US embassy cable - 05ACCRA770

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ACCRA 000770 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: GA, SL, SE, LI, PREF, refugees 
SUBJECT: REFUGEES IN THE GAMBIA 
 
 1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  Refugees in The Gambia comprise a 
disparate assortment of illiterate Senegalese farmers, Sierra 
Leonean professionals, and Liberians.  While UNHCR provides 
for almost every imaginable need for the residents of Bambali 
Camp, urban refugees in Banjul struggle to eke out a meager 
existence while dodging overly zealous immigration officers. 
Notably, some 300 Sierra Leoneans earn a respectable living 
as teachers, welcomed in a country with a shortage of trained 
professionals.  Residence status varies considerably.  Some 
refugees enjoy legal recognition by UNHCR and the Government 
of The Gambia (GOTG). Others await adjudication of their 
applications, while a large group of Sierra Leoneans is 
considered to be economic migrants, ineligible for refugee 
status.  Resettlement prospects, while modest, appear to be 
most promising among the Senegalese and Liberians.  End 
Summary. 
 
Historical Background 
--------------------- 
 
2.  (U) The tiny nation of The Gambia is home to one of the 
larger refugee populations in the sub-region.  Its relatively 
calm political environment may have been the prime drawing 
factor that led 6,000 Senegalese, 3,000 Sierra Leoneans, and 
2,500 Liberians to seek refuge within its borders over the 
past fifteen years.  The largest group, the Senegalese, fled 
fighting in the southern Casamance region in 1990-97; for 
many of them, fleeing meant a walk of several hours across 
the unpatrolled Gambian border, where the international 
community quickly set up two camps.  Many found a warm 
welcome among their fellow Wolof-speaking Gambian 
counterparts.  In 1991, 108 of them were relocated to Bambali 
Camp, strategically built on the north bank of the Gambia 
River to discourage repeated cross-border movements and arms 
smuggling to and from the Casamance.  The remainder live a 
precarious existence in or around Banjul. 
 
3.  (U) The first wave of Sierra Leoneans arrived in 1997, a 
trend that continued for another two years.  Numbering as 
many as 10,000, some estimates put their current strength at 
3,000, although 6,269 officially registered with UNHCR two 
years ago.  Many of these were urban professionals who, not 
surprisingly, settled in Banjul.  Some found work in the 
tourist industry; others drove taxis until the GOTG rescinded 
the licenses of all non-Gambian taxi drivers in 2004.  A more 
fortunate 300 refugees landed jobs as teachers.  Despite 
modest salaries, these Sierra Leoneans received a special 
welcome in a country with a shortage of trained pedagogues. 
The group includes 2,500 more recent arrivals who are 
considered to be economic migrants and thus ineligible for 
refugee status. 
 
4.  (U) Of the Liberians, about 200 remain in the farflung 
Basse Camp, in eastern Gambia, which is officially closed. 
Another two Liberians share Bambali Camp with the Senegalese, 
while the vast majority (2,300) live in Banjul. 
Unfortunately for them, only 700 are officially recognized as 
refugees.  As elsewhere in the region, Liberians began to 
arrive in The Gambia in 1990, in response to violence at 
home. 
 
Assistance 
---------- 
 
5.  (U) Refugees in the isolated Bambali Camp, four hours 
east of the capital, epitomize the best efforts of the donor 
community.  The 110 residents of this boutique camp can take 
advantage of free schooling, medical care, and numerous 
opportunities to earn a living -- gardening, fishing, animal 
husbandry, baking bread, and selling eggs.  The more 
enterprising make eight dollars per day by harvesting a 
perfumed root used in making room freshener and selling it to 
Senegalese traders.  The painted concrete housing is 
relatively spacious and clean; relations with nearby 
villagers are cordial.  A PRM-funded project to put two 
additional wells into operation is nearing completion. 
 
6.  (U) At the other end of the scale are the Sierra 
Leoneans, for whom all UNHCR assistance ceased as of June 
2004.  The more desperate refugees are resorting to 
prostitution or submitting to forced marriage in order to 
survive.  In addition to teaching, some have found work in 
the hotel industry, but all struggle to pay school fees and 
provide for their own daily necessities.  The unrecognized 
Liberian and Senegalese refugees are similarly denied UNHCR 
assistance, except for UNHCR legal advice. 
 
7.  (U) The recognized Liberian and Senegalese refugees in 
Banjul fall somewhere in the middle.  Though not receiving 
food as per UNHCR policy vis-a-vis urban refugees, they do 
receive payment for their children's school fees.  Many of 
these are from rural areas of their home countries and find 
adapting to a hardscrabble urban existence difficult. 
 
Host Government Treatment of Refugees 
------------------------------------- 
 
8.  (SBU) Musa Mboob, the Director General of the Gambian 
Immigration Service, exuded concern and  compassion for the 
refugees during a March 16 meeting with Emboffs.  He faces 
the multiple challenges of dealing with three major 
nationalities among the refugee population (including the 
large contingent from neighboring Senegal), trafficking and 
exploitation of children, and sex tourism.  Separate meetings 
with refugees hours later painted a different picture.  All 
nationalities reported constant harassment at the immigration 
checkpoints set up at various points, even in the city. 
UNHCR also acknowledged that it had turned over its refugee 
ID-making equipment to the GOTG.  Unfortunately, the 
equipment had been sent to Geneva for repairs, leaving the 
GOTG unable to issue or renew refugee ID's.  Those with lost 
or expired ID's are the most frequent targets of harassment. 
 
Resettlement Prospects 
---------------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) Although the Senegalese said their only desire was 
to return home when peace was "100 percent guaranteed," UNHCR 
Representative Ron Mponda opined that the peace process in 
the Casamance was "faltering" and he anticipated the need for 
resettlement of some of the urban Senegalese, due also to an 
increasing emphasis on hiring only Gambians on the local 
economy.  For the same reason, resettlement may also be the 
best durable solution for a limited number of Liberians.  As 
for the Sierra Leoneans, UNHCR has promoted repatriation 
under the terms of a tripartite agreement signed in 2003, but 
only about 13 percent of them took advantage of UNHCR 
assistance to repatriate during 2004.  There is general 
skepticism over resettlement prospects for this group because 
of fears that rumors of free tickets to the U.S. or Australia 
could trigger a mass exodus from Sierra Leone itself.  UNHCR 
staff was nonetheless open-minded about resettling refugees 
of any nationality who face "psycho-social" problems and are 
unable to adapt to life in The Gambia. 
 
10.  (SBU) As elsewhere, UNHCR is under-staffed and 
under-funded. Geneva is considering closing the office in 
Banjul as a cost-cutting measure (and servicing The Gambia 
from its Senegal office) even though neighboring Senegal has 
fewer recognized refugees.  Ironically, the Banjul office has 
only been open since November 2003. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
11.  (SBU) It was a pleasant surprise to discover a thriving, 
well managed camp functioning in a country of such limited 
means.  The disparate treatment afforded different groups of 
refugees is particularly visible in The Gambia.  We might 
encourage the host government to be more generous in its 
treatment of urban refugees, some of whom find it 
increasingly difficult to earn a paycheck.  Yet the problem 
may not be as severe as UNHCR and refugees allege, since most 
of the foreigners (who comprise about half of the population 
of The Gambia) are self-sustaining.  We hope UNHCR will 
follow through with appropriate referrals for resettlement 
for the most vulnerable refugee families. 
 
12.  (U)  This cable was cleared by Embassy Banjul prior to 
transmission. 
YATES