By: Kemo Kanyi
The community of Berending in the Kombo South District on Saturday pleaded with the government to lift the embargo on land they claimed to have legally owned after a court ruling.
The said area was a subject of dispute between Berending and the Darboe Kunda clan of Gunjur. According to the villagers, both the high and appeal courts ruled in 2013 and 2016, respectively that the area in question was owned by Kartong village and ceded to them [Kombo Berending] by the owners decades ago.
It could be recalled that a Gunjur native Buba Jammeh was shot dead by a Berending native Buba Drammeh in 2019 following a land dispute between Berending and the Sawo Kunda clan of Gunjur.
Abdoulie Sanyang, the Alkalo of Berending, said his village had engaged relevant authorities in a dialogue but that discussions did not yield any fruitful results, adding that they [villagers] are not informed about any decision of effectuating their land by the government.
Ousman Jammeh, the Public Relations Officer of the village, expanded that most of the village land is currently under embargo placed by the authorities.
“About 75% of the land area, belonging to Berending is under embargo and we were never informed about the implementation of the embargo. The authorities claimed that the restricted area is in dispute. They [authorities] wrote to us that they would demarcate a new boundary between us and the Darboe Kunda family. We are saying, ‘old border or no border’. Why would the government place an embargo on a historic and legally owned land?” PRO Jammeh emphasized in a press conference held at Kombo Berending on Saturday.
Ousman Jatta, Chairman of Berending VDC, and Mariatou Jatta, women representative, both urged and pleaded with the government to support their cause and rescue them from the situation they are currently faced with, adding that the situation is holding back the community’s development.
