By Omar Bah
UDP leader Ousainu Darboe has advised President Adama Barrow to urgently engage Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye to halt an escalating border dispute that threatens to displace farmers.
Speaking at a UDP rally in Kiang on Saturday, Darboe said he received credible reports that farmers who have already planted crops during the current rainy season are being ordered off their lands by Senegalese authorities. He warned that any delay, risks aggravating the situation and inflicting avoidable hardship on farming communities along the shared frontier.
Darboe added: “This must stop now. I call on President Diomaye Faye to instruct his people to stop entering Gambian farms and to suspend all evictions until after the rainy season, while a diplomatic solution is negotiated. The Gambia and Senegal are one people. Our citizens travel, trade, and worship across these borders every day. We cannot allow a border disagreement to unravel years of cooperation.”
He sharply criticised of President Barrow’s handling of the crisis, accusing him of a tardy response.
“If President Barrow could not travel to Dakar to meet President Diomaye Faye, he should have called him. This issue demanded immediate, direct leadership. Both governments have a duty to safeguard citizens who depend on agriculture for their survival,” Darboe said.
Urging both governments to pursue diplomacy as the only responsible path, Darboe stressed that protecting the livelihoods of farmers must be the top priority.