Yahya Sonko, a Gambian migration activist based in Germany, has confirmed that 25 Gambian deportees will arrive in the Gambia on a chartered flight tomorrow, August 30, 2023.

“The current deportation trend between the European Union and the Gambia continues. It is officially confirmed that 30th of this month (August) another 25 Gambians will arrive in Gambia through a chartered deportation flight from Europe. Most of the deportees will be from Germany. This deportation trend is just the continuation of the deportation agreement between the European Union and the Gambia government,” he told Kerr Fatou on Tuesday.

Sonko, the Migration Activist, said that the EU gave the Gambia government two options in their deportation agreement.

“The options are per month, Gambia to receive one flight or two flights. If the government receives one flight means the EU will send 35 Gambians through a chartered deportation flight to Gambia or in a month, two flights each flight will be 25 Gambians. So these are the two options that the EU gave the Gambia government, of course, the Gambia government officially accepted these deportations because it is already happening exactly the way the EU proposed to the Gambia government

“The classical example is that the 30th of this August will be the second flight in August. On the 12th of August, there was a flight, and again 30th of August there will be another flight. So basically, what EU proposed to the Gambia government that’s what the Gambia government accepted and that’s how the deportation trend continues,” he said.

According to Yahya, this year alone, the European Union (EU) is planning to send nine deportation flights to Gambia. 

“The sad part of all of this is that the Gambia government continues to receive Gambian deportees in large numbers, but from 2017 to date, there has been no single effort from the side of the Gambia government to reintegrate these deportees back into their society or their communities. As I am speaking with you the deportees in Gambia officially registered their own organization,” he said.

He said the purpose of this organization is for the deportees to help themselves to come together as returnees and to help themselves to defeat all obstacles, more especially stigmatization within the society.

He said the organization would also help the deportees to be reintegrated back into society but also call on the Gambia government and institutions to sit with them and discuss with them the way forward about their reintegration back into society.

“I am calling on the Gambia government to consider this deportees. They are back in Gambia. Most of these deportees have skills. They came home with skills. Most of these deportees were professionally trained in Europe. They have vast knowledge of different skills,” he concluded.

By Buba Gagigo