By: Dawda Baldeh

On 9^th August 2022, Magistrate P.A Che of Brikama Magistrate Court issued a 30-day notice ordering people reported to have “trespassed” the fire belt area of the forest in Busura village to identify themselves and explain to the court why they have built or are building structures in the said area demarcated as fire belt to protect the forest from fire.

This order is part of a land suit involving the People of Busura Village (Plaintiff) against four defendants: Ebrima Jeng, Modou Sarr, Sulauman Camara and Aadama Sowe as first, second, third and fourth defendants respectively.

“In the interest of justice, I shall give one month notice from the date of this order to all those who have built or made blocks within the designated area to come and show cause why the structures or blocks shall not be demolished and taken away. Failure to report, this court shall make a demolition order without any other notice,” Magistrate P.A Che ordered.

According to the Magistrate, he had visited the site, as per the plaintiff’s request alongside the clerk, Alkalo of Busura village, members of the forest committee, youth representatives in the committee, amongst others. A roofed hut, three buildings and dug foundation were seen during the visit.

“I instructed the plaintiff to liaise with the Department of Forestry to provide me the map and a report with respect to the demarcation of the forest area,” the Magistrate wrote in the order.

The Magistrate continued that he received report from the Forestry Department with the headline: “Clarification on the 20-Meters Strip as Fire Belt as Forest Boundary Line” with a map of Badara Faye Community Forest, Western Division attached to it.

“I have looked at the praecipe, visited the locus (site) and carefully perused the report from the Regional Department of Forestry. It is my considered opinion that all the development falls within the 20-meter strip designated as fire belt. Any person who constructs within the 20 meters fire belt is considered as a trespasser. I was unable to hear from the alleged trespassers as no one owned up,” he added.

The plaintiff filed a praecipe claiming for the repossession of plot of land measuring 228M – 30M – 150M – 50M said to be part of the forest gazette area of the Local Government situated at Busura Village.

A restraining order was made against both parties from interfering with the plot of land in question by A.O Mendy of Brikama Magistrate Court. The first defendant was served but the other three could not be seen, according to Magistrate Che, adding that one Modou Jarju and Alagie Loum were found within the plot who said they were asked to work on the said plot by persons they don’t know. They were later arrested and interrogated.

The noticed was issued on the 9th of August 2022, meaning, by the 10th of next month, September the notice would have elapsed.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

A case involving three Gambian youths who are accused to have stolen items worth one million two hundred and forty-five thousand and seventy dalasis (1, 245, 070.00) was mentioned at the Kanifing Magistrate Court over the week.

The trio allegedly stole the said items which were mainly building materials from a shop at Jimpex called ARYAN TRADING in June.

Muhammed Dibba and Gibril Jammeh, the second and third accused persons respectively were present at the court during the mentioning of the case, however, the first accused, Alpha Omar Jallow was still at large at that time.

The Prosecution, led by sub-Inspector Kebbeh had to file a motion requesting the court’s order for the first accused to be tried in absentia. The application was granted.

Meanwhile, the second and third accused persons both pleaded not guilty to the two counts of conspiracy and stealing contrary to 368 and 252 respectively of the Criminal Code levied against them.

The items that were allegedly stolen are; 237 packets of brown corrugate valued at D1, 066, 500; 33 gutters valued at D19, 800; 16 pairs of fencing wires valued at D36, 800; 10 squatting toilets valued at D6, 000; 4 packets of wall tile (104) valued at D1, 120; 10 wall tile (932) valued at D2, 800; 66 packets of floor tile (498) valued at D22, 050; 144 Rezar wire rolls valued at D1, 155, 07.

If found guilty, the accused persons may spend over 5 years in prison.

The case was adjourned to Tuesday, 30th August 2022. The bail for the accused persons was set at D1.3 million or a landed property valued at the said amount.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

Omar Malmo Sambou, environmentalist and climate change activist, has commended sensational Gambian rapper Sanna Sighateh, who goes by the stage name ST, on his foundation’s free tree planting initiative which is meant to mitigate climate change in the country.

Omar told The Fatu Network that the tree planting initiative by the ST Foundation will increase environmental consciousness and environmental restoration. He explained that planting these trees in different parts of the country will assist in restoring devalued ecologies and biodiversity loss if the trees rooted reach their growth.

“The activities will help in restoring our degraded ecologies, increase our climate resilience capabilities, and reduce biodiversity loss in the long run if the planted trees grow,” he explained.

According to Omar, these activities will help in building a climate society in The Gambia.

He added that if the Gambia has more people doing what ST is doing, the Gambia’s greenery will be thoroughly restored. He also praised the artist and his foundation for involving in such an adventure that will boost the country’s ecosystem. He noted that the current approaches to solving environmental issues are not effective.

“Current approaches to solving our complex environmental problems are neither effective nor timely. However, the involvement of the biggest artist will give a greater impact on our quest for ecological restoration for improved ecosystem health and vitality,” he narrated.

ST Brikama Boyo, the multiple award-winning Gambian artist and his foundation launched a tree planting initiative across the country with a plan of planting one million trees in five years.

According to the Secretary General of the ST Foundation Environment Award, Ismaila Fadera, the foundation has planted over ten thousand trees from June 25 to date in fifteen different areas in the country and still counting.

