#Headlines

Info minster dismayed at APRC leader’s comments

Dec 24, 2020, 1:13 PM | Article By: Sankulleh Gibril Janko

The minister of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Ebrahim Sillah, has expressed his utter dismay over the comments made by interim leader of Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), Fabakary Tombong Jatta, that at some point Gambians may resort to using guerilla warfare to regain sovereignty from Senegal.

In an exclusive interview with West Coast Radio, the APRC interim leader said the Gambia Senegal relationship is benefitting only President Adama Barrow, a comment that also surprised the information minister.

“To say that our relationship with Senegal was based on the benefits of only President Barrow, that we have lost our sovereignty and that at some point if this government is not careful people may resort to using guerilla warfare to regain our sovereignty back. I think that is quite unfortunate of a political leader in this country,” the Information Minister said.

Sillah went on to talk about the unique and cultural ties Gambia and Senegal share.

“Senegal and the Gambia are one, these are people of the same origin and if you think of the efforts that are being made now by the African Union to integrate Africa, really to talk about these imaginary borders to the extent that some of them may think about it, things that are outside the Constitutional arrangement, I think that is quite unfortunate,” he emphasised.

“Nobody can separate the Gambia and Senegal, you know we are one people of two different dialects; I mean French and English that separated us.

“There is no Gambian in this country who can say that he does not have a sister or a brother or an uncle or an aunt or a grandparent from Senegal likewise Senegalese.

“So I don’t know why all this antagonism, the Senegalese troops that he talked about are here because of the sub-regional arrangement and so long that arrangement is in place they are legitimately placed here.”

He urged better and more encouragement between the sister countries that may yield fruition.