A Gambian refugee activist in Germany has said at least 400 Gambians have been deported from Europe since the Barrow government came into power in 2017. 

Yahya Sonko, president of the Gambian Refugee Council of Baden-Württemberg, made the statement on the heels of recent deportation flights from Germany and elsewhere in Europea despite the Gambia’s crippling economy.

A group of 25 Gambian deportees arrived in Banjul in the early hours of Friday on a flight Germany.

“With this interesting theme above, more than 400 Gambian youths were deported from 2017 to 2022,” Mr Sonko said in an open letter to the youths and sports minister Bakary Badjie seen by Gambian.

“My dear leaders and comrades in youth development, are you aware that 90% of this forcefully returnees are not supported or given any reintegration support for the past years, this is the biggest weakness, backwardness and security threats to our families, societies or communities and as a country,” he added.

According to him, “the return migration is not always a process of Simply GOING HOME,” adding “particularly when the return is not fully voluntarily, returnees faces severe obstacles.”

“Return can only become sustainable when returnees are provided with possibilities to become re-embedded in terms of economic, social network, and psychosocial dimensions,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba