By Sanna Camara
“The dictatorship in The Gambia has offered “no hope” for success for the citizens. The youth are offered dismal educational standards, and no entrepreneurial ventures or chances for employment and self-sufficiency,” a youth activist leader has said, as the country marks 51 years of Independence last week.
Omar bah, Chairman of Gambia Youths for Unity, a youth movement that is fighting to give voice to the country’s youth population in the struggle for democracy in The Gambia, has said that the 22-year government of Yahya Jammeh represents “a total failure for any youthful population to prosper.”
“In addition to this misery, the hopes of the youth are further shattered by the state of fear and repression in that country. In sum, there is no way for the country’s youth to succeed in the country, thus the general preference for opting to brave the daunting back-way journey to Europe.”
About 10, 000 fleeing to Europe
According to statistics from Italian government in 2015, some 8, 454 migrants arrived from The Gambia to Italy in 2015, ranking the country among the countries with the highest number of immigrant arrivals to Italy.
In October 2015, the International Organisation for Migration confirmed this in a report that ranked The Gambia fifth among such countries, after Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, and Sudan. This figure was surprisingly greater than Senegal, Somalia, Syria, Mali and Eritrea considering their population sizes, an analyst has said.
“If war-torn Syria registered 7, 448 arrivals in the same period, that is a thousand less migrants than supposedly-peaceful country like The Gambia,” argued Yusef Taylor, a Gambian youth activist based in the UK.
Mr. Taylor said that number of arrivals highlights how many survivors made it to the end of their journey. “The deaths by sea, desert and executions by rebels are not included in these,” he added.
No middle class in Gambia
Which is why Omar Bah, also the President of Refugee Dream center in Rhode Island, US, argued that the gap between “the poverty-stricken population” and those in power in The Gambia has become so large that there is essentially no middle class in that country.
“The youth are offered dismal educational standards, and no entrepreneurial ventures or chances for employment and self-sufficiency,” Mr. Bah said. That explains the irony why most of these Gambian migrants, even after going through unimaginable difficulties in the Sahara and at sea, do not want to return home, an expert on migration to Europe has said in January.
“While Senegalese or Guineans sometimes go back, Gambians rarely decide to go back… I just met one Gambian minor who decided to do it,” said Giacomo Zandonini. The Italian journalist added that most of those he met in the Sahara while on an investigative mission there “swore to remain than return to Gambia.” Asked what must have been responsible for such an unfortunate decision, Mr. Zandonini said, “Mostly, they say it is because of [President] Jammeh and the poor economy.”
Independence amidst inadequacies
18th February is the day Gambia gained independence from Britain; the day that the British flag got lowered over the country’s administrative atmosphere and replaced by the red-white-blue-green one depicting a country’s blessing with peace, river, sun and agriculture.
A country with a population of 1.8 million, The Gambia is today considered one of the worst dictatorships in Africa. It has far more inadequacies in terms of the meaning of the independence and freedom that its founding fathers fought for before 1965.
The country is ruled by a military-cum-civilian dictator, who came to power through a military coup 22 years ago. Riding on the back of sweeping reforms and promises for a better life and freedom for all Gambians, he turns out to be far worse in embezzling country’s minimal resources, mismanaging its economy, owning multiple business ventures and refusing to step down.
Protests instead of jubilations as independence celebrated
In December 2016, Yahya Jammeh will be seeking a fifth term in office, after amending the constitution from a two-term for presidential to indefinite. As the country marks independence this February, the country’s citizens in the UK gathered to hold public protests.
Even under hours of heavy rains, they converged at Trafalgar square by 12 mid-day and marched to 10 Downing Street, where a petition was delivered to the British Prime Minister’s office.
Not only is 2016 the 51st independence anniversary of The Gambia, it is also an important year for all Gambians and a genuine opportunity for change with elections set to take place in December, Mr. Taylor said.
Hence the activists in UK sacrificed their time to march and deliver a petition to the UK’s seat of government against Gambia government: “The petition, highlighting cases of human rights violations orchestrated by Yahya Jammeh’s regime for the past twenty-one years, will boost past efforts to place sanctions against the Gambian government for its crimes of human rights and rule of law in The Gambia.”
If the population succeeded in changing the dictatorship through the ballot in December polls, the country holds a brighter prospects at rectifying ills perpetuated against its population, fix a failing economy and once again resume its position in the international community as a country of peace, democracy and human rights that it was known for.
UK Gambians protest was covered by VOX Africa UK who published the video featuring interviews with UK based Gambian Activist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7BNP5Osv9I&feature=youtu.be