Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Sabi-Velingara border closure puts economic squeeze on Basse


The Gambia/ Senegal border at Sabi-Velingara post has been closed to commercial traffic for several days now, according to sources in Basse.

The stranded trucks originated from Guinea-Conakry are transporting goods, including fruits, cola-nuts and seasonal fruits destined for Basse.  It appears these trucks left Guinea and crossed the Guinea-Senegal border before the decision came from Dakar to close the borders.

Several trucks laden with goods destined for Basse have been at the border posts for several days now with no idea of when the border will reopen.   The goods are destined for Basse as the central distribution point for the Upper River area. According to a source, "these trucks bring food supply into Basse and failure to come in can cause serious shortage of food supply."




The brief border posts closure at Amdalaye and Karang  last week was seen by many as Senegal's reaction to the vitriolic statements made by the Gambian dictator against Senegalese president Macky Sall.  However, the  broader border closures which involved the Malian and Guinean borders may be related more by the recent terror activities in the Malian capital of Bamako and the sub-region.