Deputies at the National Assembly, last Thursday, unanimously passed the new Refugee Bill. Described by many as timely, the bill seeks to make provision for the management and coordination of refugee matters in The Gambia.

Tabling the bill before National Assembly members, Ousman Sonko, the Secretary of State for the Interior, said The Gambia had been a recipient country for refugees for decades and had subsequently offered sanctuary to many refugees from many parts of the African continent. 

He therefore told parliamentarians that in recent times, there had been a wave of refugee in flock from the sub-region, in addition to the perennial flow across the southern border. He further stated that The Gambia Government, being signatory to the 1951 Convention and the 1997 Protocol, both relating to refugee matters, was duty bound to receive, protect and care for refugees. 

In this regard, SoS Sonko went on to say, the bill seeks to establish The Gambia Commission for Refugees, a body that would be tasked with the responsibility of coordinating and managing policy matters relating to refugee affairs in the country. He then added that the commission shall also receive and consider applications for the grant of refugee status, as well as ensure the proper implementation of the Refugee Act.

Secretary of State Sonko expressed hope that with the establishment of this commission, refugee matters in The Gambia would be better managed and coordinated in keeping with the provision of international conventions and protocols that The Gambia is a signatory to.

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Supporting the bill, Honourable Haddy Nyang-Jagne, the NAM for Jeshwang constituency, described it as non-controversial, saying that by passing it, The Gambia places itself among various countries who have championed the cause of human rights.

Honourable Seedy Njie, nominated youth representative at the Assembly, also noted that the bill could not have come at a better moment than now when The Gambia needed every effort to regularise the state of refugee situation in the county.

While noting that the bill would improve the condition of refugees in the country, the youth parliamentarian expressed hope that it would also go a long way in curbing unprecedented number of crimes in the country. 

For Honourable Momodou LK Sanneh, minority leader and NAM for Kiang West, there is a great need to ensure stability in a bid to avert the issue of refugee in the future; while Hon. Babanding KK. Daffeh, NAM for Kiang Central, described the new bill as timely.

Hon. Ebrima Jammeh, NAM for Foni Bintang Karani, was equally moved, but appealed for the strengthening of capacities at the Sibanor Police Station, as his area served as a point for refugee entrance into the county.

National Search and Rescue commission bill

In another significant development, the Honourable Members passed the National Search and Rescue Commission bill, which is expected to form the basis for the formulation of regulations and procedures to guide the personnel involved in the planning and coordination of search and rescue operations in The Gambia.

Tabling the bill before deputies, Lamin Bojang, the secretary of state for Works, Construction and Infrastructure, said The Gambia is a signatory to the Convention on International Civil Aviation signed in Chicago, in 1944, and the International Maritime Convention. He noted that as such it was  an obligation to provide and ensure the provision of aeronautical and maritime search and rescue services.

According to SoS Bojang, the lessons learnt from previous incidents either on land or at sea, within the Senegambia Region, highlight the need for a close collaboration, first amongst Gambians and then with  our neighbours.  He went on to say that considering the role of the National Disaster Relief Committee, there was a need to complement its efforts in an emergency so as to minimise the effect of a disaster. 

The bill which was "Considering that the promotion and coordination between civil and military authorities and organisation for the provision of effective search and rescue services is pertinent, the enactment of the National Search and Rescue Commission Bill is very timely and necessary".