The Gambia government has appointed a new liaison officer in Libya who will offer services to a growing number of its citizens in the north African country.
Edrisa Sarjo, who has spent over two decades voluntarily helping migrants in volatile situations, confirmed his appointment to The Standard which took effect in September last year.
He will be working directly under The Gambia’s embassy in Morocco.
Speaking to The Standard, Mr Sarjo said even as a volunteer, his work with migrants was always fraught with challenges.
“For a start, there are at least 18,000 Gambians in Libya. That alone is a huge challenge because not everyone is safe and sound; some are not well, some are in detention centres, some are underage while others accommodated in homes,” he said.
Working with the International Organisation for Migration, Mr Sarjo has been a key member of the team to help in identifying and registering Gambians in tough conditions for humanitarian returns.
“Just to make things clear, the Gambia government doesn’t deport anybody from Libya. In fact, no one gets deported. What we do is to reach out migrants who are stranded and ask if they would want to voluntarily return. Some would yes, others would say no. once we identify and register them, then we take this list to the IOM office which would fund a chartered flight to return them. IOM has been doing an incredible job in Libya and I believe without them, this work would have been impossible,” he added.
Mr Sarjo’s appointment followed a government fact-finding mission in Libya, which assessed the conditions of migrants in the country.
“My appointment is a testament that the government is willing to protect its citizens in Libya and I can assure Gambians that we will do our best to help their loved ones,” he noted.
Sarjo’s work will include coordinating diplomatic and consular matters of Gambians in Libya.
Edrisa Sarjo has a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in international law, diplomatic relations and consular affairs. He has also undergone numerous trainings on assisting migrants. He speaks English, Arabic and French.
Libya has become a transit point for Europe-bound migrants for the past decade and the security situation in the region continues to endanger their safety.
