The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has partnered with The Gambia and Mauritania to establish national systems tracking migrant deaths and disappearances along routes connecting Africa and Europe. The landmark initiative represents the first coordinated government response of its kind in West Africa, aiming to restore dignity to families seeking answers about loved ones lost during dangerous migration journeys.
The project leverages IOM’s decades long expertise in missing migrants data and migration management to strengthen national coordination on missing migrants in both countries. Sylvia Ekra, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa, emphasized that empowering national and local governments while strengthening cross border cooperation saves lives and restores hope to families who have waited too long for answers.
Over the past decade, IOM has recorded more than 30,000 missing migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, 5,000 along the Western African Atlantic route to Spain, and nearly 6,000 in the Sahara Desert crossing. Recent tragedies underscore the urgent need for coordinated action, including an August 2025 shipwreck off Nouakchott that claimed at least 69 lives when passengers rushed to one side of an overcrowded wooden pirogue after spotting shore lights.
Honorable Sering Modou Njie, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad (MoFA), stated that addressing missing migrants remains a key priority for The Gambia. The government aims to prevent tragic loss of lives while ensuring families receive answers and closure they deserve. The initiative arrives as The Gambia recently launched its National Task Force on Missing Migrants and strengthens coordination efforts with neighboring countries.
Through this project, The Gambia and Mauritania will establish coordinated government systems to investigate cases of missing migrants, recover identities of the deceased, and provide families with answers. Capacity building workshops and mentoring will strengthen institutional capacity and cross border cooperation, equipping countries to locate the missing, identify remains, and prevent these tragedies from being forgotten.
Fatma Mohamed Salem, Director of Borders, Refugee Migration, and Land Affairs at Mauritania’s Ministry of Interior and Promotion of Decentralization and Local Development, noted the Western African Atlantic maritime route continues causing human tragedies. The project aims to make visible the lives lost, support families searching for answers, and strengthen prevention efforts.
Strengthening national systems to manage migration safely and effectively helps reduce risks and ensures migration is governed in a humane and dignified manner. Building institutional tools, partnerships, and technical capacity enables governments to meet obligations, enhance protection mechanisms, and promote stability for families and communities across the region.
IOM will implement the project coordinating with initiatives carried out by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, and National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in areas such as forensic identification, family tracing, and psychosocial assistance. The project forms part of IOM’s efforts to move beyond data on missing migrants and deliver concrete action, ensuring families receive answers and support while helping member states respond to this urgent challenge.
Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) provides financial support making this initiative possible. IOM’s Missing Migrants Project, funded primarily by Swiss and German governments, has maintained the only existing open access database recording deaths during migration at a global level since 2014. The project aligns with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration’s objective to save lives and establish coordinated international efforts on missing migrants.
Migration flows via the West Atlantic route have increased significantly, with nearly 160 percent growth reported in 2023 compared to previous years. Spanish authorities recorded 46,843 migrants reaching the Canary Islands in 2024, though Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras estimates over 10,000 people died or went missing at sea during that year alone while attempting to reach Spain.
Data collection in Africa remains challenging due to the high number of languages and low rates of digitalized media. Missing Migrants Project data in the region comes primarily from testimonies collected through the Mixed Migration Centre’s Mixed Migration Monitoring Initiative. Most migrants in West and Central Africa move within the continent, with over 77 percent of the estimated 11.3 million migrants originating from another country within the region.
