President of Senegal, Macky Sall, and Moussa Faki Mahamat the heads of the African Union and African Union Commission respectively have expressed their institutions extreme concern at what they describe as the very serious and dangerous situation created in Ukraine.

They further call on the Russian Federation and any other regional or international actor to imperatively respect international law, the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Ukraine.

The Chair of the African Union and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission urge the two Parties to establish an immediate ceasefire and to open political negotiations without delay, under the auspices of the United Nations, in order to preserve the world from the consequences of planetary conflict, and in the interests of peace and stability in international relations in service of all the peoples of the world.

By Sarjo Brito

The Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice in an official letter to the Chief Justice has ordered an inquest into the death of Gambia’s Ambassador to the United States, Dawda Fadera. The distinguished Civil Servant and Diplomat’s untimely demise has been shrouded with speculation following allegations that his death might not have been natural, with some suggesting the seasoned diplomat died of poisoning. 

“Following circumstances which raised reasonable suspicion with regard to the cause of death of Dawda Fadera, the Honourable Attorney General acting under Section 11 of the Coroner’s Act Cap 7, Laws of The Gambia, would like Your Lordship to order an inquest touching on the death of Dawda Fadera.”

The office of the Chief Justice has since designated Sidi K. Jobarteh as the Coroner to inquire into the Ambassador’s cause of death. According to sources, an autopsy has already been conducted on the body but the coroner’s report on the findings is yet to be made public. 

His Excellency Dawda Fadera until his demise served as Gambia’s Ambassador to the United States. Prior to this role, he was appointed Secretary-General and Head of the Civil Service by President Barrow in 2018. He also spent most part of his career working for The Gambia’s Personnel Management Office, eventually becoming the institution’s Permanent Secretary.

By Amara Thoronka

Governor of the Central Bank of Gambia, Buah Saidy, has vowed that the Bank would take appropriate legal actions to defend its reputation following a recent allegation that an employee of the bank, Abdou Ceesay, was involved in a transaction to exchange the sum of D155 million of old and mutilated notes into new notes.

The allegation further contains that another D11.1 million was paid to the said employer of the Central Bank upon his request to be distributed to some staff of the bank to facilitate the exchange.

Bank Governor Buah Saidy disclosed that upon receiving a letter from the lawyer of one Ansumana Bah, who claimed to have paid a D11.1 million bribe to the said staff of the bank to facilitate the said exchange, he (the Governor) went into action by summoning a board meeting and interrogate the staff in question on the said allegation.

“We asked our staff Mr. Abdou Ceesay whether he received or know anything about the said money; he denied ever receiving or being aware of such transaction. After the meeting, the board of the bank decided to send Mr. Ceesay on leave pending the conclusion of police investigation on the said allegations.”

The Bank Governor emphasized that they will definitely take action upon the conclusion of the police investigation to clear the image of the bank.

It could be recalled that upon conclusion of preliminary investigation last week, Police disclosed that the claim by a group of people that they have handed over D155 million of mutilated notes to a Central Bank staff for change into new notes was false and a mere scam.

According to the police preliminary investigation, Ansumana Bah and others were said to have had an engagement with an ‘criminal group’ which persuaded them to form a charitable organization in order to access funding from certain unidentified philanthropist overseas.

As a way to grab the opportunity, Ansumana Bah and Co speedily established “Jamma Charitable Foundation” to attract the said fund.

The police added that the ffraudsters made them believe that their charitable organisation had secured a £2.5 million funding from a philanthropist in UK to commence charitable operation in The Gambia.

The fraudsters are said to have convince Bah and Co that the funds were smuggled into the country and put in boxes and kept safely in one of the houses of the partners in The Gambia; adding that the said British Pounds were converted into local currencies equivalent to D155 million partly mutilated which needed to be changed to new notes at the Central Bank; saying that some workers in the bank were asking for D11.1 million bribe to be paid through one Abdou Ceesay.

