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There has been tension between the Senegal Transport Union and Gambian authorities at the Senegambia Bridge also known as TransGambia. The tension degenerated into a full-blown protest over the recently introduced e-tracking system by the Gambia Revenue Authority, which monitors all trucks at the border entering The Gambia. The protest led to an emergency close-door meeting between citizens of both nations, with its attendant delays in movement and trade.
Brief history of the bridge
The Gambia shares an extensive border with Senegal. The idea of the TransGambia bridge was conceived as far back as the colonial era. It did not come to fruition then, nor did it during the past two regimes, some of which involved political reasons. In 2015 the foundation block for the bridge was laid, with a 4 Billion Dalasi funding from the African Development Fund (ADF). Yahya Jammeh, former President of The Gambia, could not see the project to the end, as he was removed from power the following year after losing the 2016 elections to the coalition.
The current Barrow government proceeded with the project and the bridge started operating in 2019. The bridge was then renamed Senegambia Bridge, a name that most Gambians do not recognise. Amidst all of these, there have been claims that President Barrow did this to help Macky Sall in his campaign for the 2019 presidential elections.
The bridge’s opening has eased movement for travellers and traders whose only option was to cross using the ferry, an unreliable means of transport that kept travellers waiting for hours if not days.
The controversial e-tracking system
Recently, The Gambia Revenue Authority introduced an E-Tracking system that helps detect trucks coming in and out of the country. Each truck is expected to pay a 1600 Dalasi custom fee. This innovation, however, has not gone well with Senegalese drivers. They decided to stage a protest last month that halted movement on the bridge.
Why the E-Tracking System
The Gambia Revenue Authority, over the years, realised that Senegalese drivers have been successfully escaping customs duties on their trucks. It has been reported that previously, business owners used Senegalese trucks to avoid paying customs fees because they could claim that it was not meant for the Gambian market. A custom officer would be physically assigned to follow the truck to ensure no deviation into The Gambia. These customs officers have been widely alleged to take bribes, making millions from such ventures, leading to a huge loss of revenue to the GRA. This is why the Gambia Revenue Authority has now introduced an e-tracking system, with its monitoring room in Banjul where it could see the use of the bridge in real-time. The tracker is only removed once the truck leaves The Gambia. If a truck driver attempts to deviate, it sends an alert to the monitoring room.
Territorial Dispute
The President of the Senegal Transport Union, Gora Khatoum, in an interview, told reporters that they do not recognize TransGambia as part of Gambia but rather as a territory in Senegal.
“This Trans-Gambia, we do not consider it to be part of the Gambian territory. This is because the TransGambia corridor is part of Senegal,” said Gora Khatoum. This caused outrage amongst Gambians on social media, with many calling out Senegal for not respecting Gambia’s sovereignty and blaming the Gambia government for enabling them.
Negotiations
Due to the heavy tensions at the border between the truck drivers and Gambian officials, both countries engaged in diplomatic means to resolve the issue. Government officials from both countries met and had a close-door meeting which is said to have lasted about five hours, ultimately resulting in a solution.
Resolution
Following the negotiations, the officials agreed that the 353 trucks, which is valued at D563,000, from both ends at the border were going to be exempted from paying the fees as a “goodwill gesture” from the president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow. The trucks were to leave the border within 24 hours after the meeting. Part of the agreement, among others, is that the Gambia would continue its e-tracking system and Senegal would equally deploy its own. Vehicles could be stopped and checked for security reasons.
