverty and limited opportunities. An NGO, Caminando Fronteras, said 3,090 people died trying to reach Spain by sea in 2025, underscoring the scale of risk on the crossing.
Reuters also reported that Gambia’s government intercepted more than 2,700 would-be migrants in 2025, even as broader EU data showed a decline in irregular movement along some West African routes amid strengthened prevention efforts by departure countries.
