Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – A total of 600 migrants departed from the coast of The Gambia in four boats between January and February 2026, according to a new monitoring report by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which highlights ongoing irregular migration attempts along the West African Atlantic Route.
The findings were published in the latest Departure Areas Monitoring Tool (DAMT) report covering the first two months of 2026.
The report indicates that although departures continue, the number of migrants attempting the dangerous sea journey to the Spanish Canary Islands has dropped significantly compared to the previous reporting period.
According to the report, four boats carrying 600 migrants left the Gambian coast during the period under review, representing a 77 percent decrease from the 2,586 migrants recorded in November and December 2025. The number of boat departures also fell by about 75 percent, a decline attributed largely to tightened security measures and rough weather conditions.
The IOM said the departures were among six migration-related events recorded by community focal points monitoring coastal areas. Of these events, four involved actual boat departures, while two were recruitment campaigns aimed at organizing future migration attempts.
Gambians Form Majority of Migrants
The report indicates that Gambians constituted the largest group of migrants, accounting for 56 percent of those who departed. Senegalese nationals made up 17 percent, while 14 percent were Guineans and 13 percent belonged to other nationalities.
In terms of demographics, 87 percent of the migrants were men, 9 percent were women, and 4 percent were children, highlighting the predominance of young male migrants in irregular maritime movements from the country.
Dangerous Journey and Monitoring Coastal Departures
The IOM warned that migrants attempting the Atlantic crossing face severe risks, noting that most boats used for the journey are overcrowded and often in poor condition, increasing the likelihood of shipwrecks or disappearances at sea.
The organization also noted that migrants are vulnerable to abuse, extortion, and exploitation, particularly at remote departure points along The Gambia’s coastline where monitoring is limited.
To track migration patterns, IOM has been monitoring key departure points along the Gambian coast since March 2025 through community focal points stationed in several locations, including Barra, Albreda, Bakau, Brufut, Tanji, Kartong, and Gunjur.
The monitoring initiative forms part of efforts to better understand migration flows along the West African Atlantic Route, which has seen a resurgence in recent years as migrants attempt to reach the Canary Islands from West African shores.
Spanish authorities reported that more than 14,000 migrants arrived irregularly in the Canary Islands between January and February 2026, many departing from the coasts of Morocco and Mauritania but increasingly also from The Gambia.
However, the IOM cautioned that the figures in the report should be treated as indicative, noting that the monitoring system cannot capture every departure and that official data on arrivals linked specifically to Gambian departures remains limited.
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