Ismaila said that the biggest threat the country is faced with is climate change, thus the foundation deemed it salient to plant trees that will help reverse the impacts of climate change.

“In the long term, we hope the trees we are planting will help reverse the effects of climate change and help restore our lost forest cover. Part of our aims is to inspire more environmental conservationists,” the SG told TFN.

Fadera called on communities where these trees are planted to take ownership of them.

By: Modou Touray

Fire outbreak at the Brikama market in early hours of Friday 26^th August 2022 claimed cash and valuables in four shops at the Nana Junction.

The extent of the damage could not be immediately quantified but initial calculations by victims indicated that more than three million dalasis of stocks and cash perished.

The cause of the fire is being attributed to an electrical fault on a pole closed to the shops. An electrical fault can cause fire.

The victims are Ousman Jaiteh, Modou Sowe, Dawda Bah and Abubacarr Jallow. The victims spoke to The Fatu Network, appealing for emergency response.

According to the shop owners, the fire started around 3am. They confirmed that prior to arrival of the fire and rescue services, a lot had already perished in the fire.

Modou Sowe is a youth entrepreneur who established mobile retail and accessories shop to be self-reliant. He is supported through a youth project.

“My Shop which contains mobile phones, phone accessories, laptops and working tools got engulfed in the fire. Unfortunately, I lost a stock of more than D1,250,000.00 from my personal belongings and more than D1,000,000.00 belonging to my customers. I am therefore calling for your prayers and support to recover the lost,” Modou Sowe lamented.

Ousman Jaiteh is another victim who is engaged in the sale of soap, cleansing detergents and learning materials. He disclosed that he kept one thousand euros and more than forty-five thousand dalasis of his daily sales, which he said perished in the fire. “My business is at a standstill as you can see. People queue here daily to buy soap and other goods.”

Dawda Bah, who owns one of the burnt shops, said his money of fifty thousand dalasis which he kept in the shop to purchase more goods, was destroyed in the fire together with some goods belonging to other people. “I can say more than D250,000 worth of cash and valuables periaheed,” he disclosed.

Reacting to the incident, the president of the Brikama Market Committee, Foday Manjang, expressed sadness and empathized with the victims. He called for immediate support for the fire victims.

Secretary General of the Brikama Market Committee Mr Bolong Jabang appealed to the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) to carry out maintenance work on their electric poles around the market to avoid frequent fire outbreaks.

According to Lamin Cesay, an experienced electrician, electrical current mostly produces heat, and if it produces enough heat, it can ignite fire. “The best example of this is lightening. This too can start a fire. faults in appliance cords, receptacles and switches can lead to fire outbreak. If an appliance has a worn out or frayed cord, it can generate dangerous levels of heat, igniting surfaces like rugs and curtains, starting a fire,” he explained.

By: Dawda Baldeh

Faye Njie, a Finnish born Gambian professional Judoka, who moved from playing football to Judo champion and recently won a silver medal for Gambia in the recently concluded Commonwealth Games in London, has narrated his professional career to The Fatu Network.

The 28-year-old judoka said he started playing football at six, and at eight, he began to play judo. He confirmed to this medium that he has been into judo for two decades.

“I have been playing judo for 20 years. I started judo when I was 8 years old. I started representing Gambia in 2015 and qualified to the Olympics. I also qualified to the Olympics last year (2021) and now my aim is to qualify for Paris 2024,” he explained.

The judo silver medal winner, after making history for Gambia in London, said he has always been into sports for many years.

“Before judo, I was playing football and I did both sports for a few years until I had no time to do both anymore. I decided to focus on judo because I liked its versatility. In judo, one must be agile, fast, explosive, and probably above all strong physically and mentally.”

Highlighting some of the dark moments in trying to reach this level, Faye said: “I could mention couple of serious injuries as the hardest setbacks in my career. However, I have recovered from them perfectly and they have no negative impact on my daily training sessions.”

The Gambian judo champion also explained that his brightest moments in his career was winning his silver medal during the African games in 2015.

Asked about what makes that so special, he said; “What makes it so special is that it was the very first time representing The Gambia officially. So, I really wanted to put on a good impression of myself at the beginning of my career as a Gambian,” he noted.

He also cited his recent performance at the Commonwealth games as another special moment in his professional career.

“Off course, winning silver medal for my country was a great moment. It was a great moment to make history. So, it meant a lot to me but also for the nation. I hope this medal can inspire the future generations to aim for the gold medal.”

Asked about who he looks up to as a role model, Faye told this medium that he never had a mentor or an idol to follow, but he always enjoyed doing sports and “it’s still my biggest passion in life.”

“My long-term goal is to qualify for the Paris 2024 games and the ultimate goal is to bring first ever Olympic gold medal for The Gambia.”

Judo is a system of unarmed combat, modern Japanese martial art, and Olympic sport. Judo was created in 1882 by Kano Jigoro as an electric martial art, distinguishing itself from its predecessors due to an emphasis on ‘randori’ (Japanese term meaning free-style practice) instead of “kata” alongside its removal of striking and weapon training elements.

