By Sainabou Sambou

Hon. Halifa Sallah has said soldiers of the sub regional military mission in Gambia [ECOMIG] should not be an instrument of intervention but rather as an instrument of sodality.

He made the statement on Thursday 7^th April 2022 at a press conference held at his party’s [PDOIS] bureau in Serekunda. He was responding to, among other things, the statement made by President Barrow calling on PDOIS strongman Sedia Jatta to retire.

He said if ECOMIG acts as an instrument of intervention, there will be dismantling of the security apparatus.

Hon. Sallah noted that he had been emphasizing that there is a security crisis at the border and that two Senegalese soldiers died in Casamance, but they were based in the Gambia.

The veteran politician said residents of Foni Districts have been leaving their villages because of the instability in that part of the country that shares boundary with the southern Senegalese region of Casamance where there have been decades of clashes between the Senegalese government and separatists’ groups.

“This current government has no sense of history. We have been here for many years, and we know many things that the young people who are newcomers don’t know. Those people were leaving their villages because they were threatened. The president of the Republic should have been more concerned about it,” he said.

Hon. Sallah noted that there are more important things to talk about than to say Sedia Jatta should retire, saying that President Barrow should not belittle them because they are the “powerhouse” in this country.

President Adama Barrow has urged Gambians to come out and vote in tomorrow’s National Assembly Elections, noting that the elections are as important as the Presidential one.

His message comes as Statehouse announces that the president will cast his vote at the McCarthy Square polling station in Banjul Central constituency

“As The Gambia holds its National Assembly elections tomorrow Saturday, 9th April 2022, H.E Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia will cast his vote at the McCarthy Square polling station in Banjul Central constituency at 11:00 AM. The President urges all eligible Gambians to come out and vote, as the National elections are as important as the Presidential one.”

President Barrow has also urged all to participate peacefully to solidify the countrys democracy and work towards achieving the development aspirations.

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Head Coach of the Queen Scorpions Mariama Sowe has blamed the lack of collective team training ahead of competitions for the poor performance at the Africa Women Cup of Nations (AWCON). The team lost  6-1 to Morocco in a friendly international match in Rabat, on Thursday night.

The Queen Scorpions received three goals in each half that gave the North Africans the win. Gambia got a consolation goal from Cathrine Jatta whos strike came from a 30-yards free kick.

Speaking to The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) media, Mariama Sowe head coach of the Queen Scorpions said the match against Morocco was not good on their side. She further noted that one factor that affected her team’s performance was that the team is not together like other countries.

“I think it is very important to keep the team together if we want to win future tournaments,” Mariama Sowe said.

She said her team is dominated by home based players, noting that keeping them together for training will help to improve their performance.

“We lost to Morocco, but you cannot compare the Moroccan team to our team,” she said.

“Their team has been training together for months and they are well experienced. We only trained together for ten days (10) before the game. So, this will not help our players because they are not professional.”

She added that the final result was not a good one but hopes that they will train harder to improve on their performance.

“The girls have performed to their expectations but much was not on our side,” she said.

She appealed to the GFF to help put the team together so that they can improve their performance.

“We want the GFF to put the girls together so that they can train together always,” Mariama Sowe said.

“If they (GFF) cannot keep them (girls) together, then we want them to give the girls a chance to train together at least three days a week.

We cannot wait until two or one months ahead of any competition to train together. She urged the fans to continue their support while assuring them of their commitment to improving on their performance.

By: Christian Conteh

As he continues his campaign in the Wulli West Constituency GMC’s National Assembly Candidate Mai Ahmed Fatty has revealed that the current available supply of locally produced onions exceeds the district’s demands.

This he said means Wulli West is at the moment self-sufficient in onion production. It further indicates that the Upper River Region (URR) alone has the potential to supply onions to the whole country.

“This potentially renders the nation self-sufficient in onion production, putting an end to onion importation,” he said.

He however acknowledged that storage and structured marketing are the main challenges and this is where formal intervention is needed for sustainability.

“Storage and structured marketing are the main challenges. This is where formal intervention is needed for sustainability. A partnership between stakeholders such as the producer communities, Basse Area Council for storage and market, and the central government for enabling policy.

Wulli West is a big contributor to the regional URR economy. An estimated minimum of five million Dalasis is transacted on each lumo day once a week at Sare Ngai – potentially a whopping 20 million Dalasi trade volume per month,” Mai Fatty said.

