This week’s bilateral meeting between the governments of Senegal and The Gambia in Senegal marks a significant step forward in resolving the longstanding border issues between the two nations. In an interview on Peter Gomez’s Coffee-Time show on West Coast Radio on July 30, 2024, Mr Yankuba Darboe, the Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), highlighted the unprecedented progress achieved during these discussions. This development is particularly remarkable given the historical context. Since the dissolution of the Senegambia Confederation in the late 1980s, which aimed to federate the two states, relations between Senegal and The Gambia have been strained. The disbandment led to a rigid trade embargo imposed by Senegal on Gambian land borders, a situation that persisted despite numerous attempts by previous Gambian governments to negotiate relief.
From 1989 to 1994, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government under late President Sir Dawda Jawara was unable to even secure a meeting with Senegalese counterparts to address the embargo. In my newly published book, “Testimony of A Retired Military Officer and Diplomat,” I discuss this enduring issue in depth, expressing skepticism that it would ever be resolved. During the presidency of former President Yahya Jammeh and his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party, various efforts were made, including numerous meetings, border closures, and the involvement of international organisations such as Ecowas. Despite these efforts, the embargo remained firmly in place, further tightening the economic noose around The Gambia. The Jammeh administration, throughout its 22 years in power, failed to persuade three successive Senegalese Presidents—Abdou Diouf, Abdoulie Wade, and Macky Sall—to address this critical issue. This persistent deadlock was particularly perplexing given the fact that hundreds of thousands of Senegalese citizens have made The Gambia their permanent home and place of business. The recent progress, therefore, represents a breakthrough, offering a glimmer of hope for improved relations and economic conditions between the two countries.
When President Barrow ascended to the presidency of The Gambia in 2017, with notable support from President Macky Sall of Senegal, there was widespread hope that the decades-long embargo would finally come to an end. President Sall played a crucial role in ensuring that President Barrow’s inauguration, traditionally held in The Gambia, was not delayed by the infamous 2017 impasse, arranging for the ceremony to take place at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal. This gesture, along with their shared Fulla ethnic background, initially suggested a new era of cooperation, with some interpreting it as a sign of renewed efforts to revisit and restore the failed confederation, potentially paving the way for a federation. However, despite these optimistic beginnings, little changed. Throughout his tenure, President Sall not only maintained but tightened the border embargo, showing little genuine enthusiasm for altering the status quo. In contrast, the election of President Diomaye Faye of Senegal’s African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (PASTEF) party three months ago has shown promising developments. According to Commissioner General Yankuba Darboe’s Coffee-Time West Coast morning radio show revelations, this first bilateral meeting between the governments of Senegal and The Gambia, held in Senegal from July 24th to 27th, achieved remarkable progress. The two governments agreed to ease nearly all border restrictions imposed by Senegal on The Gambia since 1989. This includes freer cross-border trade and traders, transparent escorting of goods across their shared borders, and extending the laissez-passer time limit for Gambians conducting business in Senegal from 10 days to one month, with the possibility of renewal in Dakar, eliminating the need to return to The Gambia for mere renewal as had been the case for four decades. Commissioner Director Yankuba Darboe further mentioned the new negotiating team selected by Senegal, led by Dr. Mbye Ndiaye, whose manifested commitment to ensuring the implementation of the bilateral protocols was reassuring. It appears that the long-awaited resolution to the irreconcilable border differences between Senegal and The Gambia is finally within reach, thanks to President Diomaye Faye, Senegal’s PASTEF President and certainly Gambia’s National People’s Party (NPP) President, Adama Barrow.
This major problem, which eluded five former presidents of both countries, as well as the efforts of the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU) (formerly the Organization of African Unity, OAU), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), now seems achievable by President Barrow and President Faye within the first three months of the latter’s election as head of state of Senegal. So the question arises: Was it the insincerity, incompetence or backwardness of past leaders of the two countries that prevented them from recognizing the need to reinforce their cultural, geographical, economic, and political ties for mutual benefit? Or was it a colonial or neocolonial indoctrination designed to keep the two countries and their people apart rather than unite them? The PASTEF party of Senegal has consistently advocated for African governments to prioritize African interests over foreign interests, in contrast to the orientation of past rulers since the post-colonial era.
