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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."
A prolonged closure will undoubtedly put a squeeze not only on Basse but the entire region and beyond because the goods are destined beyond the immediate Basse area. And if all of the border posts between the two countries are affected, the impact on the re-export trade will severely affect the economies of the two countries. Gambia's weaker economy will suffer the most from an extended period of border closure.
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.
