The Gambia and Senegal Launch Cross-Border Engagement Meetings at Amdalai

Group Photo © DCAF and IOM

By DCAF Gambia and IOM

Amdalai, North Bank Region – 18th August 2025. The Governments of The Gambia and Senegal officially launched a week-long Cross-Border Engagement Meeting at the Amdalai Border Crossing Point. The initiative brings together national institutions, border agencies, and international partners to strengthen cooperation, promote integrated border management, and improve the safety and well-being of border communities.

The meetings, jointly organised by the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the Office of National Security (ONS), and the Senegalo-Gambian Permanent Secretariat (PSSG), will run from 18 to 21 August 2025. They are being held at two key crossing points: Amdalai in the North Bank Region and Sabi in the Upper River Region.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Lt. Col. Abdoulie Manneh, Director of Defence and Security of the PSSG, who underscored the importance of the engagements in fostering mutual trust and operational coordination between the two countries. He noted that effective cross-border cooperation is essential to regional stability, trade facilitation, and the protection of border populations.

Opening the meeting in Amdallai, Mr. Mark Lynch, DCAF Head of Office, highlighted the coordinated approach behind the initiative, leveraging on expertise of both DCAF and IOM. For DCAF, the activity forms part of the EU-funded Gambia Security Sector Reform process to improve security and strengthen border and migration management. He stressed that these combined efforts reflect international solidarity in promoting safer, more coordinated, and people-centred border governance.

The meetings, co-organised by IOM The Gambia and Senegal, are being hosted within the framework – ‘Enhancing Border Management Capacities of The Gambia to Promote Peace, Stability and Security’ funded by Japan and  ‘Addressing the drivers and causes of vulnerability in migration among border communities along the Trans-Gambia transport corridor’ funded by the Migration Multi-Partner Trust Fund. Both projects aim to contribute towards safe, orderly and regular migration through enhanced border governance capacities.

Representing Senegalese security institutions, Captain Momodou Gueye of the Senegalese Gendarmerie reaffirmed Senegal’s commitment to cooperation. He emphasised that challenges such as irregular migration, smuggling, and trafficking cannot be solved in isolation, and called for sustained dialogue and joint action.

Delivering remarks on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mr. Landing Kinteh, Chief of Staff at the Office of National Security (ONS), spoke of the ONS’s coordinating role and stressed that the meetings are a crucial step towards harmonising approaches, improving communication channels, and reinforcing bilateral security cooperation.

The two meeting sites were chosen for their strategic importance. Amdalai, one of the busiest crossings along the Trans-Gambia Corridor, plays a central role in regional trade and movement. Sabi, bordering Senegal’s Casamance region, lies on a less formal but increasingly active route connecting multiple West African states, and presents distinct challenges linked to migration and cross-border security.

Each meeting will bring together 32 participants from both The Gambia and Senegal, including border officials, customs, police, community leaders, and local authorities. Interactive sessions will cover joint operations, case studies, and community perspectives, with the aim of developing actionable recommendations for improved cooperation.

By the end of the week, the engagements are expected to produce concrete steps for stronger coordination, enhanced institutional ties, and inclusive approaches that ensure security measures also protect livelihoods and respect the rights of border communities.

Media Inquiries:
David Kujabi, Communications Officer – DCAF

Tel: 3462508 / 2845952, Email: d.kujabi@dcaf.ch

Lamin Sanneh, Communications Officer - IOM The Gambia

Tel : 700 5122, Email : lasanneh@iom.int