By: Hadram Hydara

Amid a fissure of division that has seen the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) party split into two rival camps; one led by Yaya Tamba with former president Yahya Jammeh as the flagbearer, and the other led by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the spokesperson of the Fabakary-led APRC, Dodou Jah has said the only ever possible reunion of the rival factions can only be achieved by a telephone call from the founder of the party Yahya Jammeh.

Dodou was reacting to a question posed by host Sarjo Brito of The Fatu Network News Review programme about the possibility of reconciliation and working under a single umbrella to resuscitate the party to its heydays.

“What created the division is what can unify; that telephone call in Kanilai, that was what created the division. The same telephone call from the former President, His Excellency Yahya Jammeh is what can unify the party again.”

Speaking further, specifically on the APRC party’s challenges, the PRO would not be drawn too much into the party’s apparent decline and potential extinction as critics predict, saying he disagrees that their issues signal the beginning of the end of the party.

“I will not quite agree to that. APRC is well structured in this country and where ever you go, you find APRC; that it exists, it is alive and kicking. We might have challenges, we might have problems, but that should not spell the end of this party. My belief is APRC is still a force to be reckoned with.”

Since its split, the party has seen its members scatter in the Gambian political arena with the party membership increasingly dwindling as some key members cross-carpeted while others coalesced and landed jobs in the current Government.

By: Modou Touray

Women vegetable gardeners have attributed the flooding of their garden principally due to poor drainage systems during the construction of the Kombo coastal road project. They argued that the long-term effect has crippled their vegetable cultivation in the rainy season.

“At the time of constructing the main road, the contractors erected the bridge at a wrong position and they have not factored in the plight of the women gardeners. Now instead of the running water flowing to the ocean, it flows through our garden,” Binta-ba Janneh, President of the Gunjur women’s garden said.

The damages caused by flooding in a garden can be enormous. When plants are exposed to stagnant water for long periods, the roots can suffocate and die. Toxic compounds can also build up in saturated soils. Photosynthesis is inhibited, slowing or stopping plant growth.

“Anytime there is a heavy downpour of rain, the gutters and the poor drainage systems lead to overflow into our garden and the water has no way to escape but flood our garden and our vegetable crops die.”

Horticultural farmers around the Urban areas utilize every little space available in cities and towns amidst buildings and other constructions for growing plants. They utilize this space to raise gardens that can be economically productive while contributing to environmental greening.

The President of the garden Binta-ba Janneh asserted that they have now shifted to rice cultivation in their garden space hence gardening vegetables is not possible in the rainy season.

“We embark on rice cultivation because there is too much water in our garden all because of the way they constructed the drainage system around the highway.  We cannot grow other vegetables during the rainy season because of the flooding water in the garden. The drainage system needs reconstruction.”

According to Lamin Sambou, a retired agric extension expert, garden flooding is normally associated with a very heavy downpour of rains resulting in a delay in which the water can infiltrate into the ground or a low point on the surface of the ground causing the water to accumulate. He said garden flooding may also result from surface water runoff from adjacent high ground.

“The best soil suitable for vegetables includes lots of compost and organic matter such as composted leaves and ground or shredded, aged bark. Whatever you’re starting with, incorporate enough organic material so that the amended soil is neither sandy nor compacted. Unfortunately, if the garden is flooded, it will be difficult to carry on effective horticultural gardening.”

An ever-increasing issue in gardens is the problem of flooding and boggy ground. Saturated gardens can easily become compacted and are difficult to develop into usable garden space. Flooded gardens are not always a result of just heavy rain.

​The ground becomes devoid of oxygen and soil life which makes it impossible for it to absorb nutrients. A lack of oxygen also makes the ground smell stagnant and foul. These ground conditions typically lead to the roots of plants rotting and eventual die. This can be a serious issue if your drainage problem has evolved.

By: Modou Touray

Vegetable gardeners have urged journalists to effectively report on their challenges for relevant stakeholders to take appropriate actions in addressing them. This they say will enable them have access to the necessary ingredients for successful farming season.

“Our problems are many in vegetable production. Such problems are sometimes not known to agric officials. If journalists and other communicators continuously highlight these challenges, it will be easy for authorities and development partners to know and help us get the required supports,” Mariama Sarr, a gardner in Jarra Soma said.

For Agi Ceesay of Toniataba village, vegetable gardening is a key source of income for rural women, therefore reporting on such issues will uplift the status of farmers.

According to a 2017 World Bank Report, agriculture is an important source of livelihood for most rural people. It is estimated that 2.5 billion of the developing world’s 3 billion rural inhabitants involved in agriculture.

In a recent field trip to vegetable gardens, women emphasized the pivotal role of information gathering and reporting on agriculture.

“It is important to tell people through your various media about how we are suffering and struggling before we are able to harvest and transport our produce to the market. Our borehole was damaged, and each gardener contributed to maintenance it. If it was reported by the press, maybe some philanthropists would have helped,” Sainabou saidykhan, the women president of Jarra Jenoi vegetables garden said.

Adama Jammeh, second vice president of the Bakau women garden, shared her expertise on vegetable gardening and made similar sentiments on the significance of highlighting the plight of farmers.

“Effective communication is important because it enables the farmers and stakeholders to exchange ideas, thoughts, opinions, knowledge, and data so that the message is received and understood with clarity and purpose. When we communicate effectively, both the sender and receiver feel satisfied,” Lamin Ceesay, a retired agric extension staff said.

