By Hatab Nyang
On Saturday April 13, 2019, eleven orange trees in an orchard belonging to one Faback Joof of Gunjur were chopped down by unknown persons.
Faback Joof said all garden tools, including watering cans that women gardeners use in his orchard were dumped into the wells in the orchard. He could not understand why his orchard is the only one targeted in that area.
Faback has had a cordial relation with residents of Berending as most people from Berending when travelling to Brikama, would sit beside his shop and wait to board a vehicle going to Brikama. This incident may undermine that relationship given the uneasy relationship between Gunjur and Berending of late.
Although soldiers are still stationed at strategic points in the Gunjur/Berending area, calm was slowly returning and tension was also easing. Students from both villages attending schools have resumed classes in their various schools.
Two teachers from Berending who teach at Gunjur Junior and Senior Secondary Schools namely Mr.Sanyang and Mr.Mendy have been conducting classes normally. According to Mr.Mendy though he hails from Seefo, he stays in Berending because he’s having relatives there and Berending is also closer to Gunjur than Seefo. He also said he commutes between Berending and GJSS every day and describes the situation as normal as no one is intimidating him.
He said his mate, Mr.Sanyang is presently not coming to school because of illness but will do so as soon as he has recovered as presently tension has eased.
The felling of the eleven trees however has raised suspicion as the owner of the orchard and some Gunjur youth suspect that this has been done by someone from Berending.
A land dispute between Gunjur and Berending has resulted to the loss of a life of a resident of Gunjur (Buba Jammeh) and the suspect (Buba Drammeh) is still at large.
