Hundreds of young Gambian deportees took to the Street on Thursday protesting against the mass deportation of Gambians from Europe.

The protest began around midday in Westfield, Serekunda 10km away from Banjul.

“We’re protesting against the deportation agreement which was signed by The Government of The Gambia and the European Union (EU),” said one of the protesters. 

The deportations, according to the protesters, were being done in an inhumane way and some of the deportees were maltreated by the German Immigration Service.

“I cannot give you fake information regarding our deportation,” said Dodou Minteh a recent deportee from Germany.

“I felt very sad to be deported but we are taking it in good faith. We are urging the government to come clean and explain to us the agreement with the German government that led to our deportation.” 

Minteh revealed that scores of Gambians were deported for being illegal migrants, while others were deported for having improper documentation or unsuccessful asylum applications. 

He urged the government to engage the German government and the EU over the deportation issue as a matter of priority or risk creating chaos in the country. He said many of the deportees have large families that depended on them for their livelihoods.

Lamin Danso, another deportee, disclosed that the German Immigration officers raided his home in the early hours of the morning at about 3am to arrest and deport him. He said he was dragged out of his home half naked in cuffs and shackles.  

Danso slammed reports that some of the Gambian deportees where engaged in petty crimes and drug dealing. 

He said many of the deportees were hardworking people supporting their families and relatives back in The Gambia.

Danso alleged that the German government were in a rush to complete their signed deal agreement with the Barrow government because their might be change of government in both country’s whereas the next governments were to renew the deal.

He said officers of the Gambian Immigration Service were working closely with their German counterparts to identify and provide travelling documents for Gambians to be deported from Germany. He added that the government was not being forthright with the Gambian people about their role in the mass deportations from Europe.

“The same Gambia Immigration officer who received me at the Germany airport was the same Immigration officer who received me at the Banjul International Airport. How can that be a coincidence?”

Yankuba Faye, also a deportee said that, “without the Gambian government signing the deportation deal the German government could not have embarked on these deportation flights to Banjul.”

Faye said he had met many Gambian Immigration officers in Germany who were involved in identifying Gambians that the German authorities wanted to deport.

He urged the International Organization for Migrants (IOM) to come to their aid and help them with resettlement programmes.