By: Isatou Sarr
The Gambia Environmental Alliance (GEA) has condemned coastal sand mining, calling it a “state-enabled environmental crime” and demanding an immediate halt to all such activities.
Speaking at a press conference held on Friday, GEA Secretary General Muhammed Hydara described the findings of a recent investigative report titled “The Opaque Mining Deal: Gambling with Gambia’s Futures” as a national alarm.
He called for an immediate national moratorium on all coastal mining, to be followed by independent audits, legislative inquiries, and firm accountability measures. Hydara further urged the government to support and restore affected communities, particularly women farmers.
“We have spoken. Now we act,” he said, warning that the GEA would no longer tolerate the destruction of the environment. The group singled out the Gambia Angola China (GACH) Mining Company for on-going operations along the Sanyang coastline, accusing it of looting resources and destroying livelihoods.
Fatou Jeng, Vice President of GEA, added a personal plea: “I am not here as VP of GEA, but as a daughter of this soil. The livelihoods of thousands of women have been buried under the wheels of illegal sand mining trucks.”
Kartong-based environmentalist Mustapha Manneh labelled GACH’s activities as “unacceptable,” arguing that the extraction of sand is not development but theft. “Every grain of sand stolen, every field destroyed, is a betrayal of our people,” he cried.
The GEA announced plans to deliver a formal petition to the Ministry of Petroleum, Energy, and Mines, as well as the National Assembly Select Committee on Environment saying We will fight until our voices are heard and our environment is protected.
