Today, the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) published a Country of Origin Information (COI) Report entitled ‘The Gambia – Country Focus’. The report provides an overview of selected topics on The Gambia, relevant for the determination of international protection status of Gambian applicants. Between January and September 2017, EU+ countries  received 10,715 applications from The Gambia. 

The EASO COI Country Focus report on The Gambia provides general background information on The Gambia, namely on geography, population, ethnic and religious groups, political and the judicial systems, together with the human rights situation in the country during the administration of Yayah Jammeh. The report also provides input on the latest developments under the new Gambian administration lead by President Adama Barrow, particularly concerning human rights.

The Gambia – Country Focus report was drafted by the Country of Origin Information (COI) unit of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and reviewed by EASO and COI researchers from national asylum authorities represented in EASO’s West-Africa COI Network - Belgium, The Netherlands and Norway. In addition, an external review was carried out by Dr. David  Perfect, Visiting Professor at the University of Chester-UK, researcher on The Gambia’s politics and history since the 1980s, and author of numerous publications on the country. 

This report was drafted and reviewed in accordance with EASO’s COI Report Methodology and Mandate. In line with this methodology, country information from a broad variety of sources is provided, while refraining from making any assessments or policy conclusions. 

Download report [EN] 

Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office on the following email address: press@easo.europa.eu 

_{1 EU Member States plus Norway and Switzerland}