By Wise Man, Our Chief Western Region Correspondent

Confirmed sources  close to Brikama Area Council have told Freedom Newspaper that  more than one hundred compounds at Brikama Kabafita near  the new NAWEC power station have been ear-marked for demolition  because the government claimed  that  the said area is a  reserved land.  This shockingly chilling news has sent the residents of the area  panicking as the exercise when embarked upon will certainly left thousands of people homeless .

It could  be recalled  that similar exercise was carried out   in Brikama Jalanbang sometime in  2003 in which  about two hundred compounds were  destroyed , forcing the occupants    to vacate their homes willy-nilly. The reason advanced by the Gambia Government for that exercise was that the houses were  close to  a military training grounds, hence it posed security threats. However, until  today the affected residents have not been compensated by the government.  Some of the affected families ended up being homeless while other families took the burden of  renting  houses which had hit them and still is  hitting them hard in the pocket.

Our sources further hinted that this time round the Government will extend the all-out operation  to Brikama Wellingara  where more than  100   compounds are targeted to be demolished . The sources  said each compound owner in these areas-Brikama Kabafita and Brikama Wellingara - will soon be issued with notice to vacate their homes  within a period of time or risked being prosecuted. 

Nyami Sanneh,  an aggrieved resident told Wise man that he has been living in his Welligara compound for the past fifteen years,  adding that if the Brikama Area Council should  tell them to vacate their homes  like that it will take a terrible toll on them.

Musa Balajo also a resident of Kabafita told Freedom newspaper that he is poised to confront the authorities head on on this latest proposed move to demolish their houses." They  will have to compensate us or their will be bloodbath because some of us  spent more then five hundred thousand in  our  compounds,"he said .

 Ebou Cham,  a resident of Brikama Wellingara says : "this government is a failure and has disappointed the whole Gambia people especially the poor and the downtrodden.  How can one do this to a poor family who cannot even afford to get three square meal a day. We are sick and tie of the government excesses.  It is about time that each and every Gambian  put his or her life on the line   to end the dictatorial regime of Yahya Jammeh."