The police preliminary investigation also disclosed that Ansumana Bah and Co did not have any interface with the bank officials throughout their encounter with the fraudsters, revealing that some members of the swindlers were impersonating as bank officials to lure the foundation members to believe the process.

The said police preliminary investigation emphasized that neither Ansumana nor any of the foundation members had seen the £2.5 million nor the D155 million during the course of the entire transaction; meaning they blindly believed in the words of the scammers in question.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy has on Wednesday 23rd February 2022 engaged media practitioners on the nexus between the energy sector and other sectors. The event which aimed at capacitating pressmen to better inform the public about energy-related matters took place at a local hotel in Kololi. The event was attended by senior officials from MoPE, UNIDO, and the media. 

At the event, various speakers highlighted the importance of energy in the socio-economic development of the country. Ms. Oulay Camara, Deputy Permanent Secretary, MoPE described the ministry’s interaction with media practitioners as significant noting that the media play a significant role in disseminating information to the public. 

She expressed gratitude to the Global Environment Facility and United Nations Industrial Development Organization for supporting the program.

“Energy is needed in every sector of our economies to support production, service delivery and comfortable living in our homes. Countries all over the world make concerted efforts to provide adequate, reliable and affordable energy services for the development of their economies,” she said.

Ms. Camara said energy is a key component in people’s day to day activities. Noting that its unavailability can hinder development. 

She emphasized that the platform is an avenue for stakeholders to discuss the interlinkages between energy and other sectors or issues to better understand the realities of energy service provision.

According to her, they embarked on the activity to monitor, discuss, analyze, understand and advise on the energy nexus issues and it was deemed prudent to partner with the media, to effectively disseminate the work of the platform to the public. 

She added that for the media to properly on energy matters is significant noting that the platform will help journalists to adequately inform society about the relevant pertinent energy nexus issues. 

Madam Khadidiatou Diallo, UNIDO Project Coordinator says the workshop is significant as it will give media practitioners the chance to interact with senior officials from the petroleum ministry and ask key questions relating to the ministry. 

She told journalists that the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy is implementing the component on the establishment of a nexus platform to promote strong synergies between the energy sector and other sectors. 

According to her, it’s meant to integrate energy issues more systematically through a nexus approach throughout different sectors. Given the crucial role energy plays in productive sectors, she said it is important to build the capacity of media practitioners on energy-related issues.  

“This will help remove communication barriers that hinder the widespread promotion of sustainable energy solutions and foster collaboration and a better understanding of energy and interrelated topics,” she concluded.

The objectives of the workshop were not only to enhance media practitioners’ understanding of energy nexus issues and sustainable energy solutions but also to build their capacity to better play their role in advocacy and awareness creation through information dissemination.

Russian military tanks and armoured vehicles advance in Donetsk as Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation in Ukraine, with explosions heard soon after across the country and its foreign minister warning a “full-scale invasion” was under way.

Weeks of intense diplomacy and the imposition of sanctions on Russia failed to deter Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 soldiers along the borders of Ukraine.

Putin called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and said the operation was overseeing a “genocide” in the east of Ukraine.

The Kremlin had earlier said rebel leaders in eastern Ukraine had asked Moscow for military help against Kyiv.

The extent of Thursday’s attacks was not immediately clear, but Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the worst-case scenario was playing out.

Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.

NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine.

 By: Dawda Baldeh

The Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC) has announced that the party will contest in the forthcoming National Assembly election which is scheduled for 9th April, 2022, in Seven (7) Constituencies. The party made the announcement through a press release dated 22nd February 2022.

According to the press statement “The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Alliance for Patriotic Re- orientation and Construction (APRC), under the leadership of Rtd. Hon. Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Chairman and Party Leader wishes to inform the general public more specially the militants of the APRC Party that the Party will be contesting the forth coming National Assembly Elections 2022 which is already scheduled to take place on the 9th April 2022.”

