By: Nyima Sillah
Musa Camara, Directorate of Diaspora and Migration Unit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed receipt of a letter from the Gambia mission in Doha explaining Gambian migrants who want to return to the Gambia.
Musa Camara, the director of the unit told The Voice his office received a letter from the mission in Doha dated 15th December 2023 and the subject is the case of Gambian nationals who are pleading and have the desire to come back to the Gambia.
“Most of these migrants travelled without doing enquiry. They did not even come to our office to seek for advice or from the embassy and most of them went through fraudulent visas without verification, and that issued such visas have no existing contract,” he revealed.
He disclosed that when the world cup was coming, Qatar opened up, especially to labourers including Gambians most of them are skilled laborer’s.
The challenge they are now facing, Mr Camara added is that the world cup has ended and the contract of these companies have also expired which also led to the seizure of these Gambian laborer’s in Qatar.
“Normally migrants in Qatar are only allowed to undertake employment based on their visas. Upon arrival doing a different job contravenes the labour laws of Qatar. As a result, some of the Gambian migrants claimed not having anywhere to stay or no food to eat because of lack of employment.”
According to him, the number of Gambian migrants that were recorded by the mission in Doha that is to repatriate was 19 as of the 15th of December but has now increased to 30.
“The embassy engages the Qatari Authorities to support evacuating them. Thus, the signal is positive but not yet confirmed,” he said.
However, he added they are waiting for updates from the embassy and from there, they will know what is possible. “If all of them are not repatriated by the Qatari Authorities, then the government will take care of the rest,” Camara promised