Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – An intelligence-led operation by The Gambia Immigration Department and the Gambia Navy in Kartong in the early hours of Thursday, 19 March 2026, has highlighted what officials describe as a worrying escalation in migrant smuggling activities after officers encountered a boatload of suspected migrants being guarded by an armed man in military-style uniform.
According to the Immigration Department, personnel from the Tanji Immigration Border Patrol Unit, led by the commanding officer of Kartong Immigration Post, launched the operation after receiving intelligence on suspected irregular migration activity taking place about four kilometers offshore.
When the patrol team reached the site, officers reportedly found a large group of migrants, a boat fitted with two engines, and a man dressed in camouflage military uniform and carrying a rifle. Authorities suspect the armed individual was providing protection for the would-be migrants and the organizers of the smuggling operation.
Immigration officers, citing operational safety concerns and the need to protect personnel, withdrew tactically from the scene and called for reinforcement from the Gambia Navy.
Navy Backup Confirmed After Immigration Officers Report Armed Escort
Naval personnel stationed in Kartong, with support from Gunjur, then deployed four armed officers in response to the request for backup. However, by the time the joint team returned to the area, local fishermen informed them that the migrants had already departed by sea.
The Gambia Navy said it responded promptly after being alerted to reports of an armed individual allegedly securing the departure of the migrants, noting that the sighting of a man in camouflage fatigues and carrying a rifle raised the level of concern in what it described as a sensitive operational environment.
The incident has drawn fresh attention to the changing nature of migrant smuggling in The Gambia, with authorities warning that such operations are becoming increasingly dangerous for security personnel as well as for the migrants involved.
Officials said the development demonstrates how irregular migration is increasingly intersecting with organized criminal activity, posing a wider threat to national security and complicating enforcement efforts along the coast.
The authorities also used the incident to renew warnings over the unauthorized use of military paraphernalia. The Gambia Armed Forces has repeatedly cautioned that the misuse of military uniforms and equipment can easily be interpreted as hostile intent when encountered by security forces, with potentially serious consequences.
Reaffirming its position, the Gambia Immigration Department said it maintains a zero-tolerance stance against migrant smuggling and urged continued vigilance, stronger inter-agency collaboration, and community support in confronting the threat.
The Gambia Armed Forces, for its part, said it remains committed to its constitutional mandate to protect the sovereignty, lives, and livelihoods of Gambians and pledged to continue responding swiftly to any threat that undermines national security or exploits the identity and authority of the military.
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