By: Nyima Sillah
The number of Gambians to be deported from the European Union next year will surpass last year’s record, Germany-based Gambian migration activist Yahya Sonko said.
According to Mr. Sonko, the EU is bracing up to set a new record next year in terms of the deportation of undocumented Gambians in its borders.
More than 400 Gambians were ejected from the federal territory of Germany this year alone.
Sonko said his prediction for more EU deportations in 2024 was underpinned by the Good Practice Agreement that The Gambia and the bloc signed. He pointed out that the agreement is not limited to this year alone.
“There might be more deportations in 2024 than in 2023. As far as the EU is concerned, this deportation trend will continue. Remember, there is a deportation agreement between the EU and The Gambia as well as the Good Practice Agreement, which will continue into the years to come,” Sonko said in a recent exclusive interview with The Voice.
He advised the Gambian authorities to seriously look into the issue of reintegration of deportees, adding that the government must be alive to the fact that readmission of citizens and reintegration must go side by side. “They should reintegrate them so that they will fit well into their society. So that they will go back peacefully to their societies and will not cause havoc to their societies or their families,” activist Sonko asserted.
He called on the government to revisit the “so-called” good practice document as he emphasized the need for a review of the document.
