By: Kebba Ansu Manneh
Fresh allegations of local complicity have emerged in The Gambia’s escalating irregular migration crisis, with the Village Development Committee (VDC) of Jinack Kajatta and its chairman, Amadou Manneh, accused of aiding migrant smugglers. The claims come as communities reel from the presumed capsizing of a boat carrying over 190 people, including more than 90 locals, and amid fears for another vessel that departed on December 5, 2025.
Multiple sources have informed The Alkamba Times that smugglers allegedly paid D100,000 to the Jinack Kajatta VDC for each boat departing the village. Similar offers were reportedly made to the neighboring Jinack Niggi VDC but were rejected, preventing departures from their area.
Amadou Manneh, who owns Jinack Lodge, is specifically accused of providing accommodation to agents and organizers at his lodge and family compound, facilitating the staging of migrants before their perilous Atlantic journeys.
These allegations gained traction following a high-level security meeting on December 16, 2025, at Chief George Sonko’s residence in Essau. Leaked audio recordings obtained by TAT capture senior officers from the Gambia Police Force, the Gambia Immigration Department, and the State Intelligence Agency issuing stern warnings to Jinack community leaders.
Security chiefs reportedly stressed that no irregular migrants should be allowed to lodge in compounds, lodges, or bushes on the island. They vowed not to “sit on their laurels” and threatened to “storm Jinack” if activities persisted, even at personal risk.
In response, community leaders—including the Imam of Kajatta, VDC members, and representatives of the Alkalo—accepted responsibility for failing to curb the movements. They pledged to make every effort to halt irregular migration in their areas.
Manneh has vehemently denied the accusations, calling them “totally false, misleading, and a smear campaign” aimed at tarnishing his and the VDC’s reputation.
He insisted that neither he nor the VDC has any involvement in irregular migration. “The Kajatta VDC has never received a single butut from any agent or organizers of the backway journey,” Manneh stated.
Explaining shifts in departure points, he noted: “My lodge is on the same beach where a few boats departed, but activity stopped when the Gambia Navy intercepted a boat nearby. They stopped departures from that end and moved into the river and around the creek.”
Manneh highlighted regular immigration checks at his lodge, saying no migrants have ever been found there. He added that the facility lacks the capacity to host hundreds, accommodating only 20 guests.
He further disputed claims of payment for the capsized boat, asserting it did not depart from Jinack Kajatta but from creeks. Allegations of using his family home for migrant lodging were dismissed as baseless attempts to damage his reputation.
The controversy underscores growing tensions over irregular migration from Jinack, which has become a key launch point for the dangerous “backway” route to Europe’s Canary Islands. Recent reports confirm a November 17, 2025, boat from the area is presumed sunk with all aboard lost, while a December departure remains unaccounted for.
Authorities have intensified operations, including arrests of suspected agents in the region. Activists and locals call for greater accountability and investment in youth opportunities to stem the tide of desperate voyages claiming countless lives.
As investigations continue, the allegations against local leaders highlight the complex interplay of community dynamics, economic pressures, and enforcement challenges in one of West Africa’s most active migration hotspots.
