By: Nyima Sillah
Former members of the Alliance of Social Democrats (ASD) movement have accused politician Marie Sock of failing to fulfill her promise of providing them reintegration assistance despite months of engagement.
According to the group’s former Vice President, Nuha Kongira, their interactions with Sock began in 2024 after one of his close associates, who was in contact with another returnee, informed him that Sock had expressed interest in supporting returnees. He added that the associate said Sock had spoken to President Adama Barrow about their situation and claimed that the President was unaware that they had not received any reintegration funds.
“We met with Sock at her residence to share our stories. She appeared to be moved by our experiences and assured us of her willingness to support us, noting that her intervention would not be politically motivated. She told us that the government didn’t know about our suffering and promised to go as far as the President’s Office to help us get what was due to us,” Kongira explained.
He pointed out that among the promises made to them by Sock include access to farmlands during the rainy season to enable them to grow crops to sell as a means of self-support. He, however, claimed that the promise was never kept.
“Sock also said she was in contact with key presidential advisers, who were unaware of the returnees’ situation, giving the group renewed hope. We later went with her to Caritas at Westfield, where we took photos and she posted them on Facebook for fundraising purposes. We don’t know how much was raised or where the money went,” Kongira said. He continued: “I even told people that she had established a company for us because one of her associates in Europe once called us during our meeting and promised to send us some plumbing materials to start up a business. So, I relied on that and said she has already established a company for us out of trust, which wasn’t true. What hurts me the most is that I stood in front of the media and lied.”
Jerreh Saidy, a former member, recalled their meeting with Sock at Westfield Caritas, where she made promises.
“It sounded too good to be true. I even asked her to employ me as a security guard, but she refused. I later realized she was using us for political gains,” he said.
Chama Lie, also a former member from Banjul, who said he later distanced himself from the group, said he initially joined with expectations of financial support.
“I was very active because I believed there was money involved. I even confronted her about her promise to meet the President, but she never fulfilled anything. I realized it was all talk and didn’t want to be part of the foolishness anymore.”
Our interlocutors stated that they organized meetings at their own expense, supported her (Marie) political ambitions, and even publicly spoke on her behalf.
When contacted, Sock, who is the leader of the ASD movement, denied the accusations, stating that she didn’t make any promise to the returnees. She stated that rendering assistance is not compulsory, adding that she did so much for returnees, but they decided to level accusations against her.
The returnees say they now want to meet President Adama Barrow to vent their grievances and seek “genuine” support for their reintegration.
