In Gambia, the number of displaced people and refugees continues to grow after the start on Sunday, March 13, of a large-scale Senegalese military operation in northern Casamance. Since the weekend, many communities have welcomed people fleeing the detonations and shootings, especially in Bujingha, in the Foni district, on the Gambian side of the border.
With our special correspondent in Bujingha, Milan Berckmans
A few kilometers from Bwiam, in southern Gambia, the small village of Bujingha has been welcoming since Saturday 12 March. about 100 displaced people from four villages near the border.
“What are we waiting for?” Tuti Jammeh, a young displaced woman from the village of Karrol, mixes rice in a large pot for most people who fled: “Saturday around 2 hours we saw people from the surrounding villages pass by with their belongings near our home. At this time we were preparing so when we saw them I said to my in-laws: “what are we waiting for?”, she says.
In this village, the displaced are sleeping in a living room, on the floor. But, as Tuti explains, everything is ready to escape, again, if the fighting continues to approachThat is why we cook our meal very early so that we can eat and then wait and prepare. If we hear other sounds, different from the others, we will do our business and go to another village.
An unprecedented situation For the head of his village, Ismaila Bojang, this situation has never been seen before: “I have never seen this before, during previous governments. The whole country is in disarray. “
According to the Red Cross, which provides logistical assistance on site, more than a thousand have already left their village around the border. The Organization and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) are assisting the Gambian authorities to conduct a two-day assessment of the situation. On Thursday, a meeting should take place between all parties to put in place a strategy to help displaced people and refugees.
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