He called on the predominantly Fulani frontier village trading post to be upgraded and transformed with necessary support services and facilities, into a leading regional border trading hub.

He also encouraged the people to promote and protect Gambian produce at all cost. Noting that such an action is a roadmap to national self-reliance and an important component of economic empowerment in the fight against poverty.

Muslim Cleric Amir Trawally has issued a message calling for peace in Saturday’s National Assembly Elections. According to the Amir, Gambians have a responsibility to live in accordance with the traditions and laws of the dear motherland, The Gambia.

His message reads;

As we elect new National Assembly members on Saturday 9th April 2022, I wish to take this opportunity to appeal to all Gambians to continue to be peaceful, tolerant and law abiding. Elections come and go but the country, The Gambia shall remain.

And while we can all agree and or disagree, we can do so in peace and with sympathy for one another. Consequently, all candidates, political parties, and all others should continue to conduct themselves in a manner that is conducive to peace, tranquility and security.

We have a collective responsibility to establish a generous and compassionate atmosphere in society throughout, especially during times of elections. Each person whether politician or not has a responsibility to live in accordance with the traditions and laws of our dear motherland, The Gambia. And we must do so with absolute tolerance, respect, sympathy and justice for each other.

As Muslims, the Holy Qur’an explains that no matter what the circumstance, we are not to abandon tolerance and sympathy. This is even more essential because these National Assembly elections are taking place during the Islamic Holy month of Ramadan.

Therefore, remain peaceful and kind to one another. Even if you are wronged, you are not to act other than with justice and that you should not take revenge by being unjust and cruel to your fellow human beings. If anyone does that, then you have flouted a fundamental teaching of the Holy Qur’an.

We read in the Holy Qur’an in Chapter five, verse nine:

“…and let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be always just, that is nearer to righteousness. And fear Allah. Surely, Allah is aware of what you do”

This is the high standard of tolerance and justice in Islam and this is critical for us during this election season.

From April 19, Sierra Leoneans seeking to travel to France will be able to apply for Schengen visa at home for the first time in over 20 years.

This has been made possible with the opening of a satellite visa application center in Freetown by the French embassy in Conakry, Guinea which oversees French interest in Sierra Leone through a Consulate.

The European technology firm CAPAGO International will be operating the center as a branch of its Conakry office, a statement from the embassy says.

The move is part of efforts by Sierra Leone and France to expand bilateral cooperation through increased trade and investment. It is also a fulfilment of promises by both French and Sierra Leonean officials to ease traveling between the countries.

France maintained an embassy in Freetown until 1996, at the height of the 1991-2002 civil war, when it was shutdown. The French embassy in Guinea has since then covered Freetown.

And travelers to France residing in Sierra Leone have had to travel to Conakry to process their visa application.

CAPAGO was contracted to process France visa application in Guinea in 2019. And Sierra Leoneans have had to travel to the Guinean capital to apply for visa from there. This has caused a lot of discomfort, and it has been a key point of discussion at almost every meeting between French and Sierra Leone officials, including last month when French Ambassador Marc Fonbaustier visited Freetown and held talks with Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.

According to the French embassy statement dated April 4^th, 2022, the new visa application center will open bi-monthly, every first and third week of the month.

“Thanks to the use of the official French mobile biometric system, Capago is now able to open the Freetown visa application as a satellite branch of Capago Guinea. The travelers from Sierra Leone can now apply from Freetown and receive the outcome of their application within two weeks,” the statement reads.

Travelers wishing to apply can access useful information regarding visa procedures on the France Visas website at www.France-visas.gouv.fr. The website to book an appointment to apply for visa from Freetown is https://fr-sl.capago.eu/.

CAPAGO is an European company providing international outsourcing and technology services to governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company automates and assists in visa application processes, including managing contact and facilitation centres.

Capago International has been the exclusive representative for the processing of Schengen visa applications on behalf of Schengen Countries since 2009. Its other Visa Application Centres are located in Azerbaïjan, Bénin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Kuwaït, Mali, Qatar, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.

The company processes over 200, 000 visa applications annually from these centers, according to French embassy data.

Credit: Mono Reporters

A Nigerian court has sentenced an atheist to 24 years in prison for making social media posts it found to be blasphemous against Islam in the West African nation’s northern region.

Mubarak Bala, a former Muslim, was sentenced on Tuesday after pleading guilty to charges of blasphemy after a lengthy trial during which he spent nearly two years in prison.

