By: Hadram Hydara
Another flight carrying thirty-five (35) Gambian deportees from EU countries is expected to land at the Banjul International Airport on June 20, making it the third deportation flight in a row to the Gambia in 2023, with six more to go as the EU plans to send 9 deportation flights to the Gambia this year alone, Germany-based Gambian migration and human rights activist Yahya Sonko tells The Fatu Network.
“The situation of Gambians in Germany and other EU countries is very frustrating. As I am speaking with you, many Gambians are picked from their work, arrested and detained, waiting for their deportation date, which is the 20th of June.
“Also, many Gambians currently, [are] leaving their addresses, running away and not sleeping in their houses just to escape from deportation.
“So, the Gambians in Italy, Germany and other EU countries are very frustrated with regards to the trend of deportation happening right now,” Mr Sonko said.
The last deportation flight sent to The Gambia was on May 24, and the latest from EU countries is set to arrive in Banjul on June 20, carrying thirty-five (35) Gambians.
“So, basically, this is the situation of Gambian migrants currently. We continue to call on the Gambia government to look into this matter [because] the EU is saying that they are relying on the so-called agreement they signed with the Gambia government; that is the good practice document they signed in 2018.
“All these EU states are entirely relying on that document to continue deporting Gambians in large numbers. If the deportation trend continues like this, Adama Barrow’s government will break the record [of receiving more Gambian deportees from EU states than the previous government].
The Germany-based Gambian migration activist said if the current trend of deportation of Gambians continues, and Gambia continues to receive fifty (50) deportees from the EU monthly, the Barrow government will end up receiving the highest number of deportees from the EU since the Second Republic.
“This is not good for our country, and politically it is not even good for President Barrow’s government. It is not good for our economy, [and] it is not good for our people, especially the parents who depend entirely on their sons and daughters living in Italy, Germany and other countries.”
Sonko further expressed sadness and disappointment over how Gambians are treated during the deportation process.
“Most of the deportees complained, and [continue to complain] even now. My last visit to the deportation prison was on Thursday, and Gambians who are currently detained there and those who are already deported and are in the Gambia currently have all complained about how the German police brutalised them during the process of deporting them.
“Most of them go home with injuries because of the way and manner the German police brutalised them during the process of arresting, detaining, and deporting them.
“We are calling on the Gambia Human Rights Commission to investigate this matter, call these victims (deportees) into its office and collaborate with them to investigate this human treatment of Gambians migrants in Europe”.
