This latest border closure which lasted for one week came barely four days after Senegalese transport union ended a four-month closure.
“I can confirm to you with 100 percent certainty that the borders have been reopened,” Mr Ousman Drammeh, president of the Gambia Transport Union told The Standard.
However, it remains unclear to the union leader what triggered the reopening. No official explanation was given by Gambian authorities for either the closure or the reopening of the border last week.
“We just saw them [Gambian border security] lift the barrier and vehicles started going in and out. There are no strange conditions. You just pay your pass and go about your business. I am yet to understand why it was closed or opened though.”
Senegalese transporters from the north pass through The Gambia, sandwiched in Senegal, to connect with the restive south.
Border standoffs have become recurrent between the two countries, often instigated by the Senegalese transporters.
“These are things that are not supposed to happen,” says Mr Drammeh. “There are inter-ministerial bodies and a joint border committee between the two countries to amiably address issues like that.”
Officials of The Gambia government were not available for immediate comment on the latest development.
By Saikou Jammeh
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