By Omar Bah
Fatou Beyai, a native of Younna village, West Coast Region, has threatened to take her life if her son who is an undocumented migrant in Germany is deported.
Speaking to The Standard yesterday, Beyai in her fifties, said she sold all her belongings, including the compound she inherited from her mother to pay for her son’s trip to Europe.
“I sold everything that I have to pay for his trip to Europe in the hope that he would one day acquire a decent job to support the family. If his dreams are shattered I swear to God I will commit suicide…because I would have nothing to live for in this world again,” she lamented.
Beyai said she spent over D300,000 on her son’s trip out of which amount at least D100,000 was a loan she contracted.
“I did everything humanly possible to ensure that my son reaches Europe. I have been jailed on several occasions due to loans I took just to ensure my son reach his destination. It is disheartening after all these efforts to be told that your son is going to be deported,” she added.
“He is the only hope I have right now to repay some of my debts because I have sold everything, even some of my expensive clothes,” she added, as tears fell down her chest in agony.
She pleaded with the Coalition government to stand firm against the Germans and reject the deportation of Gambian migrants.
She said the West had tried on several occasions to put former President Jammeh under pressure to accept the deportation of Gambians, “but he refused, because he was aware of the consequences…he was not just prepared to allow Gambia to be colonised again.”
“I am a diehard UDP supporter and still support the party. And I have to say I do not regret the fact that Jammeh was defeated… but I will admit that I am beginning to regret why I voted for the Coalition,” she said.
She said it would be “disappointing” if the government were to allow Germany to start deporting Gambians.
Madam Beyai said: “I will love President Barrow to clearly tell us whether he has signed for the deportation of our sons or not… We should know and we deserve to know,” she demanded.
Meanwhile, The Gambia government has stated that it has not signed any deportation agreement with Germany.
