Gambiaj.com—(BANJUL, The Gambia) – At least 26 Gambians have been confirmed killed in action after being recruited into Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to a new investigative report by INPACT, an international association of independent accounting and advisory firms.
The investigation describes a systematic campaign targeting vulnerable African youth with promises of high salaries and citizenship, promises that often end on the battlefield, leaving dozens of Gambian families grieving in silence.
The report, titled “The Business of Despair: The Russian Army’s Recruiting of African Fighters,” documents the enlistment of 1,417 African nationals who signed contracts with the Russian Armed Forces between January 2023 and September 2025.
While countries such as Egypt, Cameroon, and Ghana account for the largest numbers, the database identifies 56 Gambians recruited since 2023.
Of those 56 Gambians, 26 have been confirmed killed in action.
The findings paint a grim picture of vulnerable young men lured by promises of financial stability, only to be deployed rapidly to some of the most dangerous battlefronts of the Russo-Ukrainian War.
The “Business of Despair”
According to INPACT, recruitment efforts across Africa target economically vulnerable youth through social media channels, informal agents, and networks linked to irregular migration routes.
The promise is straightforward: monthly salaries ranging from $2,000 to $2,500, fast-tracked Russian citizenship, and a pathway out of poverty.
For many Gambian families facing structural unemployment and limited opportunities at home, such offers appear transformative.
But the reality, the report states, is often starkly different.
Recruits have described being forced to sign military contracts written in Cyrillic, a language they cannot read, before being swiftly transported to frontline areas such as the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. What is presented as employment or administrative regularization frequently becomes compulsory combat service.
Captured African fighters have reportedly spoken of “prison-like” conditions, limited mobility, and little to no option of withdrawal once contracts are signed.
The data shows that many African recruits survive an average of just six months. Some are killed within a single month of deployment, suggesting their use in high-intensity assault waves where casualty rates are severe.
From Migration Dreams to the Frontline
One of the cases detailed in the investigation is that of Lamin Jatta, a 26-year-old Gambian born July 10, 1999, who had been living in Italy.
Like many young West African migrants, Lamin Jatta initially sought to move further into Europe, reportedly planning to cross irregularly from Belarus into Latvia in hopes of reaching Germany or the Netherlands. Instead, he ended up in Russia in search of work.
Arrested by Russian police in May 2024, he signed an employment contract and was subsequently sent to Ukraine. He was declared dead in August 2024.
His trajectory, from migration aspiration to battlefield fatality, underscores what INPACT calls a system that preys on “geographic and social mobility ambitions” among young African men.
The database also indicates discrepancies in listings from neighboring countries such as Senegal, suggesting that the total number of West African recruits, including Gambians, may be higher than currently documented.
Families Left in the Dark
Beyond the statistics lies a deeper tragedy: families who may not yet know that their sons, brothers, or husbands have died in combat thousands of kilometers from home.
The report warns that the opaque nature of the recruitment process and limited diplomatic visibility mean that some deaths may go unreported to relatives in The Gambia.
What is framed to recruits as an opportunity to rescue their families from poverty has, in many cases, resulted in irreversible loss.
Below are the Gambians identified in the INPACT investigation as having been killed in action:
Alagie Sanneh: Born October 14, 1987 (Age 38). Nationality: Gambia.
Musa Keita: Born May 1, 1993 (Age 32). Nationality: Gambia.
Alagie Dibba: Born June 1, 1982 (Age 43). Nationality: Gambia.
Ousman Badjie: Born January 1, 1983 (Age 43). Nationality: Gambia.
Karamo Saho: Born January 7, 1986 (Age 40). Nationality: Gambia.
Mamadou Haruna Ba: Born November 2, 1994 (Age 31). Nationality: Gambia.
Mustapha Badgie: Born October 5, 2000 (Age 25). Nationality: Gambia.
Mustapha Bagie: Born November 10, 1992 (Age 33). Nationality: Gambia.
Momodou Bojang: Born June 2, 1996 (Age 29). Nationality: Gambia.
Babou Gaye: Born April 14, 1995 (Age 30). Nationality: Gambia.
Abdoulie Jallow: Born June 15, 2000 (Age 25). Nationality: Gambia.
Lamarana Jallow: Born April 4, 1992 (Age 33). Nationality: Gambia.
Omar Bela Jallow: Born December 19, 1995 (Age 30). Nationality: Gambia.
Ebrima Jallow: Born November 20, 1982 (Age 43). Nationality: Gambia.
Alagie Camara: Born June 15, 1989 (Age 36). Nationality: Gambia.
Sulayman Magiraga: Born 2002 (Age 23). Nationality: Gambia.
Ebou Macauley: Born January 16, 1994 (Age 31). Nationality: Gambia.
Bernard Mendy: Born August 1, 1987 (Age 38). Nationality: Gambia.
Sainey Sanyang: Born April 23, 1993 (Age 32). Nationality: Gambia.
Saidou Sowe: Born April 17, 2003 (Age 22). Nationality: Gambia.
Bakary M. L. Sonko: Born January 1, 1978 (Age 47). Nationality: Gambia.
Momodou Touray: Born March 26, 1991 (Age 34). Nationality: Gambia.
Alassan Juwara: Born January 15, 1997 (Age 28). Nationality: Gambia.
Sulayman JarJu: Born August 6, 1989 (Age 36). Nationality: Gambia.
Alieu Jatta: Born January 19, 1997 (Age 28). Nationality: Gambia.
Lamin Jatta: Born October 28, 1999 (Age 26). Nationality: Gambia.
Source: INPACT Investigation Report, “The Business of Despair: The Russian Army’s Recruiting of African Fighters,” February 2026.
