By Binta Jaiteh
The National Assembly members on regional and integration committee on Monday visited the Amdalai border station as the tour to various borders across the country kicks-off.
Speaking to the lawmakers, Sulayman Sawaneh, deputy manager of custom and exercise at Amdalai border post disclosed that incessant and constant harassment of traders and long delays resulting from the activities of the brigade has led to trade diversion.
He said the newly established commercial brigade located at Karang in Senegal is causing delay to both incoming and outgoing cargoes. He added that full truckloads screening and completely offloaded and subjected to conceivable errors in their baggage count or paperwork.
He noted that sometimes they divert and struggle for them to come into the country and despite several visits to them for discussions with their counterparts in Karang on the matter they still failed to deliver on their promises to regularize the matter.
According to him vehicles carrying transit bond goods from Banjul wharf to Senegal face unnecessary delays and spend long hours upon arrival at the border post.
He explained that there is a proliferation of checkpoints from Dakar all the way to Amdalai border which traders frequently complain about that “on their way out they are subjected to delays they are as well charge to pay between 1000 to 5000 CFA by the officers at some of this checkpoints before they will be allowed to proceed.”
He added that this always continues from Dakar up to where even transit vehicles are asked to illicitly pay up to 15000 CFA before they are cleaned to leave Senegalese territory.
The chairman of the committee, Honorable Muhammed Mahanerah, said the committee is set up in order to chuck out solutions of solving border challenges that’s why the committee would like to know exactly the problem in regard with transit issues in the border.