United Democratic Party (UDP) leader Ousainou Darboe has called on President Adama Barrow to urgently engage Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye over the ongoing border dispute, warning that delays could worsen the situation facing farming communities along the two countries’ shared frontier.

Addressing supporters at a political rally in Kiang, Darboe said he had received reports that farmers who had already cultivated their land during the current rainy season were being instructed to vacate their farms.

Describing the situation as worrying, Darboe appealed for restraint while both governments seek a diplomatic solution.

“I call on President Diomaye Faye to tell his people to stop coming to farms and asking farmers to move. Let them wait until after the rainy season so this matter can be solved,” he said.

Darboe argued that the issue should not be allowed to strain relations between two countries whose people have lived together for generations.

“Gambia and Senegal are one people. How many Gambians have travelled to Touba and other places, and how many Senegalese have travelled to The Gambia for business?” he asked.

The veteran opposition leader also criticised President Barrow’s handling of the matter, saying the Gambian leader should have immediately reached out to his Senegalese counterpart.

“If President Adama Barrow couldn’t travel to Senegal and meet President Diomaye Faye to address the border issue, he should have spoken to him on the telephone and addressed this issue,” Darboe said.

He maintained that diplomacy remains the only viable path to resolving the dispute before it escalates further.

“Therefore, I am calling on both sides to sit on a diplomatic table and address this matter,” he added.

Darboe said the livelihoods of farming communities must take precedence, stressing that both governments have a responsibility to protect citizens whose survival depends on agriculture during the rainy season.

By Adama Makasuba