The press release stated that the party will put candidates in the following constituencies: Bundung kakunda Constituency- Kanifing Municipality, Jeshwang Constituency – Kanifing Municipality, Foni Jarrol Constituency-West Coast Region, Foni Bondali Constituency -West Coast Region, Foni Kansala Constituency -West Coast Region, Foni Berefet Constituency – West Coast Region and Foni Bintang Constituency – both in the West Coast Region.

The party called on its interested candidates to pick the application forms from the APRC Constituency Chairpersons with a deadline submission slated for 26th February at 12:00noon.

In conclusion, it says the National Selection Committee will be finalizing the selection process on Sunday 27th February 2022 for selection of candidates who shall be contesting under the banner of the APRC Party.

By: Christian Conteh

The European Union (EU) Election Observation Mission (EOM) has as part of its recommendation called on the Gambia to reform its electoral laws to bring them up to speed with international and regional standards. 

Norbert Neuser, Former Member of the European Parliament from Germany is the missions Chief Observer, he noted that, “The EU Election Observation Mission positively assessed the voting and counting process on Election Day. But structural deficiencies and critical procedural and legal gaps require fundamental reform.” 

The EU EOM Final Report, which offers 20 recommendations for the Gambian authorities’ consideration, proposes essential changes to the electoral legal framework. to streamline provisions of the Draft Constitution, the Draft Elections Act, and other Acts relevant to the conduct of elections.

“It is fundamental to increase the Independent Electoral Commission’s capacity and transparency in critical areas, including the establishment of specialised divisions (legal, gender). The EU EOM proposes publishing the complete presidential election results, disaggregated by polling station, on its website.

In addition, for all future elections, the Mission suggests releasing disaggregated results during the tabulation process. Our Mission also recommends that legal provisions are made for continuous registration and updating of the voter register,” Norbert Neuser said.

Of the 20 recommendations contained in the mission’s final report, the Chief Observer noted that seven are considered priority recommendations.

 “The Mission recommends introducing a detailed and comprehensive complaints procedure throughout the electoral process with reasonable time limits for adjudication, regulating matters such as format and venue, including for the implementation of the Code on Election Campaign Ethics.

Furthermore, to formalise clear and coherent procedures for polling, counting, result transfer, and collation, in conjunction with the introduction of improved security measures of result and collation forms.” 

The mission is expected to hold discussions with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), political parties, civil society groups and other stakeholders.

By Amara Thoronka

The Governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia, Buah Saidy, has in a joint press conference held in Banjul on 23 February 2022 pledged to resign from his job as Bank Governor if the Central Bank is found culpable in the ongoing D155 million fraud investigation where a staff of the Bank is alleged to have involved.

The Governor also vowed to take legal action against the claimants of the said allegation if the Bank is proven innocent.

“There is no way someone will fraudulently bring D155 million without our knowledge. In addition to our security personnel, we also have CCTV cameras everywhere in the Bank. I have a reputation to protect. I will resign my job as Bank Governor of the Central Bank of the Gambia if the ongoing investigation finds the bank guilt of the said allegations. But if it is proven otherwise, we will take legal action against those making the allegations”

He disclosed that the said staff of the bank who is alleged to have involved in the act has been sent on leave pending conclusion of police investigation into the matter.

Preliminary police investigation has disclosed that the claimants [Ansumana Bah and Co] were lured by an organized criminal syndicate to form a charity organization in The Gambia in a bid to secure a £2.5 million (equivalence of D155) fund from a philanthropist in the United Kingdom.

The fraudsters are said to have convinced the claimants  that the funds were smuggled into the country and put in boxes and kept safely in one of the houses of their partners in The Gambia; adding that the said British Pounds were converted into local currencies equivalent to D155 million partly mutilated which needed to be changed to new notes at the Central Bank; saying that some workers in the bank were asking for D11.1 million bribe to be paid through a staff of the bank, Abdou Ceesay.

The said preliminary investigation further disclosed that throughout the period, the claimants never engage the Bank but were however banking on the persuasive statements of the fraudsters.

Investigations are ongoing.

By Sarjo Brito

The National Youth President of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) has encouraged political leaders to join the race for seats at the National Assembly rather than wait for presidential appointments.

