Fatou Tamba is set to be deported to The Gambia within days, where her family say her life will be in danger
Fatou Tamba is facing deportation from the UK
A Liverpool woman who is facing imminent deportation to a country where her family fear she could be killed has faced a fresh blow in her fight for freedom.
Today the ECHO revealed that Fatou Tamba, who has lived in the UK for the past 17 years – with eight of them spent in Liverpool – is set to be deported to her native country of The Gambia in days after being detained by immigration officials. Her family fear she will be persecuted in The Gambia and that her life will be in danger.
Ms Tamba, 55, was living off Smithdown Road before she was detained by immigration officials last month. She has spent the last few weeks at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre in the North East ahead of an expected deportation on Tuesday of next week.
Today, Ms Tamba’s family were hoping that she would be released on immigration bail so that she could work on her case against deportation with her legal team and spend time with her family – including her partner and son, who are based in the UK.
But her brother Lamine, also based in the UK, has today confirmed to the ECHO that the application for immigration bail has been turned down, so she must remain at the immigration centre, where her family say she is ‘distressed’ and claim she has not received appropriate medical care for her diabetes condition.
Mr Tamba told the ECHO: “Her application was rejected despite never having a history of absconding, having no criminal record and being of no danger to the public. It was not nice at all. We hope there will be a way (to stop the deportation) before Tuesday despite the two bank holidays.”
Fatou Tamba is set to be deported to The Gambia after living in the UK for 17 years
Ms Tamba first arrived in the UK from The Gambia, in West Africa as a visitor to her brother Lamine, who has British citizenship. But she did not feel she could return to the country as a change of ruling party had made life dangerous for her and her family.
She has lived in the UK for 18 years, with many of those years spent in Liverpool. She has become a prominent figure in the city’s refugee and asylum seeker community, working with different community groups to support women arriving in the region.
Having remained in the UK, she had asylum applications rejected but was recently trying again to achieve the right to stay in the country, on the basis that she has built a family life here with her son, partner and community. She has most recently been living in the Smithdown Road area before her detention.
Lamine explained the dangers the family fear his sister could face if sent back to The Gambia next week. He told the ECHO: “Most of our family is associated with the former government in The Gambia and this has resulted in us being targeted. Members of our family have been detained for years without charges and our cousin was shot. Many have had to flee and we still receive death threats.
“Fatou is very worried about what could happen to her if she is sent back. She is very scared right now and in real mental distress. This will not be a safe place for her. People connected to the current [Gambian] government have made it clear that we will not return alive if we set foot in The Gambia. If she is sent back, she will be at risk of kidnapping, false imprisonment, or death.”
He added: “Fatou is not only my sister but a mother, a partner, an auntie, and a cherished member of our community. She has built her life here, and she is loved and respected by many.
“We are pleading for compassion and justice so Fatou can regularise her status. She is a kind, compassionate woman who wants nothing more than to live safely, contribute to society, and be with her family and partner.”
Kitty Worthing, who is a GP in Liverpool, said: “We cannot talk about deportation without death. Detention and deportation are violent, deadly practices. As community members, healthcare workers, activists, friends and family members, we are doing everything we can to keep Fatou safe.”
The Home Office said its longstanding policy is not to comment on individual cases. A petition calling for the deportation plan to be stopped has been launched and can be found here.