The Gambia Immigration Department (GID) has intensified the implementation of its 2025 Operational Order, codenamed “Operation Fortress Borders and Stay Safe.” The six-day exercise was conducted within the Greater Banjul Area and West Coast Region under the leadership of the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Assistant Director General of Operations, Commissioner Sulayman Kujabi and supported by Deputy Commissioner of Operations Hatab Bojang; Chief Superintendent Omar F. Saidykhan, Coordinator of the Border Patrol Unit; Regional Commissioners and their immigration enforcement staff.
The Operational Order serves as a strategic framework guiding all GID activities relating to border security, alien registration, and immigration duties for 2025. It is designed to strengthen border management, ensure compliance with immigration laws, and enhance national security.
From 26th to 31st August 2025, GID simultaneously conducted coastal border patrols and interior enforcement operations in the West Coast Region, Kanifing Municipality, and Banjul City Council. These operations targeted suspected hideouts, vulnerable coastal areas, and business establishments found harbouring undocumented immigrants in violation of the Registration of Aliens Act, 1977 and the Labour Act, 2008.
During the operation, interior enforcement units apprehended 872 non-Gambians for failing to provide proof of legal residency in The Gambia. Following screening and documentation, 393 immigrants regularised their status by completing the required procedures and making the necessary payments. Others, who were later able to present valid identification, were duly cleared and released.
The GID, under the leadership of Director General Ebrima Mboob, advises all immigrants, both ECOWAS and non-ECOWAS citizens, to strictly comply with immigration laws and meet their legal obligations as residents of The Gambia. The Department reaffirms its firm commitment to enforcing immigration laws while safeguarding national security and integrity.
