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The Gambia’s Progress in Addressing Organized Crime and Corruption

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The report on The Gambia’s progress in addressing organized crime and corruption highlights several areas of improvement, but also notes significant challenges that remain.

Leadership and Governance

While the current government has made progress in reducing corruption and increasing transparency, allegations against officials persist. Key concerns include:

Efforts to establish an anticorruption commission have yet to materialize.
Government operations lack transparency, and asset declarations are not accessible to the public.

Criminal Justice and Security

The judicial system lacks units specifically targeting organized crime, and prison facilities face significant challenges such as overcrowding and poor sanitation. Allegations of police using excessive force against protesters persist.

Economic and Financial Environment

The government has taken steps to combat money laundering and financial crime by establishing a Financial Intelligence Unit. However, enforcement capacity remains limited, and the economic regulatory environment requires significant improvement.

Support and protection for victims of organized crime are generally limited due to the absence of a comprehensive policy and insufficient resources. While shelters and centres have been established to provide support and services to vulnerable individuals, witness protection is still lacking.

Challenges Ahead

The country’s proximity to Senegal’s Casamance border region, known for illicit activities, poses risks to cross-border incidents. The absence of cybercrime legislation renders the country’s cyberspace vulnerable, and remnants of past practices can still be observed.

Conclusion

While The Gambia has made progress in addressing organized crime and corruption, significant challenges remain. To build on this progress, the government will need to strengthen enforcement capacity, improve transparency and accountability, and continue to support civil society and social protection efforts.