By Omar Bah
The Europe Branch of the Gambia Refugees Association has said The Gambia government is reluctant to accept the latest request from Germany to deport some Gambians who have failed in their asylum applications.
In a statement signed by its secretary Kalifa Suwareh and shared with The Standard, the group said: “We have confirmed from the director of Diaspora and Migration at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Musa Camara, that there is no deportation going on at the moment, despite the rumours being spread around on social media.
“According to Mr Camara, there is a request from Germany to deport a few Gambians whose asylum cases were rejected but The Gambia government has not yet accepted the request. He said they are trying to review the EU Good Practice document and enhance it to the benefit of both the EU and The Gambia. Camara urged Gambian asylum seekers to keep calm, focus on their work and avoid the misinformation going around on social media,” the group said.
The group said it has gathered information about “a particular group of individuals who are planning to organise a demonstration against deportation in The Gambia on Friday.
“We wish to clarify that the GRA Europe Branch is not organising any demonstration for now and is not part of the said planned demonstration. Our executives are working very hard to [initiate] dialogue, engage and make consultations with government officials who are responsible for migration and deportation issues, and hopefully, a meeting will be scheduled soon to discuss urgent matters. We, therefore, call on all our members and supporters not to be part of any demonstration in whatever form until further notice,” the group added.
