By: Dawda Baldeh
In a shocking report, prominent Gambian migrant activist Ebrima Drammeh, based in Europe, has disclosed that 1,603 Gambians have perished while trying to reach Europe across the Mediterranean Sea in 2024.
Mr. Drammeh, who possesses current information on Gambian migrants, characterized these fatalities as a tragedy.
“One thousand six hundred and three (1,603) Gambian migrants have perished during these perilous journeys to Europe in 2024, with one thousand five hundred and fifty-seven (1,557) dying at sea and forty-six (46) on land,” he stated.
He further revealed that 46 boats carrying Gambian migrants have disappeared without a trace.
In addition to these alarming revelations, Drammeh indicated that 880 Gambian migrants are either dead or missing at sea, while 374 are unaccounted for on land.
He also noted that they have recorded 1,254 Gambian migrants as missing.
Despite these tragic losses, over 5,873 Gambian migrants successfully arrived in Europe in 2024, specifically in Spain, Drammeh informed The Fatu Network.
He mentioned that these arrivals were documented with 151 boats from Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco, Senegal, and Gambia, carrying 4,217 individuals.
Moreover, a significant number of arrivals in Italy have also been reported from Libya and Tunisia, 152 boats transporting 1,656 migrants in 2024.
Additionally, the well-known migrant activist reported that 4,784 Gambian migrants were intercepted in 2024 across 47 different migrant boats.
“The Gambia had 11 boats, Senegal 13, Mauritania 17, and Morocco 6,” he clarified.
He also noted that 6,149 Gambian migrants have either been deported or returned to Gambia voluntarily in 2024.
“IOM has repatriated one thousand seven hundred and fifty-three (1,753) individuals from Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Niger, Lebanon, Burkina Faso, and Mauritania.
“Four thousand three hundred and ninety-seven (4,397) people have returned voluntarily from nine different countries to Gambia in 2024,” Drammeh recounted.
