By Assan Bah
Residents of Jahanka village in The Gambia’s Central River Region South said a group of Senegalese soldiers entered the area on Friday and ordered dozens of Gambian farmers to stop cultivating land they claim to have farmed for generations.
The incident took place on 24 July, when armed Senegalese troops reportedly arrived in the village with military vehicles and instructed farmers to leave the disputed farmland within 15 days. Residents said the soldiers claimed the land belonged to Senegal, an assertion the villagers rejected, insisting the farms are inside Gambian territory.
The latest confrontation comes eight years after a similar dispute in the area led to violence, including the shooting of a Gambian Fire and Rescue Service officer.
Ablie Boye, a resident of Jahanka who witnessed Friday’s incident, said the soldiers arrived at about 11 am in a convoy of 12 military vehicles and one civilian vehicle.
“They instructed us to stop what we were doing on the farms,” Boye said. “They then brought out a list calling on some of our villagers – farm owners.”
According to Boye, the soldiers identified about 40 farmers from Jahanka and told them they were cultivating land belonging to Senegal.
“They said the farmers are farming on Senegalese land,” he said. “We asked them who said the lands were Senegalese lands. They told us we should stop all our activities on the mentioned lands within 15 days.”
Boye said the soldiers asked those named on the list to sign against their names, but they refused.
“When our leaders asked whether their mission was to discuss the borderline or the farms, they said they were there for their lands,” he said. “We made it clear to them that the lands are in Gambian territory, not Senegal’s.”
He added, “We told them that we would rather die than leave our farms at this stage.”
According to Boye, the troops, led by a Senegalese sub-prefect, later said they were passing through the village to another location. Concerned that the presence of heavily armed soldiers had caused fear among women and children, villagers gathered at the entrance of Jahanka.
“When they saw the large crowd waiting at the entrance, they turned back and went towards Kerr Sainey and Kerr Yero,” Boye said.
Residents said this was the first time Senegalese soldiers had entered the area to make such demands, although neighbouring villages in Senegal had made similar claims in the past. The dispute centres on farmland and forest areas between Jahanka and neighbouring Senegalese communities, including Kerr Sainey, Kerr Yero, Niani, Kerr Malloly and Makka Chale.
The communities have traditionally lived peacefully, sharing family ties, culture and language through generations of intermarriage. Residents say people on both sides of the border have long crossed freely to farm, trade and visit relatives because the boundary has never been clearly marked.
However, disagreements over farmland ownership have repeatedly strained relations. In May 2018, armed men from neighbouring Senegal reportedly attacked Jahanka village, during which a Gambian Fire and Rescue Service officer was shot in the legs after a dispute over ownership of land along the border. The incident prompted security officials from The Gambia and Senegal to hold bilateral talks aimed at easing tensions between the neighbouring communities. Despite those discussions, residents said the dispute remains unresolved.
Alagie Surr, chairman of Galleh Manda Ward, said the soldiers presented a list containing the names of 40 farmers who were ordered to stop farming immediately.
“We have been really disturbed by our Senegalese neighbours,” Surr said. “They returned yesterday with a list of 40 farmers saying all these farmers need to immediately stop working on their farms as it is in their territory.”
He said many farmers had already invested heavily in this year’s farming season.
“We will not work until this time to abandon our farms for anyone,” he said. “Almost 80% of us have already applied fertilizer and spent lots of resources on them.”
Surr argued that if the purpose was to determine the international boundary, restrictions should apply equally to farmers from both countries.
“We told them if they truly want to identify the border, both Gambian and Senegalese farmers should stop farming in the area,” he said. “They cannot only ask us to stop while allowing our counterparts to continue.”
He said there were no visible border markers separating the two countries in the disputed area.
“No one can tell you where the border is because there is no mark showing it,” Surr said. “It is always the Senegalese who come and tell us where the border is. But they cannot determine the border without both governments.”
Surr appealed to the Gambian authorities to intervene.
“They have the courage to come here and claim our farms because they have the backing of their authorities while we don’t have any,” he said.
He said officials from the Regional Police, Immigration Department and the Police Intervention Unit arrived only after the Senegalese troops had left.
“They came to collect statements,” he said. “When we asked them to visit the farms with us and see the evidence, they declined.”
Surr said residents had informed the Gambian delegation that they would not abandon their farms.
“We want the government to come and show us where the border is because we are tired of this push and pull,” he said.
Hatta Boye, secretary of the Jahanka Village Development Committee, said the arrival of armed soldiers frightened many residents.
“We were really terrified by the presence of the troops,” she said.
She said border communities had previously faced intimidation from armed groups operating in neighbouring Casamance.
“We are appealing to the Gambian government to solve this problem once and for all because we all depend on our farms for our livelihoods,” she said.
Mrs Boye also called for the establishment of a permanent security post in the area, saying the 19 villages in Galleh Manda Ward currently depend on security personnel based in YBK and Lamen Koto.
She alleged that while Senegalese residents continue to access services in Jahanka without difficulty, Gambians regularly face harassment when crossing into Senegal.
“There will be a time when none of us can pass with even a single cup because they will seize it,” she said. “Sometimes they even pursue businessmen to our homes to confiscate their merchandise.”
Mod Talla Boye, the Alkalo of Jahanka, said he challenged the Senegalese soldiers after they claimed the farms were inside Senegal.
“I told them it wasn’t possible because the farms were in Gambian territory, not Senegal’s,” he said.
“They cannot stop us from working on our farms because they are ours. Why didn’t they instruct both sides to suspend farming until the dispute is settled?”
Alkalo said the soldiers told him they had no obligation to inform Gambian authorities before entering the area.
“They told me, ‘We will not inform you. We have no business with your government. We are only here to pass our message to the farmers,’” he said.
He appealed for stronger security in the area, saying police and immigration officers often take several hours to respond because they are stationed far from the village.
“Our security is challenged by insufficient vehicles. They don’t even have enough motorcycles,” he said.
The Alkalo said Gambian police, immigration and PIU officers later met villagers and advised them to remain calm while the matter was being handled through diplomatic channels.
According to him, officials asked residents to suspend farming for three days, but the farmers refused.
“We told them that wasn’t going to happen because the lands are ours,” he said. “We have already applied fertiliser to most of the farms, and we are not going to leave them for any reason.”
He also said a joint sensitisation meeting involving Gambian and Senegalese security officials and local authorities had been held three years ago to promote peaceful coexistence, but residents said no agreement was reached and no further discussions followed.
“We are the same family as Kerr Sainey,” the Alkalo said. “Our parents intermarried for generations. But this relationship is now eroding because of the recurring border issues.”
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