Officials From The Gambia Commission for Refugees
By Ramatoulie Jawo
The Gambia Commission for Refugees and its partners appeared before the National Assembly Select Committee on Health, Refugees, Disaster, and Humanitarian Relief to present a report on an assessment conducted within the community living in Ghana Town, Brufut, The Gambia.
According to the commission, the assessment was carried out following recommendations from a workshop on statelessness held from August 9 to 10. The workshop, jointly organized by UNHCR and the Gambia Commission for Refugees, brought together civil society organizations, journalists, academics, and parliamentarians.
The delegation informed the committee that the assessment had two primary objectives: first, to understand the legal status of individuals in Ghana Town who are at risk of statelessness due to the absence of nationality documents; and second, to propose recommendations for addressing the documentation challenges faced by a population that has lived in The Gambia for several decades.
Presenting the report, Omar T. Camara, the government’s focal point on stateless persons, emphasized that one of the key concerns highlighted in the findings is the widespread lack of citizenship documentation among respondents.
“377 respondents do not hold ID cards and 257 hold valid or expired ID cards formally issued during the President Jammeh regime without being able to renew. A considerable percentage of respondents 55% do not possess a valid or expired national identity card from the Gambia, indicating a significant risk of statelessness. The lack of documentation can hinder individuals ability to access services and assert their rights. Of the 686 only 43 had passports from the Gambia that could not be renewed if they expired,” he said.
He emphasized that the low percentage of respondents with valid passports only 6.3% underscores the challenges individuals face in obtaining international recognition. He noted that this situation increases their vulnerability to statelessness and restricts their mobility.
Mr. Camara pointed out that the large number of individuals without valid identity documents poses a significant risk of statelessness, as such documents are crucial for asserting citizenship rights.
He added that the statistics indicate a high number of people in Ghana Town do not possess a valid identity card.
“This means that those who were in possession of identification documents and whose identity cards have expired find it impossible to renew their identity cards. The Barrow government’s decision to stop ID card and Passport acquisition launched by the former regime is the principal cause of documentation nonrenewal by owners and this indicates that these group of individuals would be at risks of being stateless as they could not access the identity documents of Ghana nor The Gambia,” he told the committee.
He noted that their nationality has yet to be determined, which could make it difficult for many to travel abroad for education or medical treatment.
He emphasized that this situation would hinder access to social amenities and employment, ultimately leading to a breakdown of fundamental human rights for those living in Ghana Town.
They recommended urgent reforms to The Gambia’s citizenship laws to ensure that individuals with foreign-born parents can obtain their nationality and that children born to Gambian parents are officially recognized as citizens by the end of 2025.
“Initiatives aimed at educating citizens about the importance of obtaining national identity documents and understanding their rights are essential. Policymakers should develop strategies that focus on improving access to citizenship documentation, particularly for vulnerable populations by the end of 2025 and to engage the government of Ghana to facilitate documentation and citizenship access for those willing to acquire it,” they recommended.