Gambian farmers face starvation as a decades-old war blocks them from their family farmland across the border. National Assembly Member Bakary Badjie revealed that thousands of growers cannot reach their fields in southern Senegal because soldiers might shoot them as rebels. The politician from Foni Bintang warned that entire communities could starve without access to the fertile land their families have worked for generations. Senegalese troops patrol the troubled Cassamance region and arrest anyone they find suspicious. Many farming families have completely given up trying to cross the dangerous border.
Badjie explained that terrified villagers cram together on tiny plots inside Gambia that cannot feed their children. Some farmers decided against planting anything rather than risk getting killed by jumpy soldiers. The crisis worsened after last year when groundnut crops failed and left families broke. People cannot afford basic rice without income from their traditional farming areas. Border communities used to move freely between both countries before the fighting started over twenty years ago.
The lawmaker blamed military forces for creating fear and poverty through constant patrols and checkpoints. He demanded that Senegal restart peace talks with rebel groups to end the violence. Families face impossible choices between hunger and death while politicians argue about territory. The conflict has destroyed the peaceful farming life that sustained border communities for centuries. Badjie insisted that only negotiation can restore safety and let farmers return to feeding their families.
Badjie explained that terrified villagers cram together on tiny plots inside Gambia that cannot feed their children. Some farmers decided against planting anything rather than risk getting killed by jumpy soldiers. The crisis worsened after last year when groundnut crops failed and left families broke. People cannot afford basic rice without income from their traditional farming areas. Border communities used to move freely between both countries before the fighting started over twenty years ago.
The lawmaker blamed military forces for creating fear and poverty through constant patrols and checkpoints. He demanded that Senegal restart peace talks with rebel groups to end the violence. Families face impossible choices between hunger and death while politicians argue about territory. The conflict has destroyed the peaceful farming life that sustained border communities for centuries. Badjie insisted that only negotiation can restore safety and let farmers return to feeding their families.