Mc Cham Jr also called on Gambians to support party leaders contesting the forthcoming National Assembly elections. 

His comments came following Mai Ahmad Fatty’s announcement that he will be contesting the Wuli West seat. Cham said people like Mai must be encouraged as many of his colleagues who registered political parties continue to run after the incumbent, hoping to be rewarded with a position in cabinet.

“This is something that should be welcomed by every well-meaning Gambian. It is high time all these people registering political parties started looking into parliament too. Just look at the 2021 elections, a lot of political parties abandoned their parties and went to join Barrow for a so-called coalition, and we all know the reason why.

Today, most of those political leaders are just hanging around waiting for the incumbent to offer them positions. They should not wait. Let them go back to their constituencies and contest parliamentary seats under their parties,” Mc Cham Jr said

He added that being in parliament has far greater advantages than serving in Cabinet because parliament is where holding the incumbent accountable begins.

Cham challenged all the party leaders, especially those who supported President Barrow in his re-election to go back to the various constituencies and contest the National Assembly elections.  

“Major decisions taken by the Executive cannot happen if not approved by parliament. All the budgets that go into our various Ministries are agreed upon and approved by the National Assembly. That means there is a lot of power that comes with being a parliamentarian. Senegal is a classic example where we have political leaders like Ousman who was in parliament before becoming Mayor in his constituency.

I implore people like General Lamin Bojang and Musa Yalli Batchilly to go back to their constituencies during this election and show their people what they can do for this country now that the Presidential election is over. Mai Fatty’s decision is commendable,” he said.

By Amara Thoronka

Senegalese Government has named the newly constructed and officially inaugurated 50 thousand capacity stadium after the country’s former President Abdoulaye Wade.

Born on 29^th May 1926, erstwhile President Wade ruled the Republic of Senegal from 2000 to 2012. He was defeated by incumbent President Macky Sall in the 2012 presidential election.

Gambia’s President Adama Barrow was among five leaders who graced the official opening of the stadium.

Also in attendance were the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan; President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embalo; President of Liberia, George Weah; and the President of football world governing body (FIFA), Gianni Infantino.

African football legends Didier Drogba and Samuel Eto’o also graced the ceremony.

The Stadium was completed in two years and is estimated to have cost more than 200 million Euros.

The Abdoulaye Wade Stadium is to host the 2026 Summer Youth Olympics.

By: Sarjo Brito

Former Interior Minister and leader of The Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) Party Mai Ahmad Fatty has announced his intention to contest the Wuli West seat in the forthcoming National Assembly elections slated for 9^th April, 2022.

According to the GMC leader, his decision to run for Parliament came following an overwhelming amount of request from his party supporters in his home district of Wuli West, Upper River Region.

In an official message shared on his social media handle, Mai said if elected, he will serve and protect the interest of all demographic groups in the Country.

‘’If elected, I shall serve as National Assembly Member of the Republic of The Gambia, committed to securing fundamental national interests, while also advancing the local cause of my district constituents. I shall protect and defend the legitimate interests of all Gambians, Christians, and Muslims alike, as well as all other demographic groups.’’

The former Interior Minister and onetime Presidential Adviser further stated that his focus shall be more on enhancing and consolidating the oversight functions of parliament over institutions, public finance management to promote transparency and accountable governance, balanced budget, eliminating waste, distortions and corruption, human capital development and social inclusion, strengthening national sovereignty and territorial integrity and restoring domestic control over national endowment and economic resources, llegislation to empower Gambian businesses through preferential treatment to spur growth, generate jobs and create wealth, among others.

Mai Fatty will be running against Honourable Sidia Jatta of the People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism, who currently occupies the Wuli West seat. Another contender is Mai’s own former party executive member Tida Kijera who will be contesting under the ticket of the United Democratic Party.

Tida was a vocal member of GMC until his fallout with Mai Fatty which led to her cross-carpeting to UDP.

