By Tabora Bojang
A joint select committee of the National Assembly will examine the causes of the ongoing border tensions between The Gambia and Senegal.
The joint committee comprises members from the Foreign Affairs; Defence and Security; and Regional Government and Lands committees.
The committee will provide a comprehensive and independent inquiry into the matter by engaging relevant ministries of the Interior, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Lands and communities along the borders to have first-hand information on the causes of the crisis and provide recommendations on decisive actions government should take to restore calm and enhance the security and integrity of national borders. The members will also assess the government’s position and messaging on the crisis and weigh if ongoing diplomatic engagements are progressing to avert further tension.
The committee is expected to commence work on 3rd August and will be co-chaired by the heads of the various committees involved.
The crisis flared up on 16th July after Senegalese soldiers used heavy machinery to demolish about 200 metres of the Bulock military fence after claiming the section falls within Senegalese territory. The Gambia government condemned the act as provocative, unacceptable, and arbitrary.
Since, diplomatic talks have been ongoing between the two countries with Gambian Foreign Minister Serign Modou Njie visiting Senegal last week.
But despite diplomatic efforts several Gambian communities along the border in Lower, Upper Fulladu and Jarra West have been reportedly ordered to vacate ancestral farmlands because they are allegedly in Senegal.
A purported vacating order was circulating online yesterday from the Senegalese gendarmerie ordering about 20 farmers in Missira, Jarra to vacate their farmlands.
Jarra West parliamentarian Alieu Baldeh told The Standard yesterday he was unaware of the vacating order. However, he confirmed that in the past two years there have been disputes between Missira residents and the Senegalese after they claimed the police station built by Senegal falls part of Gambian territory. He said the Gambian and Senegalese authorities have been informed about that dispute at the level of the permanent secretariat and engagements were made to resolve the dispute.