Africa-Press – Gambia. The Atlantic Ocean off The Gambia’s coastline is claiming increasing numbers of lives as the country emerges as a major departure point for irregular migrants heading to Spain’s Canary Islands, raising fears of a growing humanitarian crisis, an activist revealed.
Migrant situation reporter and activist Ebrima Drammeh warned that the scale and speed of recent departures mark a dangerous turning point, describing the situation as an organised smuggling operation driven by desperation and weak coastal surveillance.
“What we are seeing now is not migration. It is a business of suffering,” Drammeh told the Voice Newspaper. “Our coast has become a graveyard.”
He said tighter naval patrols in Morocco and increased enforcement along Senegal’s coastline have pushed smuggling networks further south, making The Gambia’s short coastline and limited monitoring capacity an easy target.
“When routes close elsewhere, smugglers simply relocate,” he said.
Drammeh cited figures covering the period between 1 November and 11 December, during which thousands reportedly left Gambian shores. He reported dozens of deaths involving women and children, while a boat that departed Jinack on 17 November remains missing.
Several vessels were intercepted by authorities in The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania and Morocco, while others reportedly reached Spain.
“These are not statistics,” Drammeh said. “They are fathers who never came home, daughters who never called again, mothers who vanished at sea.”
According to him, smugglers now charge up to D70,000 per person, packing as many as 200 migrants into a single wooden canoe, often promising a journey of less than a week.
Survivors and activists, however, report extreme hunger, dehydration and exposure on what remains one of the world’s deadliest migration routes.
Drammeh called on authorities to urgently strengthen coastal surveillance, dismantle smuggling networks and intensify community awareness campaigns, while urging young people to abandon the journey.
“Your life is worth more than any visa,” he said. “No smuggler will risk his life for yours.”
For More News And Analysis About Gambia Follow Africa-Press
