By: Dawda Baldeh
The opposition Gambia Action Party (GAP) leader, Musa Ousainou Yali Batchilly, has called for the condemnation of the massive deportation of asylum seekers from the United Kingdom to Rwanda.
GAP described the deportation as an injustice and a violation of asylum seekers’ rights.
Asylum seekers are believed to flee their home countries in search of safety and protection from persecution, violence, and oppression.
A few weeks ago, the United Kingdom government’s controversial bill that seeks to send asylum seekers to Rwanda secured approval from the upper house of parliament and has come into effect.
Reacting to this development, Batchilly said: “To forcibly remove them from the safety and security they seek, and to send them back to potentially life-threatening situations, is a violation of their fundamental human rights.
It is hypocritical for the UK, a country built on immigration and the contributions of immigrants, to engage in such callous and heartless actions.”
Batchilly stressed that many British citizens have ancestors who were once foreigners in other countries, seeking refuge and opportunity.
However, he asserted that these individuals are never subjected to the same treatment of deportation.
He called it double standards and hypocrisy inherent in the deportation of asylum seekers are glaring and unacceptable.
“The decision by the Rwandan president to accept these deportees is deeply troubling,” he added.
The Gambian opposition leader said President Paul Kagame’s government has a moral obligation to protect the rights and well-being of all individuals within its borders, including asylum seekers and refugees.
He added: “By agreeing to accept deportees from the UK, President Kagame is complicit in the violation of their rights and in perpetuating their suffering.
We call on President Kagame to reconsider his decision and to uphold Rwanda’s commitment to human rights and dignity.”
Batchilly argued that Rwanda should offer protection and support to asylum seekers, ensuring that they are treated with the compassion and respect they deserve.
Furthermore, he urged the international community to speak out against the deportation of asylum seekers and to hold both the UK and Rwanda accountable for their actions.
“We must stand in solidarity with those who seek refuge and asylum, and we must work together to create a world where no one is forced to live in fear or uncertainty.
In the face of injustice and oppression, we must never remain silent,” he noted.
Batchilly reiterated that people must raise their voices and demand justice, equality, and compassion for all.
“Anything less would be a betrayal of our shared humanity,” he concluded.
