Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Gambia has successfully participated in a major regional security crackdown, Operation Screen West Africa 2025, which led to 62 arrests region-wide, including nine individuals suspected of connections with terrorism, INTERPOL announced from its headquarters in Lyon, France.
The coordinated four-month operation (July – October) involved law enforcement agencies from The Gambia and 11 other West African nations, targeting the movement of Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) and disrupting transnational organized crime networks across air, sea, and land borders.
The Gambia’s Role in Regional Security
As one of the 12 participating countries, The Gambia contributed to the monumental effort to strengthen border security at a time when the threat of terrorism from the Sahel continues to loom over the region.
Frontline Gambian officers, alongside their regional counterparts, utilized INTERPOL Mobile Devices to conduct real-time checks against the organization’s global databases.
This regional effort resulted in a total of 1.7 million checks across the participating borders—a significant increase from the previous year.
The operation’s success underscores the growing need for regional cooperation to secure West Africa. The proceeds from seized items, such as drugs, counterfeit medicines, and stolen vehicles, are often used to finance terrorism and organized crime.
“These cases highlight how the operational support we offer member countries and our unique specialist tools can make the links that identify suspected terrorists and disrupt their attempts to create fear and endanger communities,” said INTERPOL Executive Director of Police Services pro tempore Cyril Gout.
Key Regional Arrests and Seizures
While The Gambia’s specific seizure and arrest figures in this operation were not detailed in the general release, the regional results demonstrate the profound impact of the joint action. As a result, nine arrests were made of individuals suspected of connections with terrorism.
Two of these arrests, made in Burkina Faso, involved individuals wanted by Côte d’Ivoire for involvement in a 2020 Al-Qaeda-affiliated JNIM terrorist attack that killed over ten security personnel. They were subject to INTERPOL Blue Notices.
The operation generated nearly 250 “hits” against INTERPOL databases, including several linked to Red and Blue Notices citing terrorist activities.
The massive actions include law enforcement seizing a total of 17 caches of weapons and ammunition, explosives (including dynamite), 136 stolen vehicles, 731 kg of cannabis, and large quantities of counterfeit currency and fake branded opioid pain relief tablets.
In a separate success, officers in Ghana freed 21 victims of human trafficking who were being exploited in Nigeria in connection with fraudulent schemes.
Targeting Maritime Crime
Operation Screen West Africa 2025 also focused heavily on maritime security, including checks at harbors and in territorial waters—a critical focus for coastal nations like The Gambia.
INTERPOL alerted participating countries to vessels using deceptive shipping practices, such as identity tampering, “dark operations” (where ships switch off identification systems), and frequent flag changes, all of which are tactics used by criminals and terrorist groups to move illicit goods and personnel.
The 12 nations participating in the operation were Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.
