Yaya Sonko, German-based Gambian migrants’ rights advocate, has accused the Gambia government of complexity in deportation of Gambians living in European countries.

The Gambia government has been accused of signing a deportation deal with the European Union since 2018. However, the government dismissed the allegation as “false”.

But hundreds of Gambian migrants have since been deported from Europe since 2018.

“Some Gambians are deported without committing any crimes while others may have been denied asylum and they will go to the courts and their asylum [claims] will still be rejected,” he said.

“The EU will always tell them that they are not doing the deportation as if they hate Gambians but it was an agreement between the Gambia government and the EU. According to statistics, there are more than 16,000 Gambians staying in Germany in a place called Baden-Württemberg,” he added.

Reporting by Adama Makasuba