The president of the Network of Agricultural Communicators – The Gambia, Mr Amadou Jallow, spoke at length on the role of journalists in improving the agricultural sector.

“We are journalists with interest in agric reporting and agricultural works. We trained the journalist and communicators so that they can positively impact on agriculture by highlighting the concerns of the farmers for possible actions. We intend to have journalists who specialize in agric reporting.”

Agricultural communication is a field that focuses on communication about agriculture-related information among agricultural stakeholders.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Magistrate Jabang of the Kanifing Magistrate Court has rejected the bail application of one Ebrima Jallow, who is accused alongside his father of stealing more than D250,000 after considering what he referred to as a “Wake-up call” from the abscondence of the accused’s co-chargee in the case.

The Magistrate’s ruling came after the prosecution made an application for rejection of the bail of the second accused on fears that the second accused would likely interfere in the investigation being conducted by the police.

Lawyer for the accused argued that the police have already done their investigation which is why his client was arraigned before the Court, asking the court to grant his client bail even if it has to be on stringent conditions.

“Before I apply stringent bail conditions, is better I refuse. Therefore, bail application for the second accused is refused. And he shall be remanded,” Magistrate Jabang ruled.

“The second accused is not separately charged. He is jointly charged with the first accused. So, if the first accused can abscond without thinking twice, I think it should be a wake-up call for the court when dealing with the bail issue for the second accused,” he added.

Ebrima was arraigned before the Magistrate for their (him and his father) alleged conversion of 3, 800 Pounds equivalent to D266, 000 (Two hundred and sixty-six thousand dalasis) into personal use.

The money was allegedly transferred by one Badara Sanneh from UK to A&K Bureau where Ebrima and his father work.

His father, who is the first accused person, is still at large according to the prosecutor.

“We have the strong belief that if the second accused is granted bail, he will abscond which will render the trail of this case impracticable, ” the prosecutor said in his argument against the bail of the second accused, asking that the accused be remanded pending the outcome of the investigation.

On the contrary, the defense agued that the police must have done with the investigation warranting the prosecution’s arraignment of his client before the court.

“He has been in custody for more than 72 hours. Time has been exhausted and for the prosecution to say they are investigation is unfounded,” defense argued.

He argued that his client is a Gambian whose criminal record is clear and will not abscond if granted bail.

“We urge the court to use its discretion to grant the second accused bail.”

The Magistrate has also granted a bench warrant as applied by the prosecution for the arrest of the first accused, Alpha Jallow. If arrested, the court ordered for his detention till the adjourned date where he will face the charges against him.

The matter was adjourned to the 12th of September 2022.

By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh

The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (MoBSE) has contradicted the 2022 WASSCE results released by the West African Examination Council (WAEC) during a presser today 25^th August 2022, noting that the analysis is inaccurate.

MoBSE’s Permanent Secretary, Luis Moses Mendy announced that there are over one thousand four hundred and fifty-eight (1458) outstanding results from students that were not captured by WAEC in their result analysis. He said the critics of the ministry are analysing the results without any benchmark or reference.  He reiterated that the release from WAEC is erroneous.

“The circulation on social media is not presenting the truth and fair picture of the results. We found that really not too accurate. The results that have been published by WAEC, came when there were some outstanding results,” PS Mendy explained.

He further told the press that, the ministry has written to WAEC over the result analysis but was quick to note that the examination council is an independent body.

According to him, there are still pending results. He revealed that as of today, August 25, the number of students that have five credits and above, including English language and Mathematics, is Seven hundred and sixteen (716) instead of the Six hundred and five (605) released by WAEC. He alluded that if the 1458 outstanding results were included in the analysis of WAEC, the dynamics would have changed.

The release from the examination council stated that 15360 students sat for the 2022 WASSCE exams, out of which only 605 students from The Gambia scored five-plus credits including English language and Mathematics.

However, despite the public outcry over the low number of students without credits in English language and Mathematics, the Deputy Permanent Secretary Programmes at MoBSE, Adama Jimbajobe said that the ministry is partially happy with the results. He asserted that there are a good number of students with seven and eight credits but could not have a credit in either English language or Mathematics. He defended that those students cannot be regarded as bad students or failures.

In its new strategies of changing the format of the curriculum, the ministry is now working on changing the curriculum from a Knowledge-based to a competency-based curriculum that will prepare some students for vocational jobs.

By: Modou Touray

Residents of Barra, Essau, Albreda and other settlements in the Lower and Upper Nuimi have expressed concerns over fewer ferries plying Banjul-Barra. They said their daily livelihood and movement in the Greater Banjul Area are being affected.

They are urging authorities to provide a 24-hour uninterrupted ferry services so that they can undertake their routine business and other engagements on time.

Ferry service starts at 7am and closes at 11pm. This stipulated time is making many business people to confine their activities according to the ferry schedule.

Ferry services operate along the River Gambia, connecting the northern and southern parts of the Gambia.

“We cannot freely commute to Banjul. Sometimes, ferries will not be available on schedule and that affect our businesses,” Fana Chorr, a resident of Barra said.

