By Fatou Sillah
A Gambian migration activist has reported that at least 893 Gambians lost their lives in 2025, with the majority of the deaths occurring at sea during attempts to reach Europe through irregular migration routes, commonly known as the “Backway.”
Speaking at a joint press conference on Monday, Ebrima Drammeh, who runs the Ebrima Migrants Situation Foundation, said the deaths underscore the persistent dangers faced by migrants seeking to cross into Europe.
“From January 1 to December 31, 2025, a total of 893 Gambians lost their lives. Of these, 840 died at sea, while 53 died on land,” Drammeh stated.
He added that several boats carrying Gambian migrants disappeared without a trace, leaving families without information about the fate of their loved ones.
“Twenty-six migrant boats with Gambians disappeared without a trace; we also recorded 70 boats that disappeared on the Spain route in 2025. Two Gambian boats disappeared on December 5th from Jinack, and another on November 17th,” he said.
According to Drammeh, a total of 72 boats disappeared in 2025 after departing from The Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and other countries. He said 730 Gambians were reported missing at sea, while 74 others went missing on land, including in the Sahara Desert, Tunisia, and Libya.
“In total, 72 boats have disappeared in 2025, both from Gambia, Senegal, Mauritania, and other places. Among these, 730 Gambians went missing at sea, and 74 went missing on land, including those in the Sahara Desert, Tunisia, and Libya,” he said.
He also shared figures on migrants who successfully reached Europe during the year. “A total of 5,119 Gambians arrived in Spain on 111 different boats from Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, and Gambia. In Libya and Tunisia, 1,054 Gambians arrived on 52 boats in Italy in 2025,” Drammeh said.
Highlighting specific incidents, he spoke about ongoing efforts to verify the fate of migrants from recently departed boats.
“This year, on November 17th, a migrant boat left Guinea with more than 190 people. On December 5th, another boat departed with 200 people, including women and children. We tracked these boats for over a month, but the first has sunk, and we believe the second also sank, though verification is ongoing. Families will be informed once confirmed,” he said.
Drammeh further provided data on intercepted migrants and returns.“In 2025, 8,284 Gambian migrants were intercepted on 45 migrant boats. 5749 were deported or voluntarily returned to Gambia between January and December 31st,” he said.
He emphasized that the figures presented were compiled independently by his organization through direct contact with migrants.
“This is not valid data from the IOM or from the immigration, or from the Gambia Red Cross. These are our own data; we normally have this data, as every day we connect with the migrants themselves,“ he said.
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