Bala is the president of the Humanist Association of Nigeria and activists have said his conviction illustrates the risks of being openly faithless in northern Nigeria, which is predominantly Muslim.

Prosecutors in northern Kano state accused Bala of making Facebook posts that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and the religion of Islam, and attempted to “cause a breach of the public peace”, according to court documents.

Bala long maintained his innocence of the charges of blasphemy but he changed his plea to guilty only after “enormous pressure for the past few years”, said Leo Igwe, founder of the Nigerian Humanist Association.

Bala was tried in a secular court but could have risked a death sentence in Nigeria’s Islamic courts that operate in other parts of the country’s north.

“He thinks the judge is compromised … and that he would rather just have closure,” Bala’s lawyer James Ibori said.

Bala’s prolonged stay in prison and eventual conviction caused anger among some Nigerians and activists who accused authorities of a flawed prosecution process. He should not have been charged under Kano state law, Ibori said, because “he was not in Kano when the offence was allegedly committed”.

While in prison, Bala had been denied access to healthcare, kept in solitary confinement, and forced “to worship the Islamic way”, said Ibori.

The Kano state government denied any wrongdoing in the trial and said the judgement could be appealed.

With Bala’s conviction, humanists and nonbelievers in Nigeria are “now potential criminals … who can easily be thrown into jail just for expressing their views”, said Igwe.

“Humanists have become endangered citizens of Nigeria.”

Al Jazeera

By: Dawda Baldeh 

The chairman of the Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) Alieu Momar Njie has commended the National Assembly candidates who are campaigning for votes ahead of the April 9th parliamentary election. He noted that the candidates have so far maintained a peaceful campaign throughout the country.

The IEC boss in a statement reiterated the institution’s commitment to ensuring there is free and transparent election. 

“I commend all the candidates and political parties for their sense of responsibility in ensuring the conduct of peaceful campaign rallies and meetings across the country,” the IEC chairman said. 

“I will assure Gambians, the electorate, political parties, candidates and all other stakeholders that the Commission is fully committed to delivering to the Gambian people free, fair and transparent elections come 9th April 2022.”

Mr. Njie further urged all the candidates and their supporters to maintain peace and stability throughout the electoral process whilst encouraging the polling and counting agents from each of the political parties and candidates to watch the whole process from start to finish.

Adding that the campaign so far has proved to be very inclusive and very peaceful since no incident has been reported so far.

According to Chairman Njie, the IEC concluded the training of all its Polling Staff numbering about 6,000 and they are ready for deployment across the 1555 Polling Stations in The Gambia. All Electoral Materials and Equipment have also been fully deployed to all regions. 

He also commended The Gambia Police Force for their service during the election process.

By Amara Thoronka 

Gambians go to the polls on Saturday 9^th April 2022 to elect national assembly representatives. As a way of knowing the voting intentions of Gambians and other related matters, the Center for Policy, Research and Strategic Studies (RepRass) recently conducted a post-presidential and pre-parliamentary elections opinion poll survey. The findings of the said opinion poll have been publicized.

Issues covered in the survey range from assessment of Government’s performance, key electoral and political matters, emerging issues on the economy, security, corruption, and the likely candidates to win in the forthcoming national assembly election.

From its findings, of the 53 parliamentary seats, the ruling National Peoples Party (NPP) are said to win 16 seats, followed by main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) with 14 seats. The remaining seats are predicted as follow: National Reconciliation Party (NRP) 5 seats, Peoples Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) 2 seats, Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction Party (APRC) 1 seat, National Peoples Party (NPP) 2 seats, Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) 1 seat, independent candidate 4 seats. 10 seats are said to be inconclusive, meaning they are not clear whether they would be clinched by political parties or independent candidates.

The opinion poll indicates other scenarios but the overall findings show that NPP will take the lead in the National Assembly.

On people’s opinion regarding the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), 63% of respondents submitted that were satisfied with how the IEC handled the national assembly election nomination process, stressing that all candidates were treated fairly by the IEC during the nomination process.

The report also indicates that respondents’ understanding of the role of NAMs is passing bills and bringing development projects to their constituencies, despite the latter not a constitutional mandate of NAM.

Most respondents believe that more independent candidates are vying for NA elections because they have a different agenda (53%) and because of their egocentric nature (45%). Most respondents view anticorruption legislature (78%) and constitutional amendments (64%) as the most critical issues that the sixth legislature should address. While the performance of the fifth legislature was rated as good by majority of the respondents (45%), a substantial proportion of respondents (about 37%) reported that their performance was either poor or very poor.

