Cablegate: Refugees in the Gambia

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000770

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: GA SL SE LI PREF
SUBJECT: REFUGEES IN THE GAMBIA

1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Refugees in The Gambia comprise a
disparate assortment of illiterate Senegalese farmers, Sierra
Leonean professionals, and Liberians. While UNHCR provides
for almost every imaginable need for the residents of Bambali
Camp, urban refugees in Banjul struggle to eke out a meager
existence while dodging overly zealous immigration officers.
Notably, some 300 Sierra Leoneans earn a respectable living
as teachers, welcomed in a country with a shortage of trained
professionals. Residence status varies considerably. Some
refugees enjoy legal recognition by UNHCR and the Government
of The Gambia (GOTG). Others await adjudication of their
applications, while a large group of Sierra Leoneans is
considered to be economic migrants, ineligible for refugee
status. Resettlement prospects, while modest, appear to be
most promising among the Senegalese and Liberians. End
Summary.

Historical Background
---------------------

2. (U) The tiny nation of The Gambia is home to one of the
larger refugee populations in the sub-region. Its relatively
calm political environment may have been the prime drawing
factor that led 6,000 Senegalese, 3,000 Sierra Leoneans, and
2,500 Liberians to seek refuge within its borders over the
past fifteen years. The largest group, the Senegalese, fled
fighting in the southern Casamance region in 1990-97; for
many of them, fleeing meant a walk of several hours across
the unpatrolled Gambian border, where the international
community quickly set up two camps. Many found a warm
welcome among their fellow Wolof-speaking Gambian
counterparts. In 1991, 108 of them were relocated to Bambali
Camp, strategically built on the north bank of the Gambia
River to discourage repeated cross-border movements and arms
smuggling to and from the Casamance. The remainder live a
precarious existence in or around Banjul.

3. (U) The first wave of Sierra Leoneans arrived in 1997, a
trend that continued for another two years. Numbering as
many as 10,000, some estimates put their current strength at
3,000, although 6,269 officially registered with UNHCR two
years ago. Many of these were urban professionals who, not
surprisingly, settled in Banjul. Some found work in the
tourist industry; others drove taxis until the GOTG rescinded
the licenses of all non-Gambian taxi drivers in 2004. A more
fortunate 300 refugees landed jobs as teachers. Despite
modest salaries, these Sierra Leoneans received a special
welcome in a country with a shortage of trained pedagogues.
The group includes 2,500 more recent arrivals who are
considered to be economic migrants and thus ineligible for
refugee status.

4. (U) Of the Liberians, about 200 remain in the farflung
Basse Camp, in eastern Gambia, which is officially closed.
Another two Liberians share Bambali Camp with the Senegalese,
while the vast majority (2,300) live in Banjul.
Unfortunately for them, only 700 are officially recognized as
refugees. As elsewhere in the region, Liberians began to
arrive in The Gambia in 1990, in response to violence at
home.

Assistance
----------

5. (U) Refugees in the isolated Bambali Camp, four hours
east of the capital, epitomize the best efforts of the donor
community. The 110 residents of this boutique camp can take
advantage of free schooling, medical care, and numerous
opportunities to earn a living -- gardening, fishing, animal
husbandry, baking bread, and selling eggs. The more
enterprising make eight dollars per day by harvesting a
perfumed root used in making room freshener and selling it to
Senegalese traders. The painted concrete housing is
relatively spacious and clean; relations with nearby
villagers are cordial. A PRM-funded project to put two
additional wells into operation is nearing completion.

6. (U) At the other end of the scale are the Sierra
Leoneans, for whom all UNHCR assistance ceased as of June
2004. The more desperate refugees are resorting to
prostitution or submitting to forced marriage in order to
survive. In addition to teaching, some have found work in
the hotel industry, but all struggle to pay school fees and
provide for their own daily necessities. The unrecognized
Liberian and Senegalese refugees are similarly denied UNHCR
assistance, except for UNHCR legal advice.

7. (U) The recognized Liberian and Senegalese refugees in
Banjul fall somewhere in the middle. Though not receiving
food as per UNHCR policy vis-a-vis urban refugees, they do
receive payment for their children's school fees. Many of
these are from rural areas of their home countries and find
adapting to a hardscrabble urban existence difficult.

Host Government Treatment of Refugees
-------------------------------------

8. (SBU) Musa Mboob, the Director General of the Gambian
Immigration Service, exuded concern and compassion for the
refugees during a March 16 meeting with Emboffs. He faces
the multiple challenges of dealing with three major
nationalities among the refugee population (including the
large contingent from neighboring Senegal), trafficking and
exploitation of children, and sex tourism. Separate meetings
with refugees hours later painted a different picture. All
nationalities reported constant harassment at the immigration
checkpoints set up at various points, even in the city.
UNHCR also acknowledged that it had turned over its refugee
ID-making equipment to the GOTG. Unfortunately, the
equipment had been sent to Geneva for repairs, leaving the
GOTG unable to issue or renew refugee ID's. Those with lost
or expired ID's are the most frequent targets of harassment.

Resettlement Prospects
----------------------

9. (SBU) Although the Senegalese said their only desire was
to return home when peace was "100 percent guaranteed," UNHCR
Representative Ron Mponda opined that the peace process in
the Casamance was "faltering" and he anticipated the need for
resettlement of some of the urban Senegalese, due also to an
increasing emphasis on hiring only Gambians on the local
economy. For the same reason, resettlement may also be the
best durable solution for a limited number of Liberians. As
for the Sierra Leoneans, UNHCR has promoted repatriation
under the terms of a tripartite agreement signed in 2003, but
only about 13 percent of them took advantage of UNHCR
assistance to repatriate during 2004. There is general
skepticism over resettlement prospects for this group because
of fears that rumors of free tickets to the U.S. or Australia
could trigger a mass exodus from Sierra Leone itself. UNHCR
staff was nonetheless open-minded about resettling refugees
of any nationality who face "psycho-social" problems and are
unable to adapt to life in The Gambia.

10. (SBU) As elsewhere, UNHCR is under-staffed and
under-funded. Geneva is considering closing the office in
Banjul as a cost-cutting measure (and servicing The Gambia
from its Senegal office) even though neighboring Senegal has
fewer recognized refugees. Ironically, the Banjul office has
only been open since November 2003.

Comment
-------

11. (SBU) It was a pleasant surprise to discover a thriving,
well managed camp functioning in a country of such limited
means. The disparate treatment afforded different groups of
refugees is particularly visible in The Gambia. We might
encourage the host government to be more generous in its
treatment of urban refugees, some of whom find it
increasingly difficult to earn a paycheck. Yet the problem
may not be as severe as UNHCR and refugees allege, since most
of the foreigners (who comprise about half of the population
of The Gambia) are self-sustaining. We hope UNHCR will
follow through with appropriate referrals for resettlement
for the most vulnerable refugee families.

12. (U) This cable was cleared by Embassy Banjul prior to
transmission.
YATES

© Scoop Media