By Momodou Torp
After protracted talks aimed at resolving the non-implementation of the inter-state transport agreement between them and Senegal, The Gambia Transport Union has declared that it is totally committed to wait until the much talked-about March 15 deadline for the implementation of the agreement under which Senegalese union will allow Gambian vehicles to take passengers and goods into their country.
Essa Drammeh, the secretary general of the GTU made these remarks while addressing journalists recently.
He noted that the implementation date set for 15th March cannot be changed despite the fact that the Senegalese Transport minister could not come to Banjul for a meeting regarding the implementation.
The minister was supposed to visit Banjul to finalise and formally launch the agreement for its implementation by March 15 but he is reportedly held back in Dakar attending emergency meetings after the country was hit by the coronavirus. “For the moment we will have to wait until the 15th” Drammeh assured, adding that he did not expect anything to change the implementation deadline.
The two unions were locked in heated dispute after Senegalese operators unilaterally refused to allow Gambian buses and other vehicles to carry passengers across the border into Senegal. The Gambian unionists threatened to retaliate but were stopped by the government who sent a team to Dakar, leading to negotiation expected to be completed with the implementation of the agreement on March 15.
