By Sainabou Sambou
Wife of late Solo Sandeng has called on President Barrow to ensure justice for his husband’s death.
Solo Sandeng led a protest during Yahya Jammeh’s regime and was arrested, tortured and reportedly killed.
The late man’s wife was speaking at a press conference held on Friday 22 April 2022 by the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations on President Adama Barrow’s appointment of Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the national Assembly respectively.
The Centre says the appointment is unfair and insensitive to the horrible experiences victims underwent in the 22-year rule of Yahya Jammeh in which the now appointed Speaker and Deputy Speaker served in key positions.
Nyima Sonko emphasized that she would like the whole world to know that they are seriously disappointed are worried, adding that, by making such appointments, President Barrow has worsened their plights instead wipe their tears.
“He [President Adama Barrow] knows everything about us being victims of Yahya Jammeh’s leadership. Some of us are widows as our husbands were killed leaving us with kids. I thought that Adama Barrow will wipe our tears, but he has not. Instead he is making us cry. He should have considered the death of our relatives before appointing Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie in parliament,” she lamented.
“I want to ask Adama Barrow if they had killed his wife Fatoumatta Bah Barrow or his son who is studying in America or his sister; would he have behaved like this,” she asked with tears rolling her cheeks.
She noted that they want justice to served between them and the alleged perpetrators, claiming that Seedy Njie and Fabakary Tombong Jatta were part of a regime that tortured and killed their relatives.
Madam Sonko called for the removal of Seedy Njie and Fabakary Tombong Jatta, saying that they cannot allow justice to prevail since they were part of the system.
said the late Solo Sandeng and Barrow did lot of things together and they were in the same political party.
“I went to Adama Barrow with Sukai Dahaba and my children. I explained to him all my problems. I am suffering, so let him give us justice,” she said.
She cited that there are women whose husbands and fathers were killed in the Jammeh’s regime and that they are seriously battling with accommodation challenges, pointing out that the President could have given them land, but he is instead sharing land to his ministers.
Reiterating her dissatisfaction, she said she was in great shock when she heard of the appointment of Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie.
“If not for the help of Allah, I would have died on the day Adama Barrow appointed Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Seedy Njie. I was trembling and fear overcame me. Let him remove them from those positions.”
