By Amadou Jadama
The All Baddibu Association has issued a statement condemning the arrest and detention of Masanneh Cham, a community elder in Njaba Kunda who was arrested by the police in Farafenni.
The group also urged the police to always exercise neutrality when executing their duties.
According to the statement from the group, Mr Cham was among people who tried to stop the illegal felling of trees in the community forest when he was arrested.
“The All Baddibu Association is dismayed and concerned about the deplorable environmental destruction taking place in Baddibu through indiscriminate cutting of trees mainly by nomadic herdsmen from neighboring Senegal and illegal timber dealers,” the statement from the group said.
It said the recent clash between the communities in Njaba Kunda and illegal timber dealers threatened the peace and stability of the area. “This regrettable incident ensued when the alleged timber dealers were accused of cutting down about six mahogany trees in the surroundings of Njaba Kunda which did not go down well with some members of the community leading to some altercations,” the group said.
“We urge the government of the Gambia through its relevant institutions such as the National Environmental Agency, the Department of Forestry and the Gambia Police Force to activate all the legal instruments concerned with environmental protection to prevent any human activity that may cause environmental degradation in all the four districts in Baddibu. The preservation of our environment is our greatest concern,” the statement concluded.
