By Omar Bah
Residents of Mandinary Darusalam have appealed for government to stop the planned eviction and demolition of over one thousand households in the village.
The affected households are reportedly occupied by more than 20,000 people. The planned eviction followed a notice by the Sheriff Division.
According to the eviction letter seen by The Standard, the land on which their house are located is adjudged to be owned by one Seringne Baboucarr Jobe and that occupants are warned to vacate the said property on or before Friday, 13 September failure of which will lead to forceful eviction.
In response to the Sherif Division letter, the community Saturday organised a press conference to call on the government to intervene and stop the eviction.
“We urge the relevant authorities to find alternative solutions and explore all possible avenues to amicably resolve this matter for the sake of peace and humanity. We are convinced that the relevant authorities will listen to our concerns for the common interest of the communities that are threatened by this adverse notice,” Ebrima Sillah, a community spokesperson told journalists.
He said if the eviction is implemented as planned, it would displace more than 20,000 people who would be rendered homeless.
“All these households were provided with all the necessary documents from the Department of Physical Planning and the Alkalo of the village and have been regularly paying rates and taxes in the process of acquiring occupancy and title deeds,” Sallah said.
He said it would be illogical to deprive these families of their life investments, adding that the community is open to negotiating the matter to avoid any unforeseen issues.
“We are committed to ensuring that the issue is addressed amicably,” he said.
