By Sirrah Touray
Several natives of Jinack have reported the presence of hundreds of suspected migrants mainly foreign nationals still camped in the communities and nearby bushes waiting to take on boats to the Canary Islands.
In the past few days it has been reported that a boat carrying about 197 migrants which departed from Jinack on November 17 is believed to have sank in the sea with no survivors. The boat is reported have been carrying more than 45 women and children. Some relatives of the supposed victims posted their pictures on social media sending chilling waves to a community now united by sorrow, fear and hopelessness with the whereabouts of another boat that reportedly left on December 5 carrying hundreds of people still unknown.
Over the weekend, the Gambia government issued a statement expressing concern over news of the reported missing vessel adding that relevant authorities and partner agencies are actively working to verify and ascertain the facts about the vessel and those on board. “We share the profound anxiety of the affected families and assure them and the public that all available resources are being engaged in this effort,” the statement added.
The opposition UDP also issued a statement expressing condolences to the bereaved families of Jinack including two of its members Lamin Manneh and Pa Manneh of Jinack who are said to have lost close relatives. The UDP urged the government to declare a state of emergency on irregular migration and take urgent measures to prevent dangerous journeys, combat trafficking networks, address youth unemployment, and strengthen regional and maritime safety cooperation.
In the wake of these tragedies, there have been mounting concerns in the Jinack village of Kajatta where hundreds of migrants are still camped awaiting departures. According to sources, some of these migrants are camped in lodges and homes and others under the root of mangrove trees in lakes and nearby bushes where they sleep in tents.
Some of the villagers expressed worries that they cannot drive away these migrants since they outnumbered the villagers who feared the issue could go out of hand if they attempted to remove them forcibly without backing by the police and immigration officers. The issue is exacerbated by the long standing and widely respected myth that police officers don’t step foot in Jinack when in uniform.This has prevented the security officers from cracking down on these migrants since they fear there could be immense repercussions.
It has also been rumoured that several natives of Jinack including some VDC members are participants in the scheme by giving lodges to the migrants, serving as agents for the boat organisers and making collections on their behalf.
The alkalo, (head of the village) of Jinack Kajatta, Mamadou Nkorr Manneh who has long been concerned about how his village is turning into a migrant camp, has reportedly given an order for all migrants camped in his village to leave with immediate effect. According to InsideGambia, Alkalo Manneh has strongly emphasised that his village will not be used as a transit or embarkation point for irregular migration. However it remains unclear what mechanism the Alkalo and his men will deploy to remove the migrants since some of the villagers are reportedly conflicted in the arrangement and may not partake in the process of removing them.
