By: Nyima Sillah
Germany-based migration and human rights activist, Yahya Sonko has accused President Adama Barrow’s government of “terribly” lacking in migration governance.
Mr. Sonko came up with the scathing accusation during an interview granted to The Voice on Wednesday.
According to him since 2017, thousands of young Gambians have continued to use the dangerous irregular routes to Europe in search of basic human needs like skills, jobs, and education, adding many survivors. Still, many lost their lives in the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea.
Sonko pointed out that In July 2023 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the Ministry of Interior organized a press conference in which the MoFA Minister Momodou Tangara stated that the cabinet had met over the matter. The government would soon negotiate with the Federal Republic of Germany bilaterally to explore the new law on residence permits that came into effect on 1st January 2023.
“This never happened and the government continues as usual to inform the citizens about things they would never do,” Mr. Sonkotold The Voice.
Reflecting on the same press conference, Sonkostated that Minister Tagara mentioned a bid to create opportunities or regular pathways for Gambians to travel to Europe, saying the government was currently working on signing two bilateral labor agreements with the Kingdom of Spain and Italy that would allow Gambians to travel regularly to Europe seasonally for employment which never materialized.
“The Gambia government needs to be very serious with migration governance,” he stated.
Sonko contended that in 2023, The Gambia government cooperated in readmission more than any other sub-Saharan African country through the good Practice agreement between the Barrow Government and the EU.
“I am reliably informed that 2024 will even be worse than last year regarding deportations. My sources from the EU informed me that, the EU commission would push the Gambia government to cooperate even more in 2024. My sources went further to tell me that at the level of the European Commission, they look at the numbers of undocumented Gambian immigrants within the EU,” Sonko disclosed.
The migration activist further stated that more than 20,000 undocumented Gambian immigrants are currently living in the EU, saying the European Union wants all of them to leave the EU territory.