In a pre-election survey held for last year’s presidential election, CepRass predicted that President Adama Barrow was going to win, followed by UDP’s Ousainou Darboe. It happened exacted as they predicted in their pre-election survey.

CepRass is an academic and policy research institute based in The Gambia. The Institute is mainly engaged in research, consultancy and training for private and public institutions within and outside The Gambia.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) Leader Ousainou Darboe has urged Gambians to go out and vote massively for the UDP candidates in Saturday’s National Assembly Elections.

According to Darboe it is only by doing so will Gambia be ‘reclaimed from the clutches of the incompetent Barrow government’.

“With the National Assembly Elections scheduled for this Saturday, let’s all go and vote to register our civic duty as citizens of The Gambia. Vote massively for our UDP candidates so that we can reclaim our country from the clutches of the incompetence of the Barrow government; so that we can control the unbearable rising cost of living in the country; so that we can make sure the affairs of the nation are prioritised for the interest of the majority and not just for the connected few,” Darboe said.

He used the opportunity to say Ramadan Mubarak to all as he asks Allah to accept everyone’s fasting and prayers and deliver them His best in this Duniya.

“Ramadan Mubarak to all. May Allah accept our fasting and prayers and deliver us His best in this Duniya. We are at a crossroads and this NA  elections will determine our future as a nation,” Darboe said.

By: Christian Conteh

The Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC) an institution created to provide globally recognized capacity for international actors in the African Peace and Security landscape through training, education and research to foster peace and stability on the continent has on Tuesday 5th April 2022 held its Annual Stakeholder Dialogue Series at the Senegambia Beach Hotel.

The theme for the event was ‘Contributing to the Implementation of ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework: Promoting Partnerships with Civil Society Organizations on Peace and Security in West Africa.’

The Dialogue Series created a forum for relevant stakeholders such as civil society actors, KAIPTC, ECOWAS, government, national and international organisations to dialogue on their relevant roles towards implementing the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework (ECPF) whilst identifying, discussing and agreeing on innovative strategies to support and complement ECOWAS’s conflict prevention and management efforts.

Giving her opening remarks Sylvia Horname Noagbesenu, Director, Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation KAIPTC noted that the security climate of West Africa has seen a mix of political gains and scores of political challenges at the same time and in view of this, different institutions such as KAIPTC have been working progressively to contribute to peace and security in the region.

In doing this she said the Centre is specifically committed to strengthening collaborations with CSO’s, Think Tanks and the Private Sector to advance policy dialogues and contribute to improving peace and security in Africa.

“I am particularly excited about today’s programme as it offers the opportunity for us, as stakeholders to draw synergies between our various actions in our respective organisations with the aim of strengthening partnership among us towards peace in the region.

As we share our success stories, highlight our achievements and find innovative ways to harness each other’s strengths, it is also important that we discuss our challenges, the bottlenecks and learn from each other to advance this very important cause through a collaborative approach,” she said.

The workshop she hopes will help develop new strategies for developing partnerships toward ensuring the successful implementation of the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework.

On her part Aseye Nani, Technical Advisor; GIZ- Support to KAIPTC noted that she was particularly happy to be back in The Gambia, not as an election observer this time around in Basse Santa Su, but in a different capacity to engage with an amazing and vibrant civil society community.

She however noted that amidst her excitement, the increase in the number of coup d’état has fundamentally challenged the democratic order in the region.

“The increasing number of military coups and unconstitutional changes in West Africa since 2019 pose a significant challenge to the democratic order and the peaceful development of the subregion. The salience of insecurity in West Africa and the Sahel Region, remains a source of concern for regional good governance and external intervention, and this is where civil society should play a role,” Aseye Nani said.

She emphasised that the Covid-19 pandemic and the most recent political crises across the region have taught us to work together, towards the common objectives of peace and stability in the region.

Reading a statement on behalf of the West Africa Network for Peace Building (WANEP) Dr Festus Kofi Aubyn the organisation’s Regional Coordinator, Research & Capacity Building revealed that recent developments in the region have raised a lot of concerns about the long-term peace and stability of the region.

