Gun crimes are on the rise in The Gambia, with illegally smuggled guns entering the country through the Gambia Port, according to Binta Njie, the Public Relations Officer of the Gambia Police Force. During a joint press conference at the Ministry of Interior, Njie highlighted that the lack of equipment to detect such weapons has allowed them to enter undetected.
Njie explained that these guns are smuggled in containers with other goods, making detection difficult. She emphasized that these guns are neither registered nor licensed in the country.
The increase in gun crimes has raised public concern and safety. In 2018, during a Commission of Inquiry hearing on the financial activities of the former president and his close associates at the Djembe Beach Hotel, a gunman was arrested. More recently, in September 2023, a gunman attacked Paramilitary Officers at the Sukuta-Jabang Highway, killing two male officers and wounding one female officer. In February 2024, two gunmen attacked a businessman in Fajara.
Efforts are underway to improve detection of such guns at the port, Njie assured. Despite the challenges, the police are actively arresting and prosecuting perpetrators of gun crimes.