Kadri Sowe and Alhagie Bah, both owned a fashion shop in Banjul at the Albert Market. They commute daily from their village in Essa. “We open our shop by 8am but if we missed the first ferry, customers keep waiting for us. Most often, we have to wait for almost an hour at the Barra terminal for the ferry. Its takes another hour to get to Banjul. That is a 2-hour period to get to Banjul,” they expressed.

Kunta Kinteh ferry is one of the ferries plying Banjul-Barra with a capacity of  718 passenger seats, about 2,000 people, 27 cars, 4 trucks. It got a breakdown earlier, but after maintenance, it has resumed operations fully.

“I carry my vegetables to Serekunda market for wholesale but whenever I am delayed by the ferry, I don’t make much sales. Women normally do their shopping in the morning to cook, therefore, if I reach the market late, I don’t make much profit,” Mbayan Fye lamented.

The ferry terminals in Banjul and Barra are one of the few ferry crossing points in the country, hence most of the crossing points have a bridge now.

“I am a civil servant who commute to Banjul from Monday to Friday. Although I travel with my car from Kerewan, sometimes, I arrive late at work. The ferry services should be 24hours, because in cases of emergency, you need to wait for the ferries to start operations,” Mr Edrisa Cesay explained.

Although foreign travellers from Northern Senegal now use the Senegambia bridge in Farafenni to cross over to cassamance and beyond, the demand is still high. Lower and upper Nuimi, Jokadou and lower Baddibu mostly use the Banjul-Barra route.

“Five to six ferries are needed as movement should not be interrupted. If you need to fly at night, you will have to cross earlier prior to your flight departure” Lamin Joof, a US based Barra indigen said.

The ferry service is situated at the heart of the nation’s marine facility to serve and connect local commuters.

By: Hadram Hydara

Coming right on the heels of former Gambian President and founder of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), Yahya Jammeh’s apparent letter to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) requesting the electoral body to recognise the Yaya Tamba-led APRC camp instead of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Fabakary Tombo Jatta’s APRC, Pa Modou Mbowe, the spokesperson of Jammeh-recognised APRC has said Fabakary Tombo Jatta, the IEC-recognised leader of APRC, is responsible for splitting both the United Democratic Party (UDP), the biggest opposition party in the country, and the APRC party for his personal “interest” and the “incumbent”.

“The problem is the interim party leader who split UDP into UDP and NPP and also split APRC for his interest and the incumbent.”

Pressed on how Fabakary split UDP into two factions, the outspoken member of the Jammeh-led APRC faction explained to news anchor Sarjo Brito during The Fatu Network’s News Review Programme:

“We heard President Barrow in Sukuta, during the Presidential campaign, praising Fabakary for his loyalty; that he was coming to his office with Seedy Njie in 2017 and the advice he (Fabakary) gave was for him (President Barrow) to split from UDP so that he (Fabakary) will bring APRC to him.

Probably that is his (President Barrow) only chance of maintaining his incumbency because with UDP, UDP definitely has a flagbearer and that is Honourable Ousainu Darboe. So, that is the split because Barrow said he could not digest the minute Fabakary said it but at the end that was his interest, he had to follow his interest.

With Fabakary we (APRC) had some mega rallies and everybody saw APRC in their numbers, green; Gambia was green and that convinced Barrow that yes, I should work with Fabakary. Again, Fabakary came and split APRC to bring the two houses (NPP and APRC) together for NPP’s interest and now he reaps the benefit as the Speaker of the National Assembly together with Seedy Njie, the guy who was taking him to State House in 2017.”

Meanwhile, Dodou Jah, the PRO of the Fabakary-led and IEC-recognised APRC, refuted Pa Modou’s claims that Fabakary Tombo Jatta was responsible for the split, suggesting former President Jammeh was, in fact, responsible and that it was because of a decision he made which triggered the idea of an alliance within the APRC camp.

“Since 2018, we went to congress, we had an interim party leader when we selected the former President, His Excellency Yahya Jammeh as the supreme party leader of APRC. Of course, this is not in line with the APRC constitution but as an honorary title we gave it to him and we selected an interim for the time being because all our expectations were he is coming back to this country.

After all, that was the information we were receiving. Communication was going on smoothly between the interim party leader and the supreme party leader and as far as we know, engagements were done with the government of the day; the President I would say.

Many a time, APRC was accused of frequenting the State House and that was upon his (Yahya Jammeh) request. People were identified and selected for them to run this process that would be in the interest of the party and all of us.

I think, in short, that is what led us to start to look into which party we would do an alliance with when we realise that he was not coming home before the election and APRC as a party was not putting up a flagbearer to contest the election, we needed alliance and congress 2021 resolutions; it provided and tasked the executive to look into any party or any possible partner that we will go into alliance with. We tried with GDC, but we could not succeed. We tried with GANU, we tried with Gambia Action Party, and we also tried ANRD of General Lamin Bojang, so eventually, it was NPP that was endorsed and the majority said they were in for the alliance and that was what led to us doing a consultative meeting in all the regions to seek for people’s consents.

In every constituency, people were invited to represent so it was not a decision alone of the executive but the party membership as well. But that phone call in Kanilai from the former President — that is where the division started and how it was created,” Dodou Jah, spokesperson of the Fabakary-led APRC said.

