By Haddy Touray
Close to 100 individuals were last Tuesday intercepted by the Gambia Immigration Department (GID) and the Navy after spending 20 days at sea in an attempt to travel to the European Union through the Atlantic Ocean.
They were arrested in a naval patrol at Faraba Banta Bolong.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GID, Siman Lowe, described the development as a “significant” interception.
“On November 20, 2024, we made another significant interception by the Navy patrol team during their routine activities. They were able to intercept a boat that had been at sea for about twenty days, with migrants on board who had been waiting while trying to gather more people to join them,” Lowe told a press conference last week.
“In this boat, we intercepted 91 suspected migrants. Among them, 74 are male, 12 are female, and 11 are minors,” he added.
The GID PRO explained that out of the 91 intercepted, 34 are Gambians while 37 hailed from Senegal, 19 from Guinea and one from Mali.
“When we intercepted them, we found most of the migrants in very poor condition—some were dehydrated while others were unhealthy due to the length of time they spent at sea. We can see how inhumane these activities are,” he pointed out.
Readers will recall that the GID last month intercepted 76 people as they reportedly attempted to use a boat to travel to the EU through a boat.
“These interceptions indicate that the Gambia Immigration Department has been making significant efforts to mitigate irregular migration,” stated Lowe.
