In response to the increasing number of tragedies involving migrants on routes to Europe, the IOM announced the launch of a pioneering initiative in West Africa on 4 November. The organisation aims to strengthen the capacity of national authorities to trace missing migrants and provide families with answers, working in close collaboration with the Gambian and Mauritanian governments.
This is the first project of its kind in West Africa that is specifically dedicated to searching for missing migrants. The IOM is sharing its expertise with the authorities in The Gambia and Mauritania to improve investigation procedures for disappearances, enhance the identification of bodies and strengthen coordination between the two countries.
“By providing national governments with better resources and strengthening cross-border cooperation, we are saving lives and restoring hope and dignity to families,” said Sylvia Ekra, IOM Regional Director for West and Central Africa.
Over the past decade, the organisation has recorded more than 30,000 migrant deaths in the Mediterranean, including 5,000 along the Atlantic route between West Africa and Spain and almost 6,000 across the Sahara Desert. The shipwreck off the coast of Nouakchott, Mauritania, in August last year, which claimed at least 134 lives, served as a stark reminder of the scale of this human tragedy.
Governments mobilise to end missing persons’ cases
In The Gambia, the issue of missing migrants has become a national priority. “Our goal is to prevent tragic deaths and disappearances, while ensuring that families obtain the answers they are entitled to, so they can come to terms with their loss,” said Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sering Modou Njie.
This announcement follows the establishment of a National Task Force on Missing Migrants in Banjul, which is aimed at improving coordination and strengthening regional cooperation.
In Mauritania, the authorities are also seeking to improve documentation and prevent tragedies at sea. “Through this project, we hope to honour the victims, support families in their search for answers and reinforce prevention measures,” said Fatma Mohamed Salem, Director of Borders and Migration at the Mauritanian Ministry of the Interior.
Between January and April 2025 alone, more than 30,000 migrants were intercepted on Mauritanian soil. During the same period, the country dismantled 88 smuggling networks. According to the Mauritanian government, more than 28,000 people were deported in the first six months of the year.
International partnership to improve visibility of missing persons
The initiative relies on several technical partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team and national Red Cross and Red Crescent societies as well as coordination between States. These organisations will contribute to forensic identification and family tracing, as well as providing psychosocial support for relatives.
In concrete terms, this initiative aims to “move from data to action”. The focus is shifting from simply counting the missing to helping states and families find them.
For safer and more humane migration
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and its partners are strengthening national migration management systems in the hope of preventing further tragedies and ensuring that missing persons are treated with dignity.
This project serves as a reminder of the humanitarian imperative that underpins all migration policy i.e. protecting lives and restoring dignity to families affected by loss.
