By Louise Jobe
Baba Badjie, the principal complainant in the ongoing land dispute between the Badjie Kunda Family and the Sanyang Kunda Family of Chabai village, testified on Thursday, 10 April 2025, before the Bondali District Tribunal Court in Foni Bondali District.
In his testimony, Mr. Badjie, a resident of Kanjibato village in the same district, said his family took the Sanyang Kunda Family to the tribunal over land they claim belongs to their ancestral village, Marato. He explained that they intended to build houses and resettle in Marato, asserting that the land historically belonged to their grandparents and that their family should inherit the leadership of the village.
Narrating events that led to the dispute, Mr. Badjie said he and his brothers approached Kebuteh Sanyang of the Sanyang Kunda family to inform him of their intention to build and live in Marato. He said Mr. Sanyang responded by claiming ownership of the area and said it was already inhabited by members of the Wollof tribe. Mr. Badjie expressed confusion over the claim, stating that despite the objection, his family proceeded to dig the foundation for their building.
He told the tribunal that their plans were disrupted when some Wollof residents allegedly destroyed the foundation and set fire to a tree the Badjie Kunda family considers sacred for spiritual and cultural rituals.
“We are the hosts of the Sanyang Kunda family. How can Kebuteh Sanyang now say he owns the land?” he asked.
When asked by the clerk of the tribunal who was responsible for cutting down the ritual tree and burning it, Mr. Badjie said their investigations pointed to a man known as Ram Sey, a member of the Fana Fana community, and he suspects Mr. Sanyang to be behind the Fana Fana people’s actions.
Mr. Badjie further revealed that from 2014 to 2015, his family farmed on the land with the consent of Kebuteh Sanyang. “We farmed there for two years before deciding to build our house and resettle there,” he told the tribunal.
The case continues at the Bondali District Tribunal.
