Gambia: How Long Will Litigants Suffer in Farm Land Disputes?

Many farmers who have dispute over ownership of land suffer a great deal. When a land dispute between two famers end up in a district tribunal or a court for adjudication, the court or tribunal often tends to put an embargo on the use of the land by the litigants and sometimes this drags on for years. The party that relies entirely on the disputed land for their livelihood suffers a great deal because of this as they rely on the suit land entirely for their survival.

A recent case in point is the case of Jarrol. The people of Jarrol village in Foni Jarrol have sued the residents of Nioro Jarrol claiming ownership of the farmlands. Farmers residing in Nioro Jarrol cannot farm this year because of a restrictive order by the Foni Jarrol District Tribunal barring them (farmers) from farming on the disputed land. They now attend court in Brikama, but proceedings have been scheduled six times without hearing of the case. The rains will soon come to an end without them farming to generate income so that they can feed and clothe themselves and pay the fees of their children.

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