EU Sanctions Gambia for Refusing Forced Deportations from Europe

Mamadou Tangara, The Minister of Foreign Affairs International Cooperation, and Gambians Abroad, stated that the Gambia has been sanctioned by the EU due to the country’s lack of cooperation on readmission.

“Gambia is currently under sanctions for non-cooperation. With all that you are hearing, other countries are cooperating, and their people have been deported. As far as we are concerned, we think we are cooperating, but the EU thinks we are not. That is why we are being sanctioned, and people must understand that. Other countries are accepting more deportees than The Gambia, but with all the noise here, the Europeans feel that we are not cooperating at all,” he said at a press conference held at Banjul.

Dr. Mamadou Tangara said, The Government of the Gambia will not facilitate the deportation of any Gambian from the European Union without the proper procedures being followed.

“The government has not and will not arrange or facilitate the return of anyone without due process being followed. We have no interest in facilitating the return of our nationals from Europe considering the support given to their families through remittances; however, in ensuring a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership on migration with the European Union and member states, the Gambia has been engaging the European Union, and this engagement will continue in a bid to consider the plight of our nationals that are currently within the EU jurisdiction and have been law-abiding to be considered for integration. The Cabinet has met over the matter, and the government will soon negotiate bilaterally with the Federal Republic of Germany to explore the new law on residence permits that came into effect on January 1, 2023,” he said.

MrTangara further said the expulsion of Gambians from Washington did not have a negative impact on the Gambia’s international reputation.

“On the issue of Washington, I don’t think Gambia has lost its credibility in the international arena today. More than ever before, the Gambia is well respected. During the recently concluded executive council of the African Union, I stayed a day behind because the UNDP was singling out the Gambia for the democratic governance that we have in this country, and for that credit is due to all the political leaders, whether government or opposition. We display maturity in dealing with some political issues. We have free, fair, and violence-free elections, and today other countries are coming to the Gambia to learn from the Gambian example,” he said.

Mamadou Tangara declined commenting on the explosion of the U.S. Diplomats saying that they could not speculate on what would happen to them.

“We cannot jump to conclusions and say that we are going to do XYZ; you have to go to the bottom of things to know exactly what happened before you take any decisions,” he said.

The minister took the opportunity to caution other diplomats to be mindful of their deeds and words .