Yahya Sonko Challenges Minister Ceesay’s Remarks on Backway Crisis, Says Irregular Migration Is “Worse Than Ever”

By: Alieu Jallow

Migration and human rights activist Yahya Sonko has issued a rebuttal to recent comments by the Minister of Information, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, on the status of irregular migration, known locally as the Backway. Sonko’s response follows Dr Ceesay’s suggestion that the migration crisis has not intensified, and that what has increased is media attention on the issue.

Dr Ceesay made his remarks during a live broadcast on the radio talk show Coffee Time with Peter Gomez, where he argued that irregular migration has always been part of Gambian life and that perceptions of escalation stem from more reporting in today’s diverse media landscape. “Migration is as old as human existence itself. Even during Jawara’s period, people were taking the back way. Now, what has changed in The Gambia is the reporting,” he said.

Reacting to these comments, Sonko said he listened with deep shock and disappointment, calling the statement both false and dangerously dismissive of a real national crisis. He questioned how a senior government official could downplay what many see as the deadliest wave of irregular migration in the country’s history.

“For a country with a population of less than three million to lose more than one thousand young people in a single year at sea is not normal, not usual, and certainly not something any responsible government should downplay,” Sonko said, arguing that the level of death and desperation seen today far outweighs anything in The Gambia’s past.

Sonko pointed to recent patterns that contradict Dr Ceesay’s framing, including a rise in deportation flights, increased interceptions of wooden boats by immigration authorities, and repeated capsizing incidents with high fatalities. He described these trends as unprecedented and reflective of deeper socioeconomic pressures rather than improved media coverage.

He also highlighted what he sees as a contradiction in Dr Ceesay’s record. Before the 2021 presidential election, Dr Ceesay travelled across Europe engaging with Gambian migrants and critiquing the Barrow government’s handling of migration. Sonko said this earlier positioning as a champion of migrants makes the minister’s current dismissal of the crisis even more troubling.

Sonko urged international partners, including the European Union, to take note of what he described as a lack of seriousness from the Barrow administration. He said that in any context of mass deaths, a head of state or relevant minister would address the nation directly, yet no such leadership has been shown in response to the recent surge in losses at sea.

“A whole generation is dying, yet the government finds comfort in denial,” Sonko said, stressing that Gambian youth are more than statistics and deserve urgent and honest action.

Sonko concluded by calling on the government to acknowledge the reality on the ground, stop normalising tragedy, and act with the urgency the crisis demands.

 By: Alieu Jallow Migration and human rights activist Yahya Sonko has issued a rebuttal to recent comments by the Minister of Information, Dr Ismaila Ceesay, on the status of irregular migration, known locally as the Backway. Sonko’s response follows Dr Ceesay’s suggestion that the migration crisis has not intensified, and that what has increased is The Fatu Network