By Hatab Nyang and Louise Jobe
Hundreds of residents of Kartong, joined by villagers from Berending, marched on Sunday to protest against what they described as an unlawful boundary demarcation by the Ministry of Local Government and Lands.
The demonstration began in Kartong and stretched up to the Madina Salam bridge, known locally as Fotindalla, which protesters insist marks the original border between Kartong and Gunjur. Men, women and youths carried placards reading: “We will defend our historical and legal boundaries,” “Our land, our future,” “There is already a well-established boundary between Kartong and Gunjur,” “We don’t accept a conflicted task force report,” “Respect the rule of law,” and “Land grabbers will never succeed in Kartong.”
As the marchers arrived at the main junction linking Berending and Kartong, residents of Berending joined the procession, walking with them to the Fotindalla bridge. Protesters used the site to show journalists what they said was the legitimate border line that had long existed between the communities.
Chants echoed along the highway: “We do not want civil war,” “Our land, our lives,” “No land grabbing,” “Old boundary or no boundary,” and “Government should respect the justice system.” They warned that the government’s action risked unrest, with some declaring, “We do not want genocide.”
Speaking to reporters, Bala Musa Manneh explained the protest’s origins. “We want our lands back to us. We won all our court cases from Brikama Magistrate Court, High Court and to the Appeal Court of The Gambia. Why now, during the recent demarcation, has the government encroached into Kartong lands for about two kilometers?”
Mbenki Sireh Touray added: “We came out to protect and defend our land. They have seriously entered into our lands.”
Others voiced sharper defiance. “We will fight this up to the last dot as this land belongs to Kartong,” said Samba Camara, who accused the Ministry of disregarding community concerns. “We had a delegate that went to the minister, Hon. Hamat Bah. The minister halted the exercise for just one week and they started with the boundary demarcation again without considering our demands.”
Another resident, Buba Manneh, recalled earlier confrontations with state authority: “We have had problems with the former president Yaya Jammeh. Everyone knows about it and how it ended. We will forever defend our rights and Kartong.”
At the end of the march, Lamin Jarju urged calm. He reminded the youths that the dispute was headed back to court. “We already served the Ministry of Lands with an injunction for this issue to proceed at the court,” he said. “This protest is for the government to know that Kartong and Berending did not agree with this land demarcation.”