The combination of both old and new threats including violent extremism, terrorism, political violence, protracted ethnic conflicts, organized crimes, economic inequalities, food insecurity and climate change have compounded the failure of States to maintain optimism and live up to the expectations of their populations. Particularly, the resurgence of unconstitutional changes of government through military coups in the region has raised concerns about the fragility of political institutions and undermined the democratic dividends achieved over the past decades,” She read.

She emphasised that WANEP has over the years contributed immensely to the implementation of regional and continental normative and policy frameworks to address the root causes of conflict and the multitude of security challenges facing the region.

She further stated that as an institution they believe that conflict prevention requires effective multi-stakeholder collaboration beyond ECOWAS and its Member States.

“Conflict prevention is the responsibility of all citizens, civil society activists, academics, the media, the Training Centres of Excellence like the KAIPTC, and the international community. All stakeholders have roles to play that may be different but complementary and mutually reinforcing.”

This Dialogue Series is an event designed to provide a platform for broad stakeholder engagement to agree on innovative strategies to support and complement ECOWAS’s conflict prevention and management efforts to strengthen human security in the region.

Presentations were mainly around getting everyone to understand what the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework is about and the various approaches used in its implementation, this includes the achievements, experiences and limitations from the perspective of the various partner organisations.

By: Christian Conteh

Opposition strongman Ousainou Darboe Esq has joined the campaign trail ahead of the April 9th National Assembly Elections. Darboe was spotted in Bundungka Kunda, Kanifing Municipality where he helped canvass votes for Bakary Njie the UDP candidate in that constituency.

Darboe told the people that they must consider the high cost of living and vote for Members of Parliament that can stand up to the government and ensure they do the right things.

“Going by the cost of living in the country, you need MPs who can look the government in the eye and tell it ‘this will not happen, this is what you should do’,” he said.

He encouraged the people to not be carried away by vote-buying, saying there is a big difference between 5 years of suffering and D5,000 a day. 

“There is a huge difference between a day’s D5,000 and five years of suffering. So, we should advocate for an end to our future suffering. You know those at the National Assembly who are not UDP and other opposition parties are the ones empowering this government to do whatever they want. They have turned a blind eye to our needs,” Darboe told the crowd.

The UDP seeks to maintain its parliamentary majority in the upcoming elections, something which the ruling NPP is working towards frustrating.  

By: Christian Conteh

It seems clear that Momodou Sabally has given up on his bid to run for the National Assembly Seat in Busumbala Constituency, this comes after his unsuccessfully legal battle to be part of the race.

Having lost the case to the IEC at the High Court Muhammed Kanteh one time Police Commissioner and Chief of Operations Brikama Division, West Coast Region (WCR) an independent candidate has received the backing of the UDP, an audio by the UDP Youth Wing Secretary-General suggests.

Kemo Bojang in the audio thanked Momodou Sabally for his good work but noted that at this point since it is obvious that he (Sabally) cannot contest in the upcoming elections the party will throw its weight behind Muhammed Kanteh another UDP member who had earlier filed his nomination papers as an independent candidate.

The decision according to UDP party stalwarts was tactical, confirming that it was envisaged that Sabally’s nomination bid may fail.

“We have all agreed that Muhammed Kanteh is a UDP member and has sacrificed for the party. He also has the competence to work in the parliament. This is why we all came to a consensus to support him,” Bojang said.

He used the opportunity to inform all UDP members and supporters that Muhammed Kanteh is the party’s new candidate.

Muhammed Kanteh was at some point in time arrested a few days after blaming the police for a crackdown on peaceful protesters on 26th January 2020.

He was charged with two counts of abuse of office, one count of false information and one count of communicating with the press without clearance. He was later acquitted and discharged.

By: Christian Conteh

The new US Ambassador to The Gambia Sharon Cromer has described her arrival in The Gambia as a home coming, noting that her family is delighted with the welcome they have received so far.

“My arrival in the Gambia is actually a home coming. Many years ago, I experienced the warm hospitality of this country and vowed to someday return,” Ambassador Cromer said.

She further noted that serving as Ambassador to the smiling coast truly is the most exciting responsibility in her 35-year foreign service career.

“During my tenure I plan for us to further our work with our Gambian partners to strengthen democratic institutions, support good governance, advance human rights and further country led development,” she said.

Sharon Cromer has an extensive experience with development policy and programs in Africa and has over the years demonstrated her ability to lead her teams effectively in a complex interagency environment.

The honourable Minster of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara has on Tuesday 5th April 2022 received credentials of the new Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Ms. Ndeye Rose Sarr.

