Senegal's position on border closure remains unchanged; it will remain firmly shut

Sidi Sanneh 

Reports that a Gambian delegation led by the Foreign Minister Neneh Macdoull-Gaye is in Dakar as guess of the Senegalese government to discuss the border closure has proven to be false.

The story appears to have been planted by Jammeh operatives to gauge the reaction of the Senegalese - whether they are in the mood to negotiate.

The response was swift and emphatic.  Senegal's position on the border closure has not changed and, by all indication, will not change anytime soon.

There is a Gambian delegation at the King Fahd but members are are there on a different mission, according to our sources.
Members of this particular delegation may have floated the idea of wanting to meet with the Senegalese authorities to discuss the problem of the border closure which has caused havoc on the Gambian economy and to the general population.

Yaya Jammeh's decision to unilaterally increase the Trans-Gambia highway tariff by 1,000% a little over five weeks ago, without the courtesy of notifying Senegal, has been the cause of the retaliatory measure.

Senegalese frustrations have been building over time, as tariff increases without notice became more frequent - a muscle-flexing tactic that the Senegalese would like to see stopped because of the disruption to commerce it causes, and the inconvenience to the travelling public it poses.

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