The editorial stance of the paper from the unset of the border
closures has been the use of, what we consider to be, false equivalencies by
blaming both Senegal and The Gambia for the crisis to appear fair and balanced.
The paper didn’t stop its search for another boogieman which
it found in the Senegalo-Gambian Secretariat.
The paper questioned the Secretariat’s utility or raison d’etre for not
playing an active role in resolving the crisis.
The question is three decades late when the organization was active and relevant
because President Senghore (and Diouf, to some extent) and Sir Dawda Jawara
wanted the Secretariat to play a meaningful role by according it a high
diplomatic profile which it lacks today. In fact, many citizens of the two countries
are unaware of its existence.
The first step in an conflict resolution is to identify by
defining the problem. In this case, it
was triggered by a unilateral decision by the Gambian dictator to increase by
1,000% the tariff paid by trucks using the TransGambia highway to cross into
and from the southern Senegal region of Casamance.
The unilateral decision contravenes every protocol that the
two countries have signed – be it bilateral, regional and international. Although ECOWAS protocol calls for the free
movement of goods and people, bilateral agreement between the two countries further
calls for “prior consultations with and notification of” the other party before
any tariff increase. Approval of the
other party is not required but consultation and notification are. Jammeh did neither. And this is what FOROYAA fail to mention in
its reporting.
Jammeh caused the problem and it is Jammeh, in this
instance, who must take full responsibility for the mess and not Senegal or the
Senegalo-Gambian Secretariat that exists only in name with little power to
intervene. To absolve him (or even the
appearance of absolving him) of blame by acting as if the problem emanated from
or was caused by both countries is only going to prolong and add to the
suffering of ordinary Gambians and Senegalese alike resulting from restricting
commerce.
###
Postscript : As we go to press, we've learned through reliable sources that the Gambian dictator has dispatched a delegation headed by the Imam Ratib of Banjul, Alh. Cherno Kah, to Touba, Senegal, to seek the intervention of the spiritual leader of the Mourid sect in the crisis by appealing to the Senegalese authorities to open the borders. We will be following developments.
