By: Christian Conteh

The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone has announced that it will commence a public inquiry into the conduct of law enforcement officials. This the commission says is in line with their mandate to conduct a public inquiry into allegations of systemic human rights violations pursuant to Section 7 (2)(a) of the HRCSL Act (No. 9) of 2004 and Rule 42 of the HRCSL (Complaints, Investigations and Inquiries) Rules of 2008.

“Having monitored, received and documented many allegations of human rights violations by Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) especially in the maintenance of public order, the Commission has decided to undertake a public inquiry into the conduct of LEOs. The Commission has also documented instances of attacks by citizens on LEOs; the inquiry will also look into such allegations,” a statement from the commission read.

The scope of the public inquiry the statement notes will be for a period of seven years (2015-2021). Key issues to be determined by the Inquiry include:

Whether Law Enforcement Officers used disproportionate force in the execution of their duties contrary to the UN Guiding Principles on the use of Force and Firearms.

Whether there were loss of lives and grievous bodily harm resulting from excessive use of force by LEOs contrary to Section 16 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR) as well as Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

Whether the right to property was violated by LEOs in executing their mandate contrary to Section 21 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 and Article 14 of the ACHPR. Whether LEOs lost their lives or sustained grievous bodily harm in the hands of members of the public or individuals while carrying out their lawful duties contrary to Section 16 and 13(j) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991.

Whether individual LEOs and/or their institutions were held accountable for their actions in line with their institutional Codes of Conduct. Whether appropriate actions were taken against individuals for abuses against LEOs.

The public inquiry will also seek to know whether LEOs needed further and requisite training in enforcing the law and if at all they were provided with requisite logistical and operational resources.

Finally, the inquiry will find out whether citizens were adequately aware of their rights and responsibilities especially the duty to respect and cooperate with LEOs in the execution of their lawful mandate.

The Commission through its statement informed the public that for the purposes of the Inquiry it has set up a secretariat to manage the affairs of the Public Inquiry. This it says is in accordance with Rule 43 (5) of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (Complaints, Investigations and Inquiries) Rules, 2008.

Meanwhile, it calls on anyone who may require further clarifications, wish to make a statement, submit written memoranda or provide any information to the panel to contact the commissions’ offices to contact HRCSL Complaints House, No. 3 Lamina Sankoh Street, Freetown and its other office or outlets across the country.

The Inquiry which is divided into three (3) phases will run from January to August

Pre-Inquiry Stage (January–March), Inquiry Stage (April -May), Post-Inquiry Stage (June–August)

The commission reminds members of the public that any falsification of documents and /or misleading information provided for the purposes of the inquiry will lead to punitive measures as provided by the HRCSL Complaint Rules of 2008 and the Perjury Act of 1911.

Gunmen on motorbikes have killed and abducted dozens of residents from two communities in Niger state, Nigeria, after attacks over the weekend.

Relatives of those affected are currently searching for their loved ones.

The raids come two weeks after authorities in Nigeria launched a major military operation to crack down on bandits in the area. Residents of Galadima Kogo and Galkogo told the BBC that the attackers shot people at close range. They also set houses on fire and ransacked residents’ belongings.

Similar deadly attacks have been common in the north-western states of Kaduna, Zamfara and Kebbi and central Niger.

While many residents have fled their villages, others resort to paying money to the bandits to be allowed to live.

BBC

One of Sierra Leone’s most senior judges, Nicolas Brown-Marke, is holding a session inside the Makeni prison facility in the north of the country.

His is seeking to “right the wrong” of people spending long years in prison before conviction or acquittal, as well as instances of heavy-handed sentences being handed down by magistrates beyond their powers.

The nationwide exercise is looking into more than 1,000 cases.

BBC

Chairman of Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Alieu Momarr Njai has said the country’s presidential election December held on 4^th December 2021 was one of the best presidential elections in Africa in recent times.

He made the statement recently at consultative conference held by the IEC to update political parties, civil society and the media on the Commission’s calendar of activities for the forthcoming National Assembly Elections to be held on 9 April 2022.

Mr. Njai said the IEC conducted the said election in a free, fair, transparent and credible manner which was endorsed by all local and international election observers that monitored the election nationwide.

IEC Chairman assured that the Commission will conduct the forthcoming assembly election in the same manner.

The African Union (AU) has suspended Burkina Faso a week after the military seized power in a coup.

