Gambian Exiles Suffering In Senegal!!!

….“ Many of the exiles are without decent means of survival and their problems continue to be compounded by acute shelter constraints, nostalgia and tangible fear of abduction by the agents of the Jammeh government. The exiles are also apprehensive and fearful of their security due to the geographic propinquity of Gambia to Senegal,.”writes Our West Africa Bureau Chief Musa Jobe.

By Musa Jobe, Our West Africa Bureau Chief In Dakar

There appears to be no end in sight to the continued sufferings of a number of Gambians living in exile in the neighbouring Senegal as many struggles with hard economic and turbulent financial times.

Senegal is a home to a multitude of Gambians, who fled the country, to seek sanctuary in the neighbouring country for fear of persecution in the hands of the Jammeh government.

The exiles include journalists, former soldiers and officers of the Gambia Armed Forces, ex-NIA operatives, politicians and human rights activists. Many of the exiles are without decent means of survival and their problems continue to be compounded by acute shelter constraints, nostalgia and tangible fear of abduction by the agents of the Jammeh government. The exiles are also apprehensive and fearful of their security due to the geographic propinquity of Gambia to Senegal.

In a chat with our West Africa Bureau Chief in Thies, almost 70km from the Senegalese capital, Dakar, one of the Gambian refugees lamented that his situation is almost on daily basis degenerating from bad to worse because he's currently without a job and receives no assistance from any local or international organisations.

In Dakar, many Gambian exiles rued the high cost of rent, food and other incidentals and therefore called on the international community to look into their plight.

' It' s quite unfortunate for one to find himself in the situation that I've found myself in. I was gainfully employed in The Gambia but I'm now without a job here in Senegal due mainly to language barrier. Food, shelter and clothing are my main problems and my situation is, by each passing day, getting worse,' lamented one of the Gambian refugees.

The story is almost the same. The Gambian exiles here in Senegal are indeed going through tempestuous economic phase. Some are forced to share the little food of family and friends whilst others are crammed in tiny rooms barely comfortable for one person. The more timely the international community acts in redressing their problems, they concurred, the better.    

The Gambia Press Union under the leadership of Ndey Tapha Sosseh is yet to engage the Government, regarding the plight of the suffering Gambian asylees in neighbouring Senegal. Many here are of the view that the GPU should intervene by ensuring that the Government considers extending blanket amnesty to the suffering Gambian exiles. The Gambian dissidents need job, food, healthcare  and decent housing.

Dakar is one of the most expensive cities in West Africa. The majority of the Gambian exiles refused to live in refugee camps hosted by the UNHCR. This to some extent aggravated the situation. The UNHCR provides food and shelter to refugees living in these camps, which are located outside the suburbs of the city.

The Gambian refugees also lamented about the slow pace of the resettlement program overseas. It takes between two to three years before their asylum applications are attended to by Western countries. Out of the lot, few are granted refugee status. The rest are compelled to stay in Senegal, while dreaming to see an end to Jammeh’s rule-so that they can return home to reunite with their loved ones.