By Dawda Baldeh

Wyu Wahtan has on Tuesday 22 February 2022 held a consultative forum with stakeholders on climate change at Kairaba Beach Hotel in Senegambia. The forum brought together members and advocates on climate change to discuss the way forward in mitigating threats posed by climate change.

Wyu Wahtan is a Wolof (Gambia’s major local dialect) term which means “let us discuss.”

“We cannot afford to wait to act against the threats of climate change. We must work together to protect our planet and people and ensure a greener, resilience future for us all,” says David Belgrove, British High Commissioner.

“The Gambia has made a significant contribution to the conference and it set and example to the world. The Gambia has been singled out as the only nation with adequate plans to avert a climate catastrophe,” he added.

According to him, the Cop26 conference focuses on: mitigation, adaptation, finance and collaboration among others, adding that the progress was made on all the four of those goals and keeping the goal of limiting the temperature increase to just 1.5 degree Celsius.

On finance, he notes that billions and trillions have been mobilized, “develop countries have made progress towards delivering the $100 billion climate finance goal and will reach it by 2023 at the latest.”

He said working together to deliver Glasgow Breakthroughs will accelerate collaboration between governments, businesses and civil society to deliver on climate goals faster. Adding that collaborating with councils and dialogue in energy, electric vehicles, shipping and commodities will help deliver on commitments.

The Cop26 target the following: to ensure all parties commit to revisit and strengthen their NDCs in 2022, as well as develop and implement long term strategies.

It also focuses on ensuring that all countries put in place stronger policies and plans to meet or surpass these targets, including on coal, cars, trees, and fossil fuel financing…

Environment Minister, Hon. Lamin Dibba, said the objective of the meeting is to share with the public on actions that need to be taken after the Cop26 meeting.

“We know that climate is changing and it’s changing against our favour. We need critical actions to combat climate change.”

He said climate change is real and urged Gambians to take it very seriously, adding that the country has been facing challenges on climate change over the years. “We need to take actions now.”

He further stated that less developed countries are the most vulnerable to climate change.

He added that for the country to achieve these goals it needs the supports of partners and that nobody should be left behind in fighting climate change.

The Gambia Wahtan Dialogue is United Kingdom’s effort to support Gambia’s high ambitions at COP26 by further supporting campaign actions that brings people together to share stories, build empathy about vulnerability and assessing current climate action with the intention of seeking concrete solutions to tackle climate change.

By: Sarjo Brito

A war of words ensued between National Assembly Member Touma Njie and Gambia’s Vice President Dr. Isatou Touray following the stalling of the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill seeking to give women sixteen seats in Parliament.

The Bill which failed to proceed to its third reading because of a lack of quorum angered the National Assembly Member for Banjul South, Touma Njie who wasted no time in accusing the Vice President and the Speaker of the National Assembly (both women) of refusing to throw their weight behind the Bill to see it come to fruition. 

“My expectations, the Speaker being a female should have stood her ground to decide otherwise and give this an opportunity for it to be considered. We also saw the Vice President in the gallery when this was done. She is also a female but as I said, am beginning to believe now that we (women) are our worst enemies” – Touma Njie told reporters 

The Vice President while outside offering words of encouragement to a group of women who were at the National Assembly premises to show their support to Touma’s Bill heard the Banjul South member of parliament repeat her statement to reporters. The VP quickly reacted and told her(Njie) to stop pushing such a narrative.

During the brief war of words, the country’s Vice President cautioned the women to not be used as tools to score political points by individuals. 

Touma Njie whose Constitutional Amendment Bill was thrown out of Parliament for failing to meet the required threshold needed for voting to happen said she will not relent and is committed now more than ever to make sure the Bill comes back to Parliament. 

The Banjul South National Assembly Member who is seeking re-election as an independent candidate told reporters she will not be intimidated and promised to not give up until Gambian women are fully represented in all works of life.

By: Christian Conteh

The Network of Locally Elected Women of Africa (REFELA) has elected Madam Rohey Malick Lowe Mayor of Banjul to serve the organisation as its vice president for the West African subregion.

