Bustling Border Towns in the Time of COVID-19

Towns along The Gambia and Senegal border, once bustling with trade and market activity, join the rest of the world in grappling with a ‘new normal’ — as migration and mobility take on new meanings in the time of COVID-19.

One kilometre apart, the towns of Kulinto Mawundeh and Kunkandi have a long history of intermarriage, trade and peaceful coexistence. Bound by a common ethnicity and language, -Fula- residents of both towns have long regarded each other as family.

This connection has never waned, despite the two towns being on opposite sides of an international border. With Kulinto Mawundeh in The Gambia and Kunkandi in Senegal, the border had always just been symbolic, until COVID-19 came along.

With 24 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in The Gambia and more than 2,500 in Senegal*, both governments agreed on 23 March to restrict movement across their borders for an initial period of 21 days. This has since been extended until the second week of June.

“It has always been a part of our lives to take commodities to Senegal, sell them and come back,” says the imam of Kulinto Mawundeh. “We have not been able to do that since the border closure.”

Where visiting relatives on the ‘other side’ was once a stone’s throw away, residents now think twice about crossing.

“We have very close relationships with people across the border,” laments one resident. We used to visit each other so frequently like we were one community. The virus has changed things.”

COVID-19 is rapidly transforming the lives of those living along porous and fluid borders.

The smallest country in continental Africa, The Gambia is surrounded by Senegal on all 749 kilometres of its land borders. With common languages, cultures and traditions, more brings the two countries together than what separates them

Authorities have been patrolling the borders as a public health measure. Though there are 12 official land border crossing points, informal movement has long taken place at unofficial crossing points.

“Since the border closure, we have not been able to interact with our neighbours like we normally do,” says the alkalo (village chief) of Kulinto Mawundeh.

“We have known each other for years. If they come over to spend time with us or sell goods, it’s difficult for us to stop them, but we will ask them to wash their hands before coming in.”

A few kilometres away from Kulinto Mawundeh, the town of Dingiri and its residents are facing the same effects of COVID-19. Dingiri is one of the Gambian border communities that host lumo, a traditional weekly market, which is an opportunity for traders from both sides of the border to earn their highest income of the week.

Residents of Dingiri see it as a part of both The Gambia and Senegal — making a strict border closure more difficult to enforce.

“You see those houses over there,” points one resident at the not-so-far distance. “They are already in Senegal.”

“You look around and you won’t be able to tell who is from The Gambia, who is from Senegal,” remarks a member of its Village Development Committee (VDC). “For now we have closed the weekly market completely and other trading activities after 6pm.”

In the middle of the day, women sell fruits and vegetables under the scorching heat of the sunless busy than they once were in a world before COVID-19.

The impact of the border closure is magnified in towns with official border crossing points (BCPs) like Sabi, home to one of three BCPs in The Gambia’s Upper River Region. The region averages 950 official crossings per month, owing largely to traders from Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali and Senegal converging to buy and sell items such as cloths and spices.

Cross-border traders from Sabi are accustomed to spending weeks in other countries, working from town to town, market to market. As in many parts of the world, the border closures have been a huge blow to their income and livelihood.

“Many of them call to ask when the border will reopen. We try to explain why the border must remain closed for now to curb COVID-19, but we know it is difficult for them,” said Malick Singhateh, Public Health Officer at Sabi’s border post.

Despite the significant reduction in cross-border trade with Senegal — and almost total halt in some communities — most are understanding of the need to avert the spread of COVID-19.

Recognizing that many will continue to attempt to cross through unofficial points, residents of Sabi have established a community surveillance team, composed mostly of youth volunteers eager to play their part in combatting the pandemic.

At a community meeting, public health, immigration, police and youth representatives called on each other to strengthen cooperation and information-sharing. “This is how we stopped Ebola from entering the country years ago, and this is what we need to do again,” remarked one immigration officer at the frontline.

In towns with porous borders like Dingiri and Kulinto Mawundeh, village leaders are taking the initiative to install handwashing stations and put up educational posters in strategic locations. “Those of us who listen to the radio have been hearing about COVID-19 for a while, but there are still a lot of rumours going around that we need to address,” noted one village leader.

To support efforts to combat COVID-19, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched on a nationwide campaign, engaging influential community figures — village leaders, religious leaders, border officials, women and youth — to raise awareness on COVID-19. The community leaders are trained by IOM and partners to facilitate discussions on the nature of the disease, common signs and symptoms, key measures to prevent transmission, mechanisms of seeking support and issues of stigma and discrimination.

“The community leaders hold significant influence,”. says Stephen Matete, Head of IOM’s Immigration and Border Management Unit in The Gambia.

“Through this campaign, we encourage them to trickle down accurate information to the rest of the border communities, especially mobile populations.,”

Thus far, 1,260 community leaders have been engaged in 162 border communities. They have additionally been supported through the provision of essential hygiene supplies, as well as basic personal protective equipment (PPE) in the Upper River Region, which recorded the country’s lone case of COVID-19 thus far outside Banjul.

As the pandemic continues to spread across West Africa with no end in sight, many wonder when things would go back to normal.

“The mango season is coming soon,” notes one resident of Kulinto Mawundeh. “This year, we might not be able to sell our mangoes in Senegal as we normally do.”

*As of 19 May 2020

IOM’s COVID-19 response in Gambian border communities is supported by the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, Government of Japan and UN Peacebuilding Fund.

This story was written by Miko Alazas, IOM’s Communications Officer in The Gambia