It said the country would be blocked from all AU activities until constitutional order was restored.

The West African regional bloc, Ecowas, which suspended Burkina Faso last week, has sent a delegation to the capital Ouagadougou.

It will join a team from the United Nations for talks with the new military leaders.

BBC

A Tanzanian schoolgirl has had to return to the classroom with her baby after a new order reversed a ban on pregnant schoolgirls.

Esnath Gideon told BBC Swahili that she lacked a caregiver and the teachers were gracious enough to allow her into the class with her four-month-old baby.

The 19-year-old had lost hope about completing her education when she got pregnant while in form four.

She is now happy the government has allowed young mothers to resume studies and wants to study hard and become a lawyer.

“With the baby in class, my concentration is affected but I’m mostly able to listen. The challenge is when the baby needs a nappy change as there are no places in school where I can change the baby,” she says.

Ms Gideon lives with her grandmother who sells samosas in the market and is happy her granddaughter is able to study.

The grandmother was disappointed when Ms Gideon got pregnant as that meant she would stop studying.

Tanzania’s former President John Magufuli had banned pregnant girls and young mothers from attending school but the current President Samia Suluhu reversed the ban.

More than 1,500 pregnant girls were expelled from schools in Mbeya district.

So far, 240 of them have returned and a special system has been put in place to allow them to cover the syllabus in a shorter time.

BBC

By Yerro Mballow

Hamadi Kandeh, a 58 years Gambian who is resident of Bansang has been arrested in Bansang by Drug Laws Enforcement Agency of Gambia. The apprehension occurred on 28 January 2022 in Bansang where he was found with a big bundle of cannabis sativa, seventeen parcels and some quantities of prohibited drugs as well as a fire arm.

He is being charged for possession of prohibited drugs contrary to section 47 of the Drug Control Act 2003 Revised Laws of the Gambia.

In a similar but separate development, Faye and Zaidah Sanneh who are both resident of Bansang were also arrested and charged for possession of suspected prohibited drugs.

According to the particulars of offence, Faye Ceesay, a 57-years-old whose occupation is a civil servant, was apprehended on the 28 January 2022 around with three parcels and twenty four wraps of suspected cannabis sativa. For his part, Zaidah Sanneh, who is a school going student, was also arrested on the samee day with four cannabis sativa. They are said to be in custody awaiting prosecution.

Speaking to the Fatu Network, the Public Relation officer of the DLEAG, Ousman Saidybah confirmed the arrests and assured that the agency is poised to control the use and possession of prohibited drugs in the Gambia. “We want to see Gambia free from prohibited drugs so that everyone can live a peaceful and happy life. Therefore, we will continue to do our work to the best of our abilities”

By Sarjo Brito

A leaked report on the findings and recommendations of the inspection team that was tasked by the Ministry of Local Government to investigate the Kanifing Municipal Council on corruption allegations has revealed that the former CEO of the Kanifing Municipal Council Sainabou Martin Sonko allegedly solicited an amount of D1 million as ‘cola nut’ money for her to expedite the payment of D4.5 million to ALMOT. The CEO of ALMOT Mr Alieu Danso reportedly entered into an agreement with the staff association of the council to provide a total of 167 plots of land for interested staff of the council at an amount of D60,000 per plot, payable in 40months. The report says the staff deductions began in October 2020 until May 2021 when the staff association decided that ALMOT must show the staff their plots of land they were paying for, in failure of which they will stop paying. ALMOT failed to honour their end of the bargain according to the report.

According to the report of the inspection team, the following finding were made:

‘’It was discovered in a letter written by the CEO of ALMOT Mr. Alieu Danso to the ECO of KMC, (Sainabou) the former was requesting for the CEO of KMC to pay upfront the sum of 4.5 million dalasis towards the payment of plan for the plots of land for the Council Staff’’

‘’the D30,000 allege bribery received by the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko from the CEO of ALMOT Alieu Danso, is a result of the contractual agreement to purchase plots of land for the KMCSWA. Mr. Alieu Danso alleged that he gave once received a call from Baboucarr Sanyang stating that the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko requested for him to give her one million dalasis as ‘cola nut’ in order for her to speed up payment of the 4.5 million dalasis he earlier requested to cover up a period of 12 months as first instalment. Alieu Danso allegedly declined to honour the request solicited by CEO Sonko.   Mr Danso later said he was called by Baboucarr Sanyang allegedly conveying another message from CEO Sonko that, Mr Danso can now give her D100,000 instead, which Mr. Danso again said he does not have’’

