By Omar Bah
The chairman of the Bulock Youth Development Association, Sarjo Jarju, has strongly rejected claims by the Minister of Local Government and Lands, Hamat Bah, that the land where the Bulock military barracks fence was erected belongs to Senegal, insisting the territory is Gambian and backed by colonial boundary pillars.
In a statement shared with The Standard yesterday, Jarju said the minister’s statement at the National Assembly was “completely unacceptable to the people of Bulock”.
Jarju said Bulock’s claim was on “physical evidence” that has been in place for generations.
“The land is in Gambian territory, and the people of Bulock have lived, farmed and depended on this land for generations,” he stated.
“We have the colonial boundary pillars. These pillars have been there since many of us were children. We know where they are, and our community has lived with them for generations.”
He questioned the reliance on new technology to override history.
“How can newly identified coordinates suddenly override physical colonial boundary pillars that have existed for generations?”
According to Jarju, when the border commission visited Bulock, the community cooperated fully.
“Our community border taskforce accompanied the commission and showed them the existing colonial pillars on the ground.”
He said one of those pillars provides “critical evidence concerning the location of the historical boundary,” and that the people of Bulock believe Senegalese security forces entered Gambian territory and demolished the military camp at Bulock.
He also raised concerns about a second pillar “newly constructed and positioned near the Kafuta Forest” that looked different from older colonial markers.
“If the commission itself observed irregularities surrounding that pillar, then the people of Bulock deserve a clear and transparent explanation,” Jarju said.
“We cannot simply accept the use of a newly constructed pillar as the definitive basis for determining the historical border without a transparent explanation of when, by whom, under what authority, and using what historical records that pillar was established.”
The youth chairman said the dispute is about survival, not politics.
“This is not merely about a piece of empty land. This is about people’s homes, farms, cashew orchards, orange orchards, grazing areas and livelihoods,” he said.
“The land supports families. It helps parents pay school fees. It helps families meet hospital bills. It provides food and income. It supports livestock and agriculture. It is part of the economic survival of our community,” he lamented.
He appealed to President Adama Barrow and the National Assembly to ensure transparency on how the conclusion that the land belongs to Senegal was reached, historical evidence and original demarcation records to be made public, proper consultation with affected communities and an independent examination of all colonial boundary pillars and demarcation records.
“We want to know who established this conclusion? What historical documents were examined? Where are the original demarcation records? What happened to the colonial pillars? Why should the people of Bulock accept a determination that appears to contradict the physical evidence they have known all their lives?” Jarju questioned.
He said Bulock does not seek conflict with Senegal.
“We respect our neighbours in Senegal, and we do not seek conflict with anyone. But friendship and peaceful relations between two countries must never come at the expense of the territorial rights and livelihoods of innocent communities,” he averred.