By Fatou Krubally
The Alkalo (village head) of Tujereng, Karoma S. Bajong, has clarified his recent meeting with a group of Malian nationals in the community, saying he sought to alert the Gambia Immigration Department and help authorities establish the status of the newly-arrived migrants.
Speaking during a dialogue with the Gambia Immigration Department on 18 September, Bajong said he returned to the country about three weeks earlier and was informed that a number of Malians had recently arrived in Tujereng.
He said he was told that some of the migrants had left Mali because of the situation in their country, while others had reportedly travelled through Senegal before arriving in The Gambia.
However, Bajong stressed that the information was what he had been told and that he could not independently confirm its accuracy.
According to the Alkalo, he subsequently decided to inform the Immigration Department so that the authorities could assess the newcomers and establish whether they were refugees or regular migrants.
He said he invited the newly arrived Malians to a meeting on a Sunday, where he met about 17 of them, while other Malians had already been residing in the community for periods ranging from several months to several years.
“I told them you are all part of ECOWAS countries, bring your ID cards,” Bajong said, explaining that he wanted to establish their identities and places of origin.
He said he also assured the migrants that they should not be afraid, particularly if they had genuinely fled conflict, as the Immigration Department could assess their circumstances and determine their status.
Bajong said he collected their names, telephone numbers and identification details before informing them that he would contact Immigration officials and request that they meet the migrants in Tujereng instead of requiring them to travel to the department.
He said he contacted the Immigration Department the following day.
According to Bajong, he was later informed that authorities had received information that more than 37 immigrants had gone to the Alkalo for a meeting and that he had promised to assist them.
He rejected that account, saying his intention was to report the presence of newly arrived migrants and seek the intervention of the Immigration Department.
Bajong said he considered it part of his responsibility as Alkalo to alert the relevant authorities whenever migrants arrived in the community.
“If there is theft here, I will go to the police; if there is a land issue, I will go to the chief; if there is an immigration issue, I should go to Immigration Department,” he emphasized.
The Alkalo added that this was not the first time he had contacted Immigration authorities about migrants in Tujereng, recalling previous occasions when immigrants had reportedly arrived through the beach.
He reiterated that his intention throughout was to ensure that the appropriate authorities were informed and that the migrants’ status could be properly established.
Bajong also urged authorities and communities to rely on verified information when dealing with migration-related matters, saying accurate information was essential for informed decision-making.