The Mayors of Mbao and KMC have expressed their satisfaction over the just concluded Senegambia youth summer camp which was hosted at the Senegalese capital.
The young participants, who were drawn from different schools in Mbao and KMC, bid an emotional farewell last weekend as they end what many believe is the start of a Senegambia re-unification after the relationship between the two countries deteriorated during Jammeh’s era.
The camp ended in an emphatic fashion as the young participants could be seen crying as they hugged each to say goodbye after weeks of friendly interactions.
Speaking to The Standard after the closing ceremony which was attended by both Ministers of Youth & Sport, Mayor Abdoulaye Pouye said he was very delighted to host his Gambian friends for two weeks, “of course I am very happy because this is unique in the relationship between the two countries.”
He said the camp will also send a very powerful message to both presidents that unity is the only solution for the progress of both countries.
Pouye recalled that during the border closure he ignored his family’s warning that Gambia was not safe during the time, “I told them even if I was going to die in the Gambia, I will cross the border to Banjul to discuss with my Gambian counterparts on the way forward.”
He said it is out of that discussion that the borders were reopened.
Meanwhile, the Mayor of the Kanifing Municipal Council, Yankuba Colley said the outcome of the camp is both fascinating and reassuring for the future of the two countries.
“I have no doubt that if these young boys and girls grow up in the two countries, they can build a strong partnership that could finally end the differences that used to occur between the two countries over the years,” he added.
He recalled that what fascinated him the most was listening to the Gambian youths singing the Senegalese National Anthem, adding it was not easy to say goodbye to their Senegalese counterparts after two weeks of friendly interactions.