During the meeting, Hon. Minister Tangara congratulated Ms. Sarr on her appointment and assuming duties in The Gambia. He welcomed her to the country and assured her of the Government of The Gambia’s commitment to continue collaborating with UNFPA to realise sexual and reproductive health for all and ensuring that the country fulfills its international obligations to protect and empowerment women and girls.

Ms. Sarr recognised the government for over four decades of cooperation with UNFPA and assured the Hon. Minister of her agency’s continued commitment to support The Gambia in achieving its development aspirations. She commended the country for ratifying various international instruments aimed at protecting the rights and welfare of women and girls and seized the opportunity to reiterate the need to implement the provisions of these legal frameworks and create an environment where women, girls and other vulnerable groups can thrive in dignity and health.

Ms. Sarr highlighted that UNFPA will continue to invest in attaining better health and development indicators, particularly in improving maternal health care, promoting sexual and reproductive health for all and addressing Gender-Based Violence and harmful practices in The Gambia.

UNFPA is currently developing its 9^th Country Programme with the Government of The Gambia. The Country Programme Document will align with the country’s development priorities and contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Sarr served as the Regional Desk Specialist for West and Central Africa, where she provided leadership, policy advice and strategic partnerships building for the region.

Operatives of Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) in Kanifing Municipal recently conducted an operation that resulted in the arrest of four people, including a minor, for the possession of suspected cannabis sativa and hashish. The suspects were arrested at different locations dubbed to be notorious for the dealing and open abuse of prohibited and controlled drugs in the Municipality.

The ongoing patrol is aim at addressing public concerns and complaints regarding people who are hellbent on openly abusing drugs with total disregard for the rule of law, the rights, health, wellbeing and safety of others as well as the multiplying implications of their conduct, actions and behavior.

Peter Jatta, Lamin Gitteh, Mbemba Jadama and Lorence Gomez were arrested on the 31 March 2022 between 13:00 hrs and 16:00 hours GMT onwards. The arrest were effected at Latrikunda, Manjai Kunda, New Jeshwang and Kotu in the Kanifing Municipality.

17-year-old Lamin Gitteh was arrested at Manjai Kunda with twenty seven wraps of suspected cannabis sativa. He has been handed over to the Agency’s Gender, Children and Human Rights unit for further processing and investigations because he is an alleged child offender.

In a similar but separate development, operatives recovered a bundle of suspected cannabis sativa in an operation in Lamin Babylon in the evening hours of 28 March 2022. The person of interest in the matter is currently at large.

DLEAG

By Sainabou Sambou

In his capacity as one of Gambia’s moral guarantors, President of supreme Islamic Council Sheikh Alhaji Essa Darboe has encouraged Gambians to uphold peace and tolerance before, during and after the forthcoming parliamentary election.

In an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network, Sheikh Darboe said election is in the Constitution, saying that it is the right of every eligible Gambian to vote during polling.

He prayed for the said election to be peaceful, noting that there is only one Gambia whose peace should be the concern of all Gambians.

“We can’t go about our normal business if there is no peace in the country. People should be mindful of what they say and do to consolidate and maintain peace.”

Sheikh Darboe said he is convinced that there is going to be a peaceful election as he didn’t think someone will decide to create instability during the holy month of Ramadan, describing the month as a period of peace and blessings.

He advised people to vote in peace and avoid doing things that will cause discord and disturb the observance of the holy month.

By Dawda Baldeh 

Staff of Bundung Maternal and Child Health Hospital are demanding the unconditional return of Kebba Manneh, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hospital who was recently transferred to Bwiam General Hospital. At a press conference held at the health facility in Bundung on Tuesday 5th April 2022, the staff expressed concerns over the transferred of Mr. Manneh who served as the hospital’s CEO for nearly two decades.

Senior Public Relation Officer, Omar Ceesay said the transfer of the CEO will have a huge negative impact on service delivery in the hospital, adding that Mr. Manneh had worked greatly in the transformation of the hospital.

“Since the news broke out, a task force of Heads of Units/Departments was formed with the sole aim of engaging the Minister of Health to reconsider his decision and let the staff continue working with the CEO to continue delivering quality health care services to women and children of The Gambia,” he said.

Fatoumata Nyalin Saidykhan, a retired health worker at the Bundung Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital explained the contributions of Mr. Manneh to development of the health facility.