However, Pa Modou Mbowe argued that the split happened well before Jammeh’s phone call, saying “Jammeh’s phone call was on the 15^th of October, 2021, a month or so prior to the election but the split happened well before that because when they started the so-called consultative tour Dodou is talking about, it backfired at Marakissa from the word go. They said no, listen, we are not going into any alliance with NPP.”

Since last year’s Presidential election, the APRC has since split into two rival camps; with Fabakary and his factions coalescing with President Barrow and his NPP ruling party while former President, Jammeh and his faction allied with Mamma Kandeh’s Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) party.

Fabakary Tombo Jatta has since been selected by President Barrow as the Speaker of the National Assembly with Seedy Njie being his deputy.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Two Sierra Leonean men have been arraigned before the Kanifing Magistrate Court over alleged stealing of bundles of electrical cables valued at D441,000 (four hundred and forty-one thousand dalasis) from MP Trading at Westfield, a business that deals in electrical and building materials.

Muhammed Camara and Alassan Mustapha are being tried for allegedly stealing three different sizes of electrical cables on the 30th of July 2022; 144 bundles of 1.5 electrical cables valued at D194, 400; 60 bundles of 2.5 electrical cables valued at D117, 000 and 26 bundles of 6mm electrical cable valued at D130, 000.

They both pleaded guilty to the first count, which is conspiracy to commit felony, but denied the second count of stealing the cables worth over D400,000.

The second accused, Alassan Mustapha, has been working with MP Trading for almost a year.

“He [the second accused] gave money to the first accused to come and buy from them. The second accused put the items in a carton. Unfortunately, they were caught by a co-worker,” Sub Inspector Jammeh told the court as he narrated the “facts” of the case.

The first witness, Hitehs Ramwan, who also works with the second accused, testified that the first accused, Muhammed Camara came to their shop to buy wall fans and was attended to by the second accused.

“During their deliberations, I suspected some things were odd; the way of carrying cartons from the first accused to the second accused. I intervened to inspect but they resisted. Then I insisted and went and checked.

“I found twelve roles of 1.5 electrical cables in each carton and since that day, Mustapha, the second accused fled the office,” the witness narrated.

He continued that after taking the matter to the police station, he later found out that the accused persons had stolen much more than what he saw in the three cartons.

The case was adjourned to the 7th and 15th of September 2022. Meanwhile, the bail of the accused persons was set at D500,000 or sureties.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Principal Magistrate, Omar Jabang of the Kanifing Magistrate Court has stressed the necessity for justice administrators to step up their game and work towards reviving the lost confidence in the country’s justice delivery system, which has been one of the main causes of citizens taking laws into their own hands.

“The issue of mob justice has resulted in the death of so many thieves because of society’s loss of faith and confidence in the criminal justice system of this country. This is why the need for criminal administrators to step up and put an end to all these unfortunate issues.

“If society regains trust and confidence in our criminal justice system, the issue of mob justice will be wiped out. Also, when thieves know that it will not be an easy ride for them in the courts, stealing will be wiped out or significantly reduced to at least make people feel at ease with their properties,” Magistrate Jabang said.

The no-nonsense Magistrate made such remarks on Tuesday, 23rd of August 2022 while sentencing one Momodou Bah who was convicted of breaking and stealing over D250,000 from a forex bureau.

“The society is so terrorized and helpless that they are even now resorting to mob justice. Stealing has resulted in the death of many. So many lost their lives to thieves who stabbed them to death for failing to surrender the items they tried to steal from them,” he added.

Just like how easy it is to hear people talk about the improvements in the justice delivery system as opposed to the Jammeh regime; it is also not uncommon to hear someone in the Gambia say they have little or no hope in the justice system of the country. Some say they are frustrated with the “deliberate” delay in criminal trials and others still believe there is a lack of independence in the Judiciary.

However, Magistrate Jabang has always talked about the need for restoration of citizens’ confidence in the criminal justice system, stressing his court will not be used as a sanctuary for criminals.

By: Ousman Saidykhan

Magistrate Jabang of Kanifing Magistrate Court on Tuesday, August 23^rd 2022 sentenced one Momodou Bah to nine (9) years imprisonment for breaking and stealing from one exchange Bureau at Latrikunda German.

The convict was charged with two counts; count one is breaking into a Bureau (AK Bureau de Change) owned by one Ebrima Jallow and count two is stealing from there D250,000 and 50 Euro equivalent to D2,842.5 contrary to sections 283(a) and 252 respectively of the Criminal Code. He pleaded guilty to both counts.

The 250,000 was recovered from the convict, however, the 50 Euro could not be seen according to the Prosecution, led by 1st Class 5756 N Bojang.

As per the Criminal Code of the Gambia, the punishments for breaking and stealing are 7 and 5 years imprisonment terms respectively, however, the Magistrate gave a “lesser” punishment to the convict; 5 years for Breaking and 4 years for stealing.

The convict appealed for forgiveness, saying he is a father of three and promised not to indulge in such.

“However, the convict, being a first-time offender, I shall invoke my powers under section 29(2) of the Criminal Code and impose a lesser imprisonment term instead of the whole seven and five years imprisonment terms respectively. Therefore, the convict is sentenced to five (5) years imprisonment on count one with hard labour and he is sentenced to 4 years imprisonment with hard labour on count two.

