By: Nyima Sillah
Family members of the two Foni natives, who were arrested and detained by the Senegalese security almost three months ago, have appealed for the interventions of the Gambia government and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for the immediate release of their loved ones.
Keluntang Sanyang popularly referred to as Kangonand Musa Sanyang were arrested by the Senegalese military on 23 September 2023, near the Gambia/Senegal border and they have not returned home since.
The wife of Keluntang Sanyang, Borry Jarju, told The Voice that her husband’s arrest and continued detention have been devastating for the family as she has been grappling with numerous challenges in looking after the family in his absence.
“He was the breadwinner of the family. Whenever he sells his cashew nuts, he uses that money to buy bags of rice and store them for the family. We have been using that rice since his arrest but the rice is finishednow and we are currently depending on the maize he cultivated on his farm, which is not much and we don’t have anyone to help us,” she explained.
Keluntang’s son Kemo Sanyang lamented that since the arrest of his father, the family neither had assistance from the government nor any agency. This situation, he bemoaned, had made life very tough for them.
“His arrest traumatizes me because thinking of his age and the condition there and the cold season is unbearable. We are so concerned about his health condition because he is supposed to undergo surgery on January 5th and we want the Government and the National Human Rights Commission to be involved and help in the release of my dad because the surgery is very important to his health,” he said in an interview with The Voice.
The NAM for Foni Bintang Bakary Y. Badgieexpressed frustration that he could not do much aboutthe arrest of his constituents.
“Being an opposition is not easy. Even if we are right, even if your people are suppressed, the government will be less concerned because they will think that you and your people are opposition, and no matter how you try, they will not understand the situation,” he stated.
When contacted by this reporter, one of the officials ofthe Senegalo-Gambia Association advised us to send the ID cards of the two individuals to the association and when we did, he reached out to us the next day to say he had no response from his team, regarding the issue.