“I have never worked anyone like Kebba,” Madam Saidykhan said. “He was very down to earth. I have worked with him for some years he has so much respect for elders and his staff. He has done a lot in the hospital and transferring him is not a good decision. Whatever you see in this hospital was due to Kebba’s commitments in serving the nation. He helped many staff to obtained scholarships.”

Awa Jassey, a patience at the hospital, called on authorities to return Mr. Kebba to the hospital.

“I am urging the government to return Kebba to the hospital. Kebba has been very instrumental in the service delivery of the hospital. He always interacts with the patients before attending to their needs.”

Saikou Sonko, a resident of Sukuta who has been accompanying his wife to the hospital said the transfer of Kebba to Bwiam was not a good decision, adding that Kebba has been instrumental in the hospital.

“The hospital has protocols that any woman who came with her husband for nursing will be given privilege to be attended first,” he said. “Kebba has been very supportive to the patients who are coming to this hospital. The hospital was recommended to me by a friend but since I started coming here with my wife I have seen the great work they have been doing. The decision to transfer Kebba is not a good one.”

The transfer of Mr. Kebba to Bwiam General Hospital has been frowned at by staff and patients who described him as a hardworking, generous and dedicated man, and therefore demand his unconditional return.

International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the summary execution of an estimated 300 civilians, including suspected members of armed groups during a military operation conducted by Malian forces and foreign fighters.

The alleged massacre, described in a Tuesday statement by HRW as “the worst single atrocity reported in Mali’s decade-long conflict”, happened in the central Malian town of Moura during a military operation that started on March 27.

“Abuses by armed Islamist groups is no justification at all for the military’s deliberate slaughter of people in custody,” said Corinne Dufka, HRW’s Sahel director.

“The Malian government is responsible for this atrocity, the worst in Mali in a decade, whether carried about by Malian forces or associated foreign soldiers,” she added.

Mass killing is a breach of international law that prohibits abuses against captured combatants and detained civilians, according to Article 3 of the Geneva Convention.

On Friday, Mali’s defence ministry issued a statement saying that 203 “terrorists” were killed during an air-land military operation from March 23 to April 3.

The rights group gathered the account of 27 people, including community leaders, diplomats, security analysts and witnesses from Moura – a town of about 10,000 residents that has been the epicentre of violence waged by armed groups since 2012.

HRW concluded that Malian soldiers and foreign fighters, which several sources identified as white non-French speaking soldiers, executed several hundred people in the city in small groups, over the course of several days.

“Over the four days, the soldiers ordered the detained men in groups of four, six, or up to 10, to stand up and walk for between several dozen and several hundred meters,” the HRW report cited a witness as saying.

“There, the Malian and foreign soldiers summarily executed them,” the witness said, adding that some victims were shot in the head, while other groups of men were sprayed by gunfire.

“The sound of gunfire rang out in our village from Monday to Thursday,” one resident reportedly said.

Residents also told HRW that since January many armed foreigners, believed to be Russians, were taking part in military operations in and around the central Malian towns of Sofara, Ségou, Mopti, Diabaly, and Belidanédji among others.

The vast majority of those killed by the Malian military and allied forces, read the report, were men from the pastoralist Peuhl, or Fulani, an ethnic group from which armed groups have heavily recruited in the past.

“The Malian government should urgently and impartially investigate these mass killings, including the role of foreign soldiers,” Dufka said.

“For such investigations to be sufficiently independent and credible, the authorities should seek assistance from the African Union and the United Nations,” she added.

Al Jazeera

By: Christian Conteh

“Political parties have not done much sponsoring female candidates,” a recent report from Gambia Participates a civil society organisation that religiously observes elections in the Gambia has said.

According to the pre-election observation report 1 none of the 12 political parties have sponsored more than 10 female candidates. 

The United Democratic Party (UDP) came close by sponsoring 6 female candidates with the ruling National People’s Party (NPP) and the (PDOIS) having three (3) female candidates.

There are only three (3) independent female candidates and the remaining parties 1 each. This suggests that female participation will be generally low for the 2022 Parliamentary elections with only 7.5% of the total participating candidates.

However according to Maurice Engueleguelu, Head of Project International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), Africa and West Africa Bureau, for the first time in the history of The Gambia, 19% of National Assembly Candidates are women. 

This he says is a huge increase in women’s participation in the country’s national political arena. Nonetheless everyone agrees there are still a lot of gaps within the internal party set up to put women in the forefront to run for elective offices.