The Julakay National Holding Co. Limited (hereafter Julakay Group) is operating in Faraba Banta village surroundings without never having received the village’s consent. Jukalay’s sand mining puts under jeopardy the villagers’ rice fields as its activities might trigger the salinization of the soils, rendering them unproductive. Women are particularly concerned as they the ones whose tradition has put them in charge of rice cultivation, guaranteeing food sovereignty. Several women of the village have fields on the sand quarries [1]. By January 18th, 2018, Faraba’s Village Development Committee (VDC) made a request to the ministry of Local Government and Lands to revoke Julakay’s mining license. The VDC claims that Julakay’s operations harm the community and its lands. They complain the company has destroyed a football field and other compounds. The permanent secretary at the Ministry of Lands, Buba Sanyang said to have set up a technical team to visit Julakay’s mining site and verify VDC’s claims. Yet by May 23rd, the Inspector General of Police informed the ministry of Lands and other stakeholders that Julakay’s mining license is in due order and the company was granted the permit to continue their operations. The villagers were very unsatisfied with that decision [2]. Villagers from Faraba Banta protested on May 26th, 2018. The youth of the village is particularly concerned and mobilized [3]. They contest the mining activities as the village was never notified about Julakay’s license to mining. Some villagers and VDC members decided to take the matter to the court for an injunction to stop the sand mining until the concerns of the population are addressed. However, the chief of police office of the Inspector General of Police informed the population that Julakay Group enjoys a legal license to mine [4].During the clashes on May 26th, the Gambia Police Intervention Unit (PIU), a paramilitary force, intervened and since then paramilitaries remain in the village surroundings and protect the mining site. Gambia’s Inspector General of police, Landing Kinteh argues Julakay pays a quarterly compensation of 100.000 GambianDelasi (1789,85 euros) to Faraba community. Yet the chairman of Faraba’s VDC rejected Mr. Kinteh’s claims. On the contrary he argues his community has never received a dime from the company. The people accuse the Inspector General of Police of siding with the mining company [5].On June 18th, during new demonstrations, members of the PIU killed three villagers [6]. After this lethal repression, five officers of the PIU were suspended and the President of Gambia set up a Commission in Faraba Banta to hear witnesses [7]. During several meetings of this commission, the people heard were many: villagers, among which women as well, the elders, but also Mr. Kinteh (former Inspector General of police), the VDC chairman. Women of Faraba Banta travelled to the capital, Banjul, to meet with members of the National Assembly and confronted them with the issues of their village [8]. By early August 2018 during one of the meetings of that commission it was said that the mining company gave Faraba’s VDC D10, 000 Gambian Delasi (178.85 euros) and another 5.000 Gambian Delasi (89.43 euros) were distributed among the village elders for their private use [9].During one of the meetings of this commission, on July 25th, the elders formulated their demands to Julakay, asking for “repairing of the village road and bridge, building a local market for the village women, as to helping in the rehabilitation of the village health centre, provision of job employment for the youths” [10].

Apparently, Julakay National Holding Co. Limited secured a sand mining license in 2007 with the Department of Geology, yet without having defined the area where to mine. In July 2018, the Faraba Banta Commission required to the Managing Director of the Department of Geology, M. Cham, to provide that original documentation. Yet the Director said to the commission he was unable to provide that documentation. Instead he affirmed that “Julakay was issued license on July 10th 2017; that the issuance of license is accompanied by the management of plans which includes access road to the mining site, preparation of the site and office for staff of the mining Company” [1]. The area of Jukalay’s mining license expanded from an original 3,4 hectares to 8,4 hectares [2]. There was no information online found to determine where the capital of this company comes from, whether it is Gambian or not. After the severe repression of the demonstration on June 18th 2018, the Gambian National Assembly discussed the land issues occurring in the country. It has been mentioned that the Department of Geology is legally not supposed to grant licenses for mining [3].