‘’however, Mr. Danso told the inspection team that it was after these calls that he decided to come and meet CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko personally and persuade her to take D30,000 instead. He said he gave the money to Sainabou in the presence of Baboucarr Sanyang in expectation of a favour to receive the 4.5 million he had earlier requested’’

‘’The CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko confirmed to the inspection team that of receiving the D30,000 from Mr. Danso. However, she denied the allegation that she received the money as a ‘bribe’ for her to expedite the payment. She stated that it does not make any sense knowing that the KMCSWA did not have D4.5 million in its account to make such payment to ALMOT’’

‘’Sainabou Martin Sonko further stated that she refused to take the offer of D30,000 from Mr Danso of ALMOT thrice but was later convinced to receive the money by Baboucarr Sanyang saying in wollof ‘’Lii teranga la, the teranga ken do kodeloh’’, loosely meaning: This is a favour, and no one rejects a favour. It was because of the persuasion of her colleague Baboucarr Sanyang that she finally accepted the said money’’

Baboucarr Sanyang denied the allegation from both parties that he participated in contact the CEO of ALMOT on behalf of CEO Sonko nor persuaded CEO Sonko to accept the alleged bribe. The duo however insists in all their engagements with the inspection team that Baboucarr Sanyang was present in all the meetings that took place between the two of them and that he was there when the CEO Sonko received the D30,000 from the CEO of ALMOT Alieu Danso.

The Kanifing Municipal Council was involved in a huge corruption scandal last year following allegations involving the CEO Sainabou Martin Sonko and then Deputy Mayor Musa Bah. The allegations led to the suspension of CEO Sonko and Musa stepping down from his role as Talib’s number two. A commission of inquiry was recently set up by the Gambia government to investigate the council on these charges.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Head Coach of The Gambia National Team, Tom Saintfiet has told reporters that the team has nothing to lose as it’s ready to face AFCON’s host Cameroon in the quarter final on 29 January 2022. Cameroon has won the AFCON five times: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017.

The coach expressed hope that the Scorpions will beat Cameroon and proceed to the simi-finals, noting that Cameroon is well-experienced but that the Scorpions will do their utmost best in the game. He disclosed his team had some injuries but that the players were speedily recovering and hopes that they will play against Cameroon.

“We are happy that all the squad and staff tested negative to Covid. The moral is high as we are in the quarter final which sounds fantastic.”

Since Gambia made its first appearance in the tournament, football enthusiasts continue talking about their performance in the nations league. It can also be heard on both radios and TVs that The Gambian team play together as a family. “Now everyone is talking about Gambia everywhere. We are doing our best to put Gambia at the highest level and we are proud of that. We are playing Cameroon which is a very strong team, but we are not afraid of them,” he said.

“Cameroon is the host and they have the largest fans. We hope our tactical plans will work. We have to be realistic and respect them but many times we play against bigger nations and beat them.We have policies to change the game and I believe in my players. I believe that we have the quality to make it very difficult for Cameroon,” he expressed.

Midfielder Ebou Adams, forward player Yusupha Njie, and defender James Gomez alle expressed hope that the team will continue their impressive performance in the tournament. James, whose defensive performance in the AFCON has been the talk of the town express hope that they will defeat Cameroon to give the fans the joy they deserve.

Sarjo Brito, a Gambian journalist who works as Sub-Editor at The Fatu Network is among 50 journalists selected worldwide to take part in an 11 month virtual briefing series- to be held from January to November.

The selection was done by the United States Foreign Press Center and has been confirmed by the United States Embassy in The Gambia which has congratulated the Gambian journalist for being selected to participate in the 2022 “Foreign Press Centers’ (FPC) virtual coverage of the U.S. Midterm Elections.

The program will bring participating journalists close to the American Electoral System with access to subject matter specialists who will offer exclusive insights into the U.S. electoral process.

The Foreign Press Centre has identified topics that will be critical in the upcoming midterm elections and that will interest foreign reporters.

His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has pronounced Antonio Rüdiger as Brand Global Sierra Leone Football Ambassador during a brief ceremony attended by family members, well-wishers and government officials.

