Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The Gambia government has acknowledged that a fence constructed around the Bulock military barracks was built on land that falls on the Senegalese side of the boundary, Lands, Regional Government, and Religious Affairs Minister Hamat Bah has told the National Assembly.
Bah made the disclosure while contributing to debate on the ratification of the African Union Convention on Cross-Border Cooperation, commonly known as the Niamey Convention.
The admission comes against the backdrop of renewed attention to the Gambia-Senegal border and longstanding questions over the precise location and management of the boundary.
‘We Built on Senegalese Land’
On July 16, 2026, Senegalese Armed Forces demolished around 200 meters of the perimeter fence at the Gambian military camp in Bulock, claiming it encroached on Senegalese territory. Gambian soldiers did not intervene, leading to public concern and political debate over national security and sovereignty.
Addressing lawmakers, Bah said the Bulock incident was part of the broader difficulties surrounding the identification and maintenance of the international boundary.
“We built on Senegalese land in Block,” Bah said.
He rejected, however, suggestions that The Gambia was losing territory to Senegal, arguing that the government’s ongoing boundary exercise is intended to establish and reaffirm the positions of the existing boundary markers.
“Nobody is taking anybody’s land. We are just affirming where the pillars are,” he said.
Bah said the government had acquired specialized equipment and trained personnel to identify, reaffirm, and densify boundary pillars, particularly in areas where markers are missing or difficult to locate.
He said Gambian officials had received training with support from GIZ, while experts from Ghana and Burkina Faso had also been brought in to strengthen their technical capacity.
Boundary Management
The minister said the Department of Border Management was established in 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s management of its borders.
He also referred to the Gambia-Senegal Boundary Management Commission as a joint mechanism intended to manage the boundary, prevent disputes, and promote peaceful cooperation between the two countries.
Bah disclosed, however, that The Gambia’s body is currently legally constituted as a committee rather than a full commission. He said the government would therefore have to return to the National Assembly to establish it formally as a commission.
The minister said previous governments, including the PPP and APRC administrations, had initiated efforts to address border-management challenges but failed to complete the necessary work.
According to Bah, inadequate equipment, limited technical capacity, and weak institutional structures had made it difficult for The Gambia to effectively undertake boundary-related activities.
He assured lawmakers that the government now had the necessary equipment and expertise to address the problem.
“Our people are safe; our country is safe,” he said.
Cooperation Between The Gambia and Senegal
The parliamentary debate also highlighted the wider challenges posed by colonial-era borders, which divided communities that continue to maintain close family, cultural, and economic ties across the frontier.
Lawmakers stressed the importance of continued cooperation between The Gambia and Senegal in areas including free movement, trade, livestock, agriculture, healthcare, and education.
They also warned that ratifying regional and international agreements would have limited value if government failed to provide the resources and political commitment required for their implementation.
Bah said the government was not seeking to redraw the border but to reaffirm existing boundary positions and protect the markers.
He added that President Adama Barrow and Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye were committed to resolving outstanding border issues peacefully.
The minister also accused those suggesting that Senegal was taking Gambian territory of misleading the public, insisting that the ongoing exercise is focused on clarifying and protecting the existing boundary between the two countries.
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