“Also, I award compensation of 2, 842.5 for the unrecovered 50 Euro or in default, the accused to serve two years imprisonment with hard labour. All sentences herein run concurrently,” Magistrate Jabang ruled.

While narrating the “facts” of the matter after the convict pleaded guilty, the Prosecution, N Badjie said, “while the complainant (Ebrima Jallow) was at his shop on Friday 19th August, the accused met him and asked him if he had CFA with the impression that he (the accused) wanted to change.”

He continued that the complainant replied in the affirmative and the accused told him he would go to Westfield and return.

“The complainant went to the Jummah (for Friday prayers). Moments later, the accused came back. He found the door was locked. The accused had a screw-driver which he used to forcefully bend the lock. The door opened and he entered the shop.

“He grabbed the money and put it in a black bag which coincided with the complainant’s return. The accused quickly took cover at the door. He ran out with the money as soon as the complainant entered,” N Bojang told the court.

He narrated that the complainant shouted and the accused was caught and taken to the Latrikunda German Police Station.

By: Alimatou S Bajinka

The Banjul flash flood victims who were initially temporary sheltered in the Saint Joseph SSS, and are now currently sheltered at Friendship Hostel in Bakau have extended their voices to the government for them to properly look into their issue.

These flood victims were transferred from Tobacco Road in Banjul by the government as a result of the heavy downpour the country registered late last month. Almost every part of the country has been affected, but the country’s capital city, Banjul was one of the worst hit settlements. As a result, some of them needed temporary accommodation before water is drained from their houses.

However, some of the victims given houses at the Friendship Hostel as a shelter now seemed uncomfortable at the place and want to return to their homes.

However, some of the victims given houses at the Friendship Hostel as shelter now felt forgotten as they claimed the person who brought them to the hostel had not been communicating with them.

Haddy Jeng, one of the flood victims who leaves at Tobacco Road, is currently at the hostel with three children. She said it is not right for them to be kept in the hostel without any knowledge of what would happen next.

“We just want them to come and tell us what is next for us. We want to know our faith. This place is ok, food and shelter are being provided for us and I appreciate that, but my mind is not at rest because my entire life is at a halt.”

Penda Faal, another victim, cried while telling The Fatu Network how “tiring” it is being in this situation they have found themselves in. The emotionally looking woman said they are Gambians and they deserve to be treated as such.

“My son was my only source of survival but he died in the sea when he followed his friends using the back way to Europe and since then, I have been suffering. This situation has worsened my life. I work as a house help to care for myself. I am a Gambian and I believe help from the government should be extended to me as well.”

All the victims that have spoken to this medium say they have enough food at the hostel, however, they told this medium they saw Sanna Dahaba only once, the man who brought them to the place. The victims could not understand that.

The National Disaster Management Agency’s (NDMA) Director, Sanna Dahaba told this medium that it was due to his busy schedule on flood response with some partners who are assessing the impact of the flood.

“There are technical teams in the country doing a detailed assessment about what happened, since their arrival I have been very busy with them taking them to the hot spots to conduct a very detailed assessment in terms of economic losses and assessing people who need support, this was why I have not been frequently coming to the hostel,” NDMA Director, Sanna Dahaba, said while confirming assessments are ongoing and the outcome of that is what will determine what the next step would be for the victims.

The rain in question that led to such destruction was said to have been the heaviest rain in over 30 years in the country. It will take some time for the Gambia to recover from its effects, although, the Government is being criticised for doing little about it.

BY: ALIMATOU S BAJINKA

As residents of Banjul want to ensure the safety of more than 31,000 inhabitants and build a community which is safe a place to live, a group of young people who go by the name ‘The Arr Banjul Movement’ together with some environmental activists organised Monday, June 22nd what they called an awareness-raising to “DE-INDUSTRIALISE’ THE TANBI WETLAND IN BANJUL.”

According to Ousainou Colley, commonly known as Ousainou Gambia, “The Tanbi Wetland was the main source for the water to go to the wetland, but this has all been interrupted as a result of the activities happening in the area. This is because some business people corrupted the authorities for their own capital gains,” he claimed.

He stated that the purpose of the march-past was for preserving the island to protect them from further sea rises and inundation. Also to restore Tanbi wetland in order for it to continue to be an attractive area for birds and a breeding ground for fishes and to preserve the livelihood of those who rely on it for their daily survival.

The police, however, on Sunday evening issued a statement urging people not to partake in yesterday’s march-past, claiming that Arr Banjul Movement was not issued any police permit to hold the march-past.

However, despite this warning, the Arr Banjul Movement still when ahead with their protest, but with less than 20 people.

Ousainou Gambia emphasised that the protest was necessary amid issues affecting the lives and livelihoods of Banjulians.

Colley added: “Our movement is apolitical and our message is to sensitise people about what is happening in Banjul. We are not going out to cause problems. We are the voice of the people, hence we are speaking on behalf of Banjulians,” he said.

The fight to save the country’s capital city, he said, starts today.

“Lots of people want to turn out in numbers and join the protest. However, the police press release which was issued on Sunday evening discouraged a lot of people from participating. I want the authorities to know that we will keep up with this momentum with the objective of ensuring that we save Banjul. This is the capital we have and the environment of Banjul is threatened. Therefore, we can’t sit and allow that to continue.”