Antonio Rüdiger is a Sierra Leonean-German professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for the Premier League club, Chelsea and the Germany national team.

Director of Protocols in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Lamina Paul Vamboi, said it was a remarkable and historic occasion in the history of football in the country as one of Sierra Leone’s distinguished compatriots was awarded by President Bio as a Brand Global Ambassador.

He added that the award ceremony reaffirmed the commitment by the government of Sierra Leone to canvass and promote sports as well as sporting activities with the aim of ensuring the country’s participation in sports on the international stage.

“Today, Antonio Rüdiger is being recognised for his outstanding role and contribution to Sierra Leone in the area of promoting sports. Also, he is a benefactor to His Excellency the President’s top priority of promoting Free Quality Education in the country,” Mr. Vamboi noted.

Reading the citation for the awardee Antonio Rüdiger, Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman, Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, said the humble personality of Rüdiger was the reason for his successes on the pitch and his highly decorated football career. He added that the footballer had also launched his foundation, focusing on sports education, sports infrastructure, sports inclusivity and literacy.

“Our recipient does not relent or hesitate to donate to causes dear to his heart and that benefit millions of children in Sierra Leone. His mission, it seems, is about changing lives and changing stories. On Sunday 19 January 2020, he met with His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio, on the margins of the UK-Africa Investment Summit in London and pledged Le1 billion ($101,000) for Sierra Leone’s Free Quality Education initiative.

“No doubt, it still remains the largest contribution by a single individual to the Free Quality School Education programme,” he disclosed.

In a brief acceptance speech, Antonio Rüdiger expressed gratitude to President Julius Maada Bio for the recognition and award and extended appreciation to his family without whose support, he said, the award and recognition would have been impossible. He added that he felt honoured and proud to accept the award.

“Thank you very much. I feel honoured to serve this country and put this country in a better light,” he concluded.

While handing over the diplomatic passport to Antonio Rüdiger, His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio congratulated him on his award and thanked him for accepting such a distinguished honour. He added that Rüdiger had shown that he was not only a Sierra Leonean by blood, but also by his action when he donated a billion leones to the endeavour of advancing education to every child in the country.

President Bio further noted that the country appreciated the efforts of Rüdiger in improving the lives of his fellow compatriots and assured that whenever footballer was on the pitch playing, the country had tuned in to watch him with love and passion.

“We confer this on you because we think you deserve it. We need to do more for you as you continue to do more for us. We are proud of who you are, what you are doing. Your humility in greatness is what we admire about you as Sierra Leoneans. We are proud of you and hope that you can represent us,” he noted.

By: State House Media

By Amara Thoronka

Chief Electoral Officer of Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Sambujang Njie has told political parties, civil society organizations and the media that the issue of marbles not entering the holes of some ballot drums, which was reported in few polling stations during the December 4 Presidential Election, was not something intended by the Commission.

“Marbles not entering ballot drums was not the intention of the IEC. The issue were isolated cases and that might have been caused by the continuous painting of drums over the years, but the IEC was able to swiftly address the issue by instructing the polling officials to slightly open the holes of the drums with a plier which we gave them.”

He made the statement at a one-day consultative forum with political parties, civil society organizations and the media on Thursday 27 January at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Center, in preparation for the forthcoming National Assembly Elections scheduled for 9 April 2022.

Speaking on some party agents refusing to sign the result forms, Mr. Njie said party agents never gave any reason why they refused signing the results, but however added that the refusal by some parties to sign did not render the results legally invalid.

“Parties not signing results does not make the results invalid. Some of the party agents that didn’t sign never gave any reason for their decision. We don’t have the mandate to force someone to sign, and that does not legally prevent us from announcing the results”

He confirmed that the National Assembly Elections will be held on 9 April 2022, and that the Commission is prepared to conduct the said elections with fairness and credibility.

IEC’s chief executive officer noted that notice of election, returning officers, polling, counting and collation centers, for the next assembly elections, was gazetted on 20 January 2022.

He added that advertisement for the 9 April assembly election began on 17 January and is still ongoing until 30 January 2022, advising eligible Gambians to apply.

Mr. Njie disclosed that nomination forms for the assembly election will be issued on 4 February 2022 in all regional offices, adding that the nomination exercise will be conducted from 5-13 March 2022, advising intended candidates to engage the Commission on nomination issues they don’t understand as a way of preventing disqualification by the IEC.

