By Yusupha Jobe
The Director of planning at the Ministry of Transport, works and infrastructure has acknowledged that his ministry over the week wrote to Senegalese transport authority informing them to act to resolve recent denial of Gambian buses into Senegal by their trade union.
Enssa Drammeh, in an interview with The Voice said the ministry of transport was well informed of the recent rejection of buses into Senegal belonging to the Gambia transport service cooperation GTSC at Karang border in Senegal.
“Yes, the Senegalese transport union has insisted to allow the entry of Gambian buses into Senegal but that is normal even in the Gambia the Government will say this and the transport union say otherwise. But for what happens to the border we have formally written to the Senegalese ministry of transport through the ministry of foreign affairs informing them of what has transpired and the need for them to act to resolve the matter.”
“And as far as we are concern, we are on track, we are going to exhaust all diplomatic means as a ministry because we have already written a letter to Senegalese transport authority since last week concerning our buses being denied entry into Senegal. So right now, we are just waiting for the reply of our letter from the site of the Senegalese transport authority,” he said.
He added that the Amdalai, Karang, Dakar cross border corridor as among one of the border access routes to Senegal is not the only mean to get into Senegal stating which other cross borders can be tested to enter into Senegal such as like the Farafenni and Kerr Ayoub cross border entry.
“The Amdalai, Karang and Dakar transport border access is not the only cross border entry to Senegal as 5 cross border corridors of two countries are enshrined in road transportation agreement signed by the two countries. So, we can test and see if other cross border corridor like the Farafenni and Kerr Ayoub can use as the Karang transport union cross border still insists,” he said.
The Gambia and Senegal in 2018 signed the inter-state road transportation agreement license which outlined that vehicles holding such license are exempted from financial duties in visited state except on municipal terminals.
