Musa Batchilly, leader of the Gambia Action Party (GAP), has strongly condemned last month’s caste-based clash among the Sarahule community in Koina, Upper River Region.

Several people were injured and lots of properties damaged after a fight erupted between the so-called free-borns and slaves in Koina.  

Mr Batchilly called for calm and urged the Sarahule community to do away with “the harmful cultural practice” that has no place in present day Gambia.”

“I’m pleading to all Sarahule communities to do away with the caste system or clan superiority among them. Our forefathers lived harmoniously in a society free from conflicts, misunderstanding or attacking one another. We live in a world where everyone is born free and no one is superior to the other in the eyes of the law,” Mr Batchilly said in a statement.

“Slavery is not allowed in any part of The Gambia and we are not living in a barbaric world as slavery was abolished since 1807. The caste conflicts in Diabugu, Bajaha Kunda, Garawol and Koina are uncalled for,” he added.

Mr Batchilly called on the government to address the problems of communal conflicts and ensure that law and order prevail in the affected Sarahule communities.

He said although previous governments have tirelessly made efforts to address the problem, “the current administration has not demonstrated its commitment to the course”.

He said GAP believes that no single nation is secure unless all its citizens are secure.

“Therefore, I call on all the Sarahule associations in The Gambia to embrace dialogue in these areas to stop the menace immediately. We cannot afford to lose or compromise our peaceful coexistence.”