By Seedy Jobe
Yankuba Darboe, the chairman of the Brikama Area Council, on Sunday sharply criticized President Adama Barrow for what he described as an attempt to place responsibility for deadly irregular migration journeys on the victims and their families, rather than on government policy failures.
The Gambia continues to struggle with the persistent flow of young people embarking on the so-called “backway,” the perilous migration route toward Europe. The latest tragedy occurred off Jinack village, where a boat carrying more than 200 people capsized, leaving several confirmed dead and many others missing.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on January 4, Mr. Darboe accused the president of deflecting accountability. “President Barrow is shifting blame for the backway tragedies to the victims and their families, while taking no responsibility for his government’s failure to inspire hope among our youths to aspire to live in this country under his leadership,” Mr. Darboe wrote.
His remarks came less than 24 hours after President Barrow addressed the nation on the Jinack boat disaster and reiterated similar themes during a subsequent rally of his party in Mamuda.
The exchange underscores the deepening political and social tensions surrounding irregular migration, an issue that has claimed hundreds of Gambian lives in recent years and remains a potent symbol of youth frustration, unemployment, and unfulfilled expectations in the country.
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