The much-talked-about Banjul Road and Rehabilitation Project, he said, was not done the way it was supposed to be done despite the injection of millions of dollars into the project.

“This has all contributed to the flooding in Banjul. The sad thing is that some people were packed in schools, while the authorities were sleeping in their comfortable houses. These homeless people could have been taken to a hotel rather than sleeping at schools. Therefore, to us, they don’t care and that’s among the reasons why we mobilise ourselves and protest.”

Meanwhile, riot police were seen within all the strategic locations of the capital city, while other personnel of the Police Intervention Unit (PIU) were stationed at Bund Road where the protest was supposed to begin.

The protesters later gathered at Arch 22, but they were later dispersed and the group leader was later invited to the Police Headquarters in Banjul for further discussion.

By: Jankey Touray

Sitting comfortably while travelling makes the journey easy and less tiring, however, natives of Brikama have expressed discontentment with the Gambia Transport Service Company (GTSC) mode of transportation to Basse.

Travellers claim they wake up as early as 5 AM to wait for the buses only for them to be told to stand on the buses, instead of sitting, to their destination.

“Having to wake up early morning for the buses only to be caged like animals standing from Brikama to our endpoint is truly unfair,” Lamin Darboe said.

Mr Darboe said it is only in the Gambia where such occurs, he stressed that people stand on the buses for nearly 4 to 5 hours from Brikama to Basse as if they are not human beings.

Mr Darboe insisted that the GTSC should bring buses for people travelling from Brikama to Basse, he claimed that natives are being left behind when it comes to sharing the buses, which he said is not fair treatment.

Aja Sonna is in her mid-60s and she said standing up until she reaches her destination is not good for her health, but she has no choice hence the bus is faster and safer to travel with.

“I am used to this now, if I am going to Soma I stand close to 2 hours before I have someone to give up their seat for me, and sometimes I will have to stand up until I reach Soma,” Aja narrated.

She pleaded with the government to find buses and a better bus station for the people of Brikama.

Isatou Kambie said it is the fault of the people in Brikama, pointing out that if the buses come and no one enters then the GTSC board would have found a solution to the situation.

“We pay our fares only to stand for hours to reach our destination and that is not fair, D100 to Massenbi while standing for nearly 3 hours or more is inhuman,” Kambie underlined.

She said it is time that the people of Brikama show their anger toward the GTSC board to look into the matter of providing buses for them or stop the buses from taking passengers at the bus stop since they are not seeing the benefits. Kambie also questioned where the money they pay going has been going.

By: Jankey Touray

Back in 2018 several activists and academics had called for immediate reform of the education sector when a similar release of the WASSCE result was out, in which the then Minister PS Jallow defended a decrease in failure percentage from 21.7% in 2017 to 14.9% in 2018. The last year’s 2021 overall pass in five subjects, including English and Math statistics results for the West African Examination Council (WAEC/WASSCE), was 80.1% compared to this year’s 2022, the overall pass of 76%.

Statistically, the overall performance of candidates decreases by 4.1% which has caused chaos among students, parents, and teachers.

Haddy Touray, a 2022 WASSCE candidate of St Peter’s Technical Junior and Senior Secondary School, said it is disheartening to see a released statement of their overall performance so poor without them receiving their results yet.

“I do not trust that release because is exactly 2018’s statement without a stamp, I am still hopeful that we did well because our efforts of sleepless nights of studies cannot be compromised overnight by a statement that is not factual to me. I can only trust it when I go for our results on Monday,” Touray stressed.

She said if the release is true then it should not be pinned on the pupils, being that they have tried their best despite the obstacles they faced since 2020 on the outbreak of the pandemic in which they have not completed their syllabuses, adding that thanks to their private studies they were able to cover some of their lessons.

However, Ousman Jammeh, a teacher in the province, said the root cause is the mass promotion from primary schools to junior and senior schools respectively, saying how do you promote someone who cannot pass a single subject in trials to go and sit to WASSCE.

“Inasmuch as I blame the President which I will not change, it’s easy to curb this issue. Every school knows the students who can do better in exams, so registering huge numbers because of School Improvement Grades (SIG). Ministry would have simply told all schools to register candidates that are ready for the exam,” Mr Jammeh said.

Jammeh lamented that in other to please the donors, let there be more vocational training centres for the underperforming students. He further said that any pupil that cannot have a minimum credit in trials should not sit to WASSCE and urges the ministry of education to stop pleasing its donor and the Head of State.

Moreover, Ramou Trawally, a parent, said the drop in performance in schools is due to pupils and should not be blamed on the government or the ministry.

“Every female learner has a phone and long human hair, high heels in their bags that they use after or during school and their parents are not doing anything about it, especially the male pupils that have their gangs, smoking weeds and loitering around without being in schools to a proper lesson and at homes mother, father, sister, brother, and grandparents are on their phones no one talks to any and you expect them to pass, hell no,” Ramou stressed.

She said parents should monitor their children on all occasions to know their performance hence the outcome result is important to them and that they want their children to come out the best.

The WASSCE results are yet to be officially out to students to know their faith.