By: Nyima Sillah
Migration and human rights activist Yaya Sonko said 50 Gambian migrants will be ejected from the Federal Territory of Germany this month and other remainingmonths of 2023.
According to Mr. Sonko, 140 Gambians have beenremoved from Germany in the first seven months of 2023, adding that more deportations are in the pipeline.
He explained to The Voice that 650 Gambians were forcefully returned from Germany from 2017 to 2022.
The Baden-Wurttemberg-based migration and human rights activist said 200 Gambians will be forced to leave Germany in the next four months.
He pointed out that there were 1,371 forced returns from Germany to Africa in 2022 with Gambia accounting for 154.
“It was similar in previous years. This means that with almost 350 planned forced returns to The Gambia from Germany alone, the smallest African country (and young democracy) will be the one cooperating the most with Germany,” Sonko stated.
He argued that the EU’s perception of the Gambia government as regards deportations is that Banjul is cooperating because of the EU’s strict visa sanctionsregime against countries deemed uncooperative in taking back their nationals.
“This makes it likely that these sanctions will remain in place for many years,” Sonko contended.
“At the end of June 2022, there were 5,100 Gambians only in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg with no right to stay. This is not a good situation for Gambians in Germany, their relatives in The Gambia, and for the government in Banjul,” he added.
Sonko disclosed that Germany received 316 new asylum applications from Gambians in the first seven months of 2023. This, he went on, marked an increase in asylum applications as compared with the previous year. He explained that 45 Gambians applied for asylum in Germany on average each month of 2023; an increase from the 38 persons each month in 2021. He said on average 28 Gambians had applied for asylum each month in 2022.
“If this continues until the end of the year, there might be 540 new asylum applications by Gambians this year only in Germany. Still more than the number of 340 deportations. If both The Gambia and the European Union did not look for balanced cooperation, this would continue to be a lose-lose situation… loss for Gambians in Germany, loss of The Gambia and loss for Germany.”