He further disclosed that political parties and candidates will be supplied soft copy of the voter register from 14-16 March 2022.

Mr. Njie confirmed that campaigns are scheduled to take place from 17 March to 7 April in all constituencies.

The chief electoral officer of IEC said candidates who want to withdraw their candidature has until 2 April to do so, as no withdrawal of candidature will be accepted after the said date.

The Cameroonian legend who is also the president of the country’s football federation (Fecafoot) has said The Gambia has a “good football team” but many of their opponents have been underestimating them because of their debutant status and football ranking.

The Gambia is one of the lowest ranked team at the African Cup of Nations tournament but has proved that they are not there to make up the numbers.

“Your country (The Gambia) have a compact and good team. For me the problem other countries have done is that they underestimate Gambia, you cannot do this in football.

“The Gambia does not play amazing football that will amaze you but they have a collective [team spirit] and [being] collective is important. I have spoken to the head coach, and I gave him the game plan to win on Saturday and may the best team win,” Eto’to told GamFoot Transfers in Douala.

The Gambia who remains unbeaten after four games at the tournament will face hosts Cameroon in Douala in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Gambia’s Coach Tom says his team is ready for the encounter with Cameroon, one of the tournament favourites.

“We want the side to be “respected” and become regular participants at the Africa Cup of Nations,” Tom said.

By Yerro Mballow

Magistrate Mben Faal of the Kanifing Magistrate Court on Thursday 27 January 2022 acquitted and discharged one Nderry Touray over rape allegations.

The accused person, Nderry Touray was charged with rape contrary to section 3(2)(b) of the Sexual Offence Act 2013.

The particulars of offence stated that on or about 16 November 2019 at Kotu in the Kanifing Municipality, the accused person, Nderry Touray had intercourse with the plaintiff without her consent, thereby committing an offence.

Delivering her judgement, Magistrate Faal mentioned, “the plaintiff witness one (pw1) went and met the accused person at his home and requested from him an apartment to rent, and that the accused person then told him that his aunty has a house and later took the plaintiff to see if she would choose the said house to rent. When they reached the house, the accused person pointed at the houses and the girl choose the house she wanted. They then exchanged numbers and the accused person took the plaintiff to his house where they had sex and she left as reported by PW 1”

“The accused person thereafter had a telephone call with the plaintiff where she visited him. The accused person then bought a full loaf of bread filled with an egg from the D20 he had which they ate.  She then told the accused person that she wanted him to give her some money because she had to pay for her sewing at the tailoring shop.”

“The accused person told her that he did not have money with him to give her because he was just from the garage where he had paid the mechanics to service his car. The girl (plaintiff) got angered with the accused person’s statement and then banged the door of his house on him and left”

Still on her judgment, Magistrate Faal said, “second Prosecution Witness (PW2) testified that a medical test was conducted where it indicated that they had sex. Pw2 also revealed that the girl did not consent to the act but the accused person threatened her with a pair of scissors, closed the house and demanded sex from the girl”

Making her ruling on the case, the Magistrate noted that the prosecution had not proven their case beyond reasonable doubt, adding that some of the evidences contradicted each other.

Magistrate Faal ruled that since the prosecution did not prove their case beyond all reasonable doubts, “the accused person is hereby acquitted and discharged.”

The Government of Sierra Leone has formally launched the National Migration Policy with support from International Organisation for Migration (IOM)

The policy contains a comprehensive framework to improve and enforce administrative and legislative procedures towards migration’s management in Sierra Leone. It sets out several prescriptions on how to address some of the issues towards migration governance in the country.

Over the years in Sierra Leone, the governance of migration has been quite challenging as the country continues to grapple with responding to the consequences and impact of both regular and irregular migration. This is compounded by Sierra Leone’s comprehensive policy framework within which migration processes are governed.

“In Sierra Leone, young people see migration as a way out of poverty. Therefore, migration is becoming a threat to national development, peace, and security if it is not well managed” said Mangeh Sesay, who represented IOM Sierra Leone at the launch ceremony.

“So, IOM is very pleased to support the development and launch of the National Migration. The policy will now be the basis for better migration management and governance in the country” he added.

