By Tabora Bojang
Lawmakers yesterday debated on the plight of the stateless individuals residing in Ghana Town, Brufut who they lamented continue to live in uncertainty and long standing violations of their fundamental rights and privileges as members of the society.
“Born and raised in The Gambia, they have contributed to our nation’s growth and development, yet their status remains unresolved, ” Member for Sabach Sanjal Babou Ceesay said in his motion- matter of the day.
“I urge the relevant authorities to regularise the status of individuals born and raised in Ghana Town, by granting them Gambian nationality,” Ceesay said.
He cited an assessment conducted by the Gambia Commission for Refugees (GCR), Gambia Food and Nutrition Association (GAFNA), and UNHCR Senegal Multi-country Office (Senegal MCO), which found that 87 percent of Ghana Town residents do not possess any documents from other countries, which further exacerbates their vulnerability to statelessness and limited access to international recognition.
The Sabach Sanjal NAM reported that 98.9 percent of Ghana Town residents consider Gambia as their home reflecting a strong national identity despite the complexities surrounding their legal status.
“I move that this Assembly takes urgent action to address this injustice and ensure that these individuals are granted the protection and recognition they deserve. Let us uphold the principles of humanity, dignity and inclusivity that our nation stands for. Let us defend the rights of these stateless individuals and provide them with a pathway to citizenship,” he told his colleagues.
Several other lawmakers supported the motion,
Member for Upper Saloum, Alagie Mbow said despite the gaps in Gambian laws, the government could simply recognise the status of Ghana Town residents by relying on several international conventions which Gambia is a signatory to including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the 1989 Convention on the Rights and Welfare of the Child and Pan- African Parliament Model law on the Right to Nationality and the Eradication of Statelessness.
Member for Foni Berefet, Amie Colley, explained that Ghana Town has been in existence since the 1960s and its settlers have been contributing significantly to the socio-economic development of The Gambia. “There is no reason these people should stay in our country with no access to national documents. They should be having national documents because they are serving this nation as nurses, teachers and fishermen,” Colley said.
Gibbi Mballow of Fulladou averred that citizenship is a right and not a privilege. He criticised unnamed politicians for politicising the plight of Ghana Town residents for selfish gains while calling on the Assembly to pass a resolution for the government to address the legal gaps that continue to render Ghana Town residents stateless.
Member for Latrikunda Yaya Sanyang argued that the plight of Ghana Town residents is a serious indictment on the government of The Gambia for failing to uphold the international protocols to prevent statelessness. He alleged that the government only gave documents to Ghana Town residents for election purposes to enable them to vote for the incumbent, adding that even those documents issued to them during the Jammeh-era were revoked by the Barrow government.
Almameh Gibba, Member for Foni Kansala blamed both the executive and legislature for failing to repeal discriminatory nationality laws.
