Demba Hydara, a United States citizen and Ambassador for Pan African Council in West Africa has urged the US Embassy in The Gambia to be more proactive in addressing the plights of African-Americans living in the West African country. Hydara’s call came following complaints from some US African-American citizens that the American Embassy in Banjul has not been responding to their request.
“We know the United States cares about its citizens more than any country and the good thing is if you are a US citizen you can travel anywhere and your right will be protected and even in occasions where your right has been violated if you contact the US Embassy in that country you will receive the needed assistance. However, we have observed with utmost disappointment that the US Embassy has not been proactive in terms of responding to issues affecting US citizens living here,” Hydara told journalists.
Hydara, who is responsible for defending the rights of African-Americans in the US and West Africa, said things were a little bit better during the time of former Ambassador Patricia Alsup but now he has noticed that African-Americans are not getting the needed access and support from the Embassy.
“We have a lot of African-Americans influx because of the brutality they are facing in the US. I have received a lot of complaints from African-Americans about the Embassy and there is this guy who was recently arrested and reached out to the embassy but there was no response and he ended up getting sick but didn’t receive any support,” he said.
Hydara is also respected for his voluntary
is in King County for supporting homeless Africans, said the embassy should preoccupy itself with responding to the needs of its citizens.
“I would like to urge the US State Department to engage the embassy and address the issue. They can contact the US citizens here and ask if they doubt me. I also have a case where a US citizen tried to book an appointment with the ambassador and it took him three months and when he reached out to them, they said they forgot about him. That should not happen to a US citizen,” he said. Hydara said he has personally sent an email to the US Embassy to bring these issues to their attention to these issues but there was no response.
He urged the US States Department and the embassy to look into the welfare of black Americans.
“We were so elated when we heard that our sister was appointed as Ambassador to The Gambia but we feel disappointed that she did not do well,” she said.
Visa
Hydara said the US should understand that Gambia is a poor country.
“We are also concerned that in every 100 who apply for a visa, only 2 percent are granted. These applicants pay a lot of money to acquire a visa. I want the embassy to be transparent about the number of Gambians who applied last year and those who were granted. We cannot continue seeing our young people continue spending money on visa applications only to be rejected. That is unacceptable and stop now,” he said.
Hydara also urged the US president to increase his government’s support to The Gambia, especially in the area of youth empowerment. “They should invest in the areas of agriculture and entrepreneurship to support our young people so that they will stay and work here,” he said.