By Louise Jobe
Protest against the selling of community forest lands led to the arrest of the VDC chair and others
It has been four (4) months since the Gambia Government suspended the Alkalo of Manduar and since then, the community is without a village head.
The residents told Foroyaa that they feel that the Government has forgotten them since there is total silence about the problem.
The villagers also expressed concern over the delay in the trial of some of the youths arrested in connection with the controversy surrounding the community forest belt. The matter has been adjourned three (3) times.
Bubaccar Sowe, the Chairman of the Village Development Committee of Manduar, said the situation should be addressed because some of the affected youths are students of the University of The Gambia. He added that some of the trial dates affected their classes. He decried that the students sometimes miss their classes and yet the case wouldn’t proceed, which makes it a painful situation.
The villagers demand for the Government to resolve the Alkalo problem and return the forest to the community.
