By Makutu Manneh
The Gambia Immigration Department said it had intercepted more than 120 people attempting to leave the country on irregular migration routes in two separate operations over two days, underscoring authorities’ ongoing efforts to curb so-called “backway” journeys.
In a statement released Sunday, the department said officers from the Tanji Border Patrol Unit, working with the Kartong Immigration Office, stopped 69 non-Gambian nationals in Sinchu Sorrie. The group included 60 Malians, 6 Guineans, 2 Senegalese, and 1 Ivorian. Among them were 10 women and 13 minors.
Officials said three suspected organizers, all Malian nationals, were arrested during the operation.
A day later, on Monday, personnel at the Mandinaba Immigration Station intercepted another group of 59 people at a checkpoint in Mandinaba. According to the department, those detained included 31 Malians, 13 Senegalese, 7 Gambians, 6 Ivorians, 1 Sierra Leonean, and 1 Nigerian. The group included six women and one minor.
All of the individuals have been transferred to Tanji for further investigation and processing, the statement said.
The immigration authorities reiterated their commitment to a “zero-departure” policy aimed at preventing irregular sea crossings, which often involve dangerous journeys along West Africa’s Atlantic coast toward Europe. Officials said the operations were part of broader efforts to deter human smuggling networks and to enforce immigration laws while protecting lives.
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