The Friday 18th February 2022 election took place in Ivory Coast and was contested by all female Mayors from West Africa.

“It is with a deep sense of appreciation and gratitude that I announce to my fellow citizens especially women of our beloved country The Gambia of my election as Vice President of REFELA in West Africa,” Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe announced.

She emerged winner after a Mayor from Cape Verde voted for her breaking the deadlock that followed a tie between herself and the candidate from Mali.

“I am honoured and particularly want to take this opportunity to congratulate all the West African female Mayors because we are all winners. In the same vein I wish to seize this opportunity to congratulate the women and youths of The Gambia for their invaluable and consistent support to me as Mayor of Banjul. This laudable achievement is indeed your making and I wholeheartedly dedicate it to you,” Mayor Lowe said.

She went on to thank the two REFELA Executive members who represented her at the meeting – Councillor Bintou SM Jaiteh and The Coordinator of REFELA The Gambia chapter – Madam Isatou Njie for their illustrious campaign strategy which was tactically implemented to secure her winning of the election. 

She used the opportunity to thank the brave men behind the women for their tremendous support, she went on to congratulate the women and youths of The Gambia.

“Despite our size and limited resources, we as a nation and people are steadfast in our resolve to set this country on the path of success. May Allah continue to bless our undertakings and guide every step we take in our search for a prosperous nation,” she said.

The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) has in a press statement cautioned media platforms including newspaper publications, radio and television programmes about reporting on sensitive security matters.

The GAF notes that these issues especially when not accurately and carefully presented have the potential to shake the country’s national security fabrics, an action which it says will not be in the interest of the nation. 

“The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) observes with great concern, the recent upsurge in the context of publications, radio and television programmes on sensitive security matters which have the potential to shake our National Security fabrics, especially when not accurately and carefully presented,” the statement read.

It further establishes that “national security pillars exist for the common good and for all and sundry. Therefore, persons with platforms reporting on security-related matters should ensure factual and balanced reporting in order to champion the ideals of good and professional journalism and its inherent ethical values that we so cherish.”

The institution maintains that it has on several occasions clarified salient issues with the required time and effort necessary for highlighting verifiable facts in order to avoid premature narrations and/or conclusions. It encourages media practitioners to alongside the exercise of their freedom of expression ensure they maintain peace and tranquility

By: Sarjo Brito

The Constitutional Amendment Bill tabled by the National Assembly Member for Banjul South, Touma Njie, has failed to proceed to its third reading in Parliament. The bill, which was tabled before Parliamentarians on February 10th, 2022, sought to amend section 88 of the 1997 Constitution by enlarging the composition of the National Assembly and the reservation of fourteen (14) seats for women and two (2) persons with disabilities. 

The highly debated bill sought to impose an obligation on political parties to promote gender equality in the selection of candidates to contest Parliamentary elections. 

The failure of the bill to proceed to the voting stage was due to the lack of a quorum. 42 Members of Parliament are required to be present for voting to happen, as per section 226 of the Constitution. 

Only thirty-five Parliamentarians were present in the National Chambers at the time of voting (February 21st, 2022), failing to meet the required number of 42-Members. 

Touma Njie in her reaction soon after parliamentary proceedings told reporters she had won anyway, despite the outcome of the bill. Touma further stated that she is following International Conventions and protocols that The Gambia has signed to provide for 30% of female representation in all works of life.

‘’for me, I have won anyway. Gambian women have won because this has never happened. It is the first-ever attempt and for me, I am following international conventions and international protocols that we have signed to provide 30% of female representation in all works of life. It should start with parliament. You can see we only have three elected members of parliament and that is a total disgrace when we have a majority of our population who are female.’’

The Constitutional Amendment Bill has since its first reading generated a lot of debate amongst Gambians. While advocates agree with Touma on the bill, critics on the other hand view the bill as tokenism, arguing that no Member of Parliament should be given a free seat by virtue of their disability or gender.