Homeowners in Salaji have vowed to resist after their homes were demolished by the government, leaving dozens of families displaced.

The government has defended the action, saying the buildings were constructed illegally. Officials also stated that eviction notices were served to the affected homeowners, but none complied.

However, the homeowners have rejected these claims, calling them “false” and “misleading”. They condemned the demolition as reckless and vowed to fight back.

Ebrima D. Jatta, whose sister’s property was razed and levelled to the ground, described the demolition as a “criminal act” and warned that they would fight to restore the disputed land for the victims.

“We have no place to go other than here. To my observation, this is a miscarriage of justice by the government against us, and they are discriminating against my people. We will never abandon this land, and we are ready for anything. We will take this land one day,” he said.

Jatta argued that Salaji was a horticultural garden reserved by their forefathers, who were farmers.

“This land belongs to my forefathers, and we have no place to settle or use as our horticultural garden. We have no place to feed our families because this is the land our forefathers protected as a horticultural garden to feed us.”

“Let the entire Gambia know that we will never step away from Salaji. The government should be very careful not to plunge this country into violence, as this is what many communities are facing in this country,” he added.

Another homeowner, Bakary Manjang, had his high-rise house demolished, leaving him in tears as his holiday back home turned into a nightmare. Mr. Manjang also rejected the claims of being served an eviction letter, describing the letter as a “fake letter without a stamp”. 

“There was no sign or letterhead on the letter,” he said, adding that the demolishers stormed the area with armed security officers. “They stormed this place like people going to war instead of engaging us amicably. I swear by God’s name; no one will live on this land where my house was. We will follow them anywhere they go,” he said.

He also vowed to fight back, warning, “If they don’t stop this, they will cause a major problem because many people are angry, and those people could erupt into chaos.”

Adama Nyabally, whose house was also demolished, described the act as “illegal and unjust”,  adding, “we have our legal documents. We are saddened by this unjust act.”

By Adama Makasuba