By: Alieu Ceesay
Migration activists in The Gambia have revealed alarming figures, claiming that approximately 893 young Gambians perished in 2025 while attempting the dangerous, irregular journey to Europe, known locally as the “backway.”
At a press conference held on January 5, 2026, at the National Youth Parliament building in Kanifing, prominent activist Ebrima Drammeh, founder of the Ebrima Migration Situation Report, presented the statistics alongside Seedy Saidykhan, founder of the migrant support initiative WeMigrants, and Adrian Corish of the Africa Advisory Center.
Drammeh stated that of the 893 recorded deaths from January 1 to December 31, 2025, 840 occurred at sea, while 53 were on overland routes. “These are young, promising lives lost in pursuit of better opportunities abroad,” he said, expressing deep concern.
The announcement comes amid heightened national anxiety over irregular migration, exacerbated by recent boat tragedies. The Gambia has emerged as a key transit and departure point for West Africans heading to Europe, owing to its coastal access and proximity to the Atlantic route toward Spain’s Canary Islands. Coastal communities such as Bakau, Jinack, Kartong, and Brufut have become frequent launch sites for overcrowded pirogues.
Drammeh highlighted the disappearance of 70 migrant boats bound for Spain in 2025, including two from Jinack on December 5 and 17. He noted that while 72 boats vanished across routes from Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, and elsewhere, Gambians were involved in 26 of them.
Despite the risks, some migrants succeed. According to the activists’ report, 6,173 Gambians reached European shores irregularly in 2025, with 5,913 arriving in Spain and 1,054 in Italy. Over 8,000 others were intercepted in around 45 boats.
The human toll extends beyond deaths. Families often sell assets to fund journeys, only to face grief and financial ruin when loved ones perish or disappear.
Human rights activist Madi Jobarteh, speaking on behalf of the Edward Francis Small Centre for Justice, urged the government to intensify efforts to curb the phenomenon. “We call on authorities to enhance surveillance and policing of our waters to prevent, detect, and apprehend irregular migrants and their operators,” he said.
Jobarteh demanded thorough investigations into how smuggling networks continue to operate despite deployments of police, immigration officials, and the navy. He suggested potential complicity among security personnel and emphasized the need for sustainable investments in youth-led institutions and skills training to address root causes like unemployment and limited opportunities.
President Adama Barrow recently vowed a tough stance against those facilitating irregular migration, promising legal action following a deadly capsizing on December 31, 2025, near Jinack village, where a boat carrying over 200 people overturned. Seven bodies were recovered, over 100 survivors rescued, and dozens remain missing in that incident alone.
Critics, however, argue that such announcements come too late, pointing to thousands of lives lost since 2017 under the current administration.
Irregular migration remains a dominant issue in public discourse, with scarce weeks passing without reports of capsized boats. Activists stress that while some families receive remittances from successful migrants, the overall cost—demographic drain, shattered communities, and lost potential—is immense.
As The Gambia grapples with this crisis, calls grow for comprehensive strategies that combine border security, economic empowerment, and regional cooperation to stem the tide of youth exodus.
