The minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad has said the Gambia government through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs had facilitated the repatriation of more than 2,566 Gambian migrants from various African countries and Europe since 2022.

Foreign Affairs Minister Mamadou Tangara was speaking on Monday during a press briefing held at the Ministry’s office in Banjul.

Dr Tangara stated that last November, the foreign ministry sent a Councillor mission to Libya that secured the release of over 300 Gambian migrants under immigration detention.“The State of Libya has been a destination and transit to many Gambian migrants,” he stated. “Currently, there are about eighteen thousand (18,000) Gambians in Libya either resident or on transit to Europe. The delegation was able to engage the relevant Libyan Authorities on the plight and welfare of Gambian migrants.”

In February 2022, he explained, “following the political and military tensions between Ukraine and Russia, the Foreign Affairs ministry gave instructions to its embassy in Brussels to deploy two staff to the Ukraine-Poland border who successfully evacuated 48 Gambian nationals mainly students to safety.”He noted that in April 2022, the ministry negotiated with the Libyan authorities to release from jail and hand over 12 Gambian nationals to the Gambian association in Libya for repatriation to join their families.

He further reported that in August 2022, the foreign ministry with its Embassy in Abu Dhabi secured the release and facilitated the return of 34 Gambian nationals to be reunited with their families.

“From January to December 2022, the Ministry, in collaboration with the Gambian Association in Libya and the IOM, facilitated the evacuation of 4 non-scheduled flights each carrying about 150 Gambian migrants from Libya,” he recounted “In 2023, the Ministry and IOM facilitated the evacuation of 2 non-scheduled flights including 1 in June, carrying 156 migrants.”

He also said. “Another flight carrying 165 migrants is expected to arrive on 26th July 2023.”

He added that in April 2023, the Ministry with the Embassy in Rabat and Consulate in Dakhla, Kingdom of Morocco, successfully facilitated the repatriation of 233 Gambian migrants following the interception of their boats by the Moroccan authorities.

Again, he said: “The Foreign Ministry has also facilitated the evacuation of 800 Gambian migrants from the Kingdom of Morocco to The Gambia to be reunited with their families with the help of the Moroccan authorities.”

He added: “Last year, the Foreign Ministry and its Mission in Nouakchott in collaboration with The Gambia Red Cross Society and their counterparts in Senegal and Mauritania facilitated the evacuation of 600 Gambian migrants from Mauritania and about 300 this year.”

Concluding, he said the Foreign Ministry and its Mission in Dakar had facilitated the evacuation of about 300 Gambian migrants from Senegal since last year.