By: Mariama Njie
At least 51 Gambians including 15 students have put forward their names to be repatriated to The Gambia due to hardship they are facing in UAE due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Muhammed Kambi the secretary general of the Gambian Association in UAE said on Sunday that 51 people including about 15 students have expressed interest in being repatriated back to The Gambia.
“We have engaged the embassy in Dubai on the repatriation of Gambians. The Minister of Foreign Affairs has actually responded but his response is not well appreciated,” Kambi said.
“His response was that Gambians are stuck in all parts of the world and if they start in one country, they will have to do it everywhere else too. But situations sometimes that look similar can also be different. Dubai is a different place and expensive,” he added.
Another Gambian in Dubai told The Voice that: “We are suffering here. There are some who have not worked for the past four months and they cannot even afford to pay their house bills, rent and food. We need help from the government.”
Among the Gambians who want to return home are those that travelled to Dubai on business trips.
The Foreign Ministry reacting to claims of Gambians suffering in UAE said the government is concerned about the plight of Gambians abroad.
“With regards to these people in UAE, government doesn’t have the required resources as at now to evacuate them,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saikou Ceesay said.
He added: “These are not the only Gambians stranded abroad. There are Gambians in Qatar, Senegal, Mali, UK, Libya, and in almost all parts of the world who want to come home.
“Even countries that have bigger resources than The Gambia are not able to evacuate all their citizens abroad.
“With regards to citizens abroad, the government through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is very much concerned about the plight of its citizens abroad. It’s one of its top priorities.”