By: Binta Jaiteh
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA) on Mondayupdated the National Assembly Committee on Foreign Affairs on the killing of Gambian migrants in Germany and Egypt.During the engagement, the Permanent Secretary at theMinistry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lang Yarbo, told the committee that the news of the death of Isatou Corr inEgypt was a sad one for his Ministry.
According to PS Yarboe, MOFA immediately engaged the Egyptian authorities upon hearing of Isatou’sdemise. This, he went on, was done through the Egyptian embassy in Dakar. He added that the Gambia’s Liaison Office in Egypt has been working on establishing the cause of death.
“We met with the Egyptian ambassador and among the issues discussed is the importance of making sure that we get the full facts of what occurred,” said Mr. Yarbo.
He explained that The Gambia and its government “are much concerned with the welfare of our citizens.”
“And when life is involved in anything, it becomes a serious matter,” he added.
PS Yarboe told the House committee that the information that his ministry received was that the Egyptian government has passed a decree called Decree No. 3326, which affects those aliens illegally residing in the Arab nation. He further stated that this particular decree mandated the police to search, arrest and question aliens about residency issues and that Isatou was part of the migrants found without a permit to legally reside in Egypt.
He pointed out that the Egyptian government promised to do everything possible to address the matter, explaining that MOFA awaits the conclusion of the investigation into her death.
On the death of a Gambian migrant in Germany, PS Yarbo said: “We immediately summoned the German ambassador in The Gambia to the Ministry to explain the issue. Unfortunately, he was out of town but the next-most-senior officer at the mission appeared. We conveyed the concerns of the Ministry and the government and the need for an urgent and impartial investigation so that there will be accountability in the case.”
He informed the lawmakers that the government of Germany “is taking the case seriously” and that the German authorities were even contemplatingappointing a federal prosecutor for fairness to reign.
PS Yarboe expressed hope that a report on the case will be made available to the Gambian authorities in a fortnight.
