By Alieu Ceesay
Entire villages along The Gambia’s southern border have been thrown into chaos and displacement as fierce fighting between Senegalese forces and Casamance rebels spills across the frontier, prompting a senior lawmaker to sound a dramatic alarm in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Hon. Almameh Gibba, National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, rose on a matter of urgent public importance, describing the situation as a grave threat to the peace, safety, and dignity of Gambian citizens.
“I rise today with a heavy heart,” Hon. Gibba told lawmakers. “Recent confrontations between the Senegalese Armed Forces and fighters of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), which erupted on March 12, have escalated into sustained clashes along the Casamance-Gambia border.”
The lawmaker named several villages in Foni Bintang Karani now largely abandoned: Jakine, Kayengha, Kamosorr, Batendeng Ajapineh, and Giffangha. Terrified residents have fled to safer areas, including Sibanor, Tampoto, and Kabaocorr, while others have moved deeper into Foni Kansala.
“These are not just statistics; these are our people,” Gibba said emotionally. “Families who have abandoned their homes, their farms, their animals, and their daily lives in search of safety.”
The crisis has brought normal life to a standstill. Schools along the border have been forced to close, and many families were unable to observe the recent Eid al-Fitr prayers because they were scattered, afraid, and displaced.
Reports of stray bullets crossing into Gambian territory have further heightened panic. In one incident in Sibanor, bullets struck a family compound and a woman’s garden, sending residents into deeper fear.
“As we speak, the situation remains dire. Bullets from the ongoing conflict are crossing into Gambian territory. This is unacceptable,” the lawmaker declared.
Hon. Gibba urged the government, particularly the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), to move swiftly with humanitarian assistance.
“This situation demands urgent and compassionate intervention,” he stressed, calling for the immediate delivery of food, shelter, and essential services to all internally displaced persons.
Invoking Section 213(1) of the 1997 Constitution, he reminded the Assembly of its responsibility to protect national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
He called on President Adama Barrow to urgently engage his Senegalese counterpart to secure an immediate end to actions endangering Gambian lives and territory. He also urged the Minister of Defence and the Chief of Defence Staff to take concrete steps to prevent further cross-border incursions.
The developments have left border communities gripped by displacement and fear, turning once peaceful farming villages into ghost settlements as the long-running Casamance conflict once again spills over into The Gambia.
