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Gambia News: 157 Gambians Deported From Morocco

About one hundred and fifty seven young Gambians who were based in the Kingdom of Morocco for months and for some for over a year using it as a springboard to get to Spain had finally returned home after the failure to sail to Spain through the Canary Islands.

On Friday 5 October two batches arrived at the Banjul International Airport on board a flight from Morocco. According to returnees, the first batch arrived at the airport at around midday and the second batch arrived later in the evening on the same day. The first flight came with 120 while the last one came with 37 people. Two returnees told this reporter that they were stranded in Morocco for three months. They said they were out of money and had to resort to begging to feed themselves.

The duo lamented that their problem was later brought to the attention of The Gambian Embassy in Morocco, which facilitated their return home. Another returnee who was in Morocco for almost two years trying to get to Spain said their boat was caught in the Moroccan sea last Wednesday. He said they were 37 in number and are all Gambian nationals. He noted that they were escorted to a town called Layung and later moved to Dakala Town on Thursday 4 October. He said their flight came through Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and then The Gambia. When contacted, Immigration Spokeswoman Superintendent Olimatou Jammeh Sonko confirmed the story and said the total number of those they confirmed on arrival is 148. She told Foroyaa that all the returnees are Gambians. She said they were screened by the authorities at the airport and later released to go home. Spokeswoman Jammeh Sonko confirmed that all the returnees were in good condition of health.