It will soon be four weeks since the Nancy athlete Oumar Dembelé has been held in the administrative detention center (CRA) in Metz. In France for three years, the young man of 20 is threatened with deportation to his country of origin, Mali, where he no longer has any ties. The prefecture of Meurthe-et-Moselle requires authentic documents for “change the situation“, but the passport application made by Oumar Dembelé is still being processed at the consulate office.
“Here is not a life”
“It’s the status quosummarizes the Nancy coach of Oumar Dembelé, Nicolas Mourot. According to the information we have, it would be difficult to send him back to Mali, given that there would be no plane chartered for Bamako because of diplomatic relations between France and Mali.“The junta took power a few weeks ago, which is not likely to speed up Oumar Dembelé’s case.
In the meantime, will his stay at the CRA be extended? The young man must meet the judge of freedoms by February 13. “I missed a month of class in high school, it hurts me. My workouts too. I want a normal life, here it is not a life”, said Oumar Dembelé, educated in a professional baccalaureate Technician in maintenance of energy and climate systems at Héré high school.
– Greater Nancy Athletics Club
At the detention center, Oumar Dembelé receives calls from his support committee every day. “We feel helpless today“, admits Soraya Marquer, at the origin of the mobilization. The petition has gathered more than 35,000 signatures. The socialist senator from Meurthe-et-Moselle Olivier Jacquin took over the filehe visited Oumar Dembelé last Monday. “He is a young person who wants to, who has demonstrated his ability to integrate and to tell young people “go back home”, it is hopeless”deplores the parliamentarian.