Sierra Leone’s Chief Minister, Jacob Jusu Saffa who launched the policy document on behalf of the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone said: “the Government places not only premium, but an equally great emphasis on human capital development, and closely linked to this is to facilitate citizens of Sierra Leoneans to realize their full potential’’.

“One of the ways to ensure citizens critical potentials can be utilized for their individual and national development is to ensure that the state promotes, and safeguard as requires the free movement of individuals both internally and externally of the country”, the chief minister explained.

The Migration Policy addresses issues related to diaspora engagement, border management, internally displaced persons, asylum seekers, return and reintegration, migration and national disasters, statelessness, human trafficking among others.

“The adoption of national migration public policies, to manage migration in a comprehensive way, addressing migration in all its aspects, is key. We welcome the very important step taken by Sierra Leone towards this goal”, said Juan Antonio Frutos, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone.

He further stated that: “the EU remains strongly committed to better managing migration together with our partner countries, based on the shared and common responsibility of countries of origin, transit, and destination. We stand ready to support the efforts of Sierra Leone in this area”.

The development and launch of the policy were made possible thanks to the support of the European Union, and the Africa Regional, Migration Programme implemented by IOM, the Government, and other partners in Sierra Leone with support from the United States Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

SOURCE: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

By Amara Thoronka

Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has disclosed its calendar of activities for the National Assembly Elections at a one-day consultative forum with political parties, civil society organizations and the media on Thursday 27 January at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Center, in preparation for the forthcoming National Assembly Elections scheduled for 9 April 2022.

According to the IEC, the notice of election, returning officers, polling, counting and collation centers was gazetted on 20 January.

The Commission disclosed that advertisement for election staff started running on 17 January and will continue until 30 January, encouraging qualified Gambians to apply for the advertised polling staff positions.

The issuance of nomination forms to aspiring candidates in the said election will take place in all IEC’s regional offices on 4 February.

The IEC noted that intending election observers should apply for accreditation to the Commission on 1 February, adding that the said accreditation will be issued by the IEC the following day (2 February 2022).

The Commission confirmed that it will train political parties and the police on 1 March, while training for the media will be conducted on 2 February.

Nomination of candidates for the assembly elections will be conducted at IEC’s regional offices from 5-13 March. Intended candidates are encouraged to engage the Commission on nomination issues and criteria as a way of preventing disqualification by the IEC.

Reconciliation of campaign itineraries of candidates will be done from 14 -16 March.

The IEC also disclosed that political parties and candidates contesting in the assembly elections will be supplied soft copy of the voter register from 14 -16 March.

Campaigns are scheduled to take place from 17 March to 7 April in all constituencies.

Candidates who want to withdraw their candidature has until 2 April to do so, as no withdrawal of candidature will be accepted after the said date.

Training of trainers will be observed from 18-20 March, while regional training of polling staff will take place from 1-3 April 2022.

The IEC will hold a briefing with election observers on 6 April, while the deployment of staff will be on 7 April.

The 8 April is cooling-off period as elections hold on 9 April 2022.

By: Christian Conteh

The rallying call for the prosecution of former president Yahya Jammeh has continued unabated. Lead campaigner Reed Brody is with the International Commission of Jurists, he said he expected pressure to now mount on President Adama Barrow “to deliver justice without further delay for victims who have already waited five years, and in some cases much longer”.

“There is still a lot that needs to be done, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Yahya Jammeh in a court sooner rather than later,” said Brody.

Brody who is nicknamed the ‘dictator hunter’ shares this passion with several Gambians particularly those who were victims of Jammeh’s 22-year repressive rule. Brody is known to have played an instrumental role in bringing former Chadian President Hissene Habre to trial at a special court in Senegal.

Whether the Equatorial Guinean authorities would extradite Jammeh should criminal charges be pressed against him is yet unknown.

The much talked about Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) report blames the former president for several murders, torture, enforced disappearances, rapes and other crimes that constitute a crime against humanity during his 22-year rule.

“Over a period of 22 years, starting from July 22, 1994, Yahya Jammeh and … co-perpetrators committed very serious crimes against the people of The Gambia,” the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission’s report said.

The commission was set up in January 2017 by President Adama Barrow, whose election in 2016 put an end to Jammeh’s 22-year dictatorship.

Gambian Justice Minister Dawda A Jallow said the government was “committed to the implementation of the report”, but would not release a paper before May on how it plans to go forward.