Two Gambia refugee groups in Europe have condemned the arrest and interrogation of 13 Gambian migrants in Italy. 

The Gambia Refugees’ Association – Europe branch and LUBA, a Gambian association in Italy, said the incident which happened in the Italian town of Cagliari on Feb 9 amounted to undue harassment.  

“The clampdown on the Gambian asylum seekers by Italian police in collaboration with Gambian Immigration officers is unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest terms.

“Information reaching our association indicates that most of those who were arrested had their documents stamped with a red stamp and that they might be deported anytime soon although they have been released from custody,” the groups spokesman Yahya Sonko said in a statement.

“We are calling on the Gambia Government to stop sending Immigration officers to countries like Italy, Switzerland and Germany for identification of Gambians to be deported. 

“This is not what we expect from our government. Our brothers and sisters in Italy, just like those in other countries in Europe and the entire Diaspora, deserve protection, support, guidance and encouragement for a better future,” the statement added.

“We urge the Gambia Government to stop accepting such deportation requests each time they are called upon. 

“The government should find a solution to the situation of Gambian refugees instead of accepting deportation all the time without putting in place any re-integration mechanisms for the deportees. Gambia government has been neglecting deportees and these people are undergoing trauma and discrimination in society, some of which bear negative consequences. 

“A classic example is the case of a deportee who allegedly killed his father some time ago in Brikama, Kombo Central, West Coast Region. We therefore condemn this trend and call for an immediate stop to it.”

About 20 Gambian migrants were recently deported from Germany despite calls for the moratorium on deportations to be extended amid the Covid-19 pandemic.