0100,0100,0100Times New RomanTuesday, 16 July, 2002, 20:23 GMT 21:23 UK
BBC
Ferry fares split Gambia and Senegal
sans-serifTension is building on the border between Gambia and Senegal due to an escalating
dispute over ferry fares.
Times New Roman{PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT="}
Their actions are making a mockery of regional integration {PRIVATE "TYPE=PICT;ALT="}
sans-serifSenegalese union leaders say Gambia has doubled ferry fares for Senegalese vehicles
crossing the Senegal River into Gambia, while keeping Gambian cars exempt.
They have retaliated by preventing vehicles from crossing the border into Senegal in
both directions.
But ferry authorities say there is a misunderstanding and that all vehicles pay the new,
increased fare.
The Gambian Government is now trying to solve the problem through diplomatic
channels.
Long queues
The BBC's Ebrima Sillah, who went to the Senegalese side of the border on Tuesday,
says that long queues of trucks have formed at the checkpoint because transport
union members are preventing goods from being taken across.
He says that some drivers are worried because their livelihood is threatened by the
blockade.
But he says that people are allowed to walk across the border in both directions.
On Monday, the vehicle of Gambian Foreign Minister Baboucarr Blaise Jagne, who
wanted to cross into Senegal to travel on to Mauritania, was prevented from travelling
over the border.
He has urged the Senegalese Government to respect the free movement of goods
between the two countries.
"Their actions are making a mockery of regional integration," he said at a news
briefing in Banjul.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~