UDP senior administrative secretary has said in his witness statement President Adama Barrow promised alkalolu that they will be appointed and paid, arguing that this was an inducement of the local government leaders.

UDP filed a petition at the Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging the December 4 presidential election result. They want the top court to cancel the election.

In his witness statement filed along with the original statement, Alhagie S Darboe alleged he knows for a fact President Barrow in his campaign made promises to the alkalolu that they will be appointed and paid D3,000 per month.

“…And this I know is an inducement to them for the purpose of election,” he alleged.

Darboe said elsewhere in his statement that he knows for a fact that in the course of the campaign, the NPP mobilised governors, chiefs and alkalolu who participated in the election campaign on the side of the party.

By: Christian Conteh

To mark the start of the festive season here in The Gambia, Coco Ocean Resort and Spa on Sunday 12^th December 2021 held a symbolic lighting of a Christmas Tree at the hotel’s facility at Bamboo Drive, Kombo Coastal Road, Serrekunda, Gambia.

The event brought together young school-going children, adults and regular patrons of the facility. The kids treated guests to Christmas carols and were offered gifts by Santa Clause.

Abdoulie Barrow is Food and Event Manager of Coco Ocean Resort and Spa, he said the event is a way of welcoming the festive season and displaying what the facility has to offer its numerous customers.

“The event is first of its kind, looking back at the COVID-19 Pandemic and the effect it has had on the hospitality industry we are happy to have been able to sustain our business and continue to give our customers the standard they seek.

The ‘Coco Ocean Tree Lighting’ is in preparation for the Christmas holiday. The turnout was good, the performance by the kids was amazing,” Barrow said.

When asked about the continuity of such an event he noted that he hopes to see it becoming an annual event.

“We are unique, Coco Ocean is one in the world and we are working in the largest industry in the world. The sky is the limit for us, with our expertise at Coco Ocean there are lots of surprises for our customers in the new year,” Barrow promised.

He went on to invite everyone including Gambians and non-Gambians to come to Coco Ocean and spend the Christmas holidays at their facility.

Charles is a musician from Belgium, he says Coco Ocean is his favourite hotel and he will be performing with his Belgian friends and other prominent artists living at the hotel on New Year’s Eve.

He promised to play his part in the improvement of the music industry in The Gambia. This includes pushing for legislation that gives musicians copyright and let them earn from their work.

Music and snacks formed an integral part of the social evening and tree lighting event.

GACH Global chief executive officer Abubakary Jawara has given D265,000 to two accidents victims to support them in their treatment.

Abubacarr Sowe of Brikama and Papa Momodou Njie of Tallinding were given D250,000 and D15,000 respectively.

Sowe who is 18, was involved in an accident that left him with fractured legs while Pa Njie also has leg fractures. Both accidents took place during the presidential election period.

The support is the latest generosity from top businessman Jawara and his GACH Global company.

By Reuters

Preliminary evidence indicates that COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against infection and transmission linked to the Omicron coronavirus variant, which also carries a higher risk of reinfection, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

The WHO, in its weekly epidemiological update, said that more data was needed to better understand the extent to which Omicron may evade immunity derived from either vaccines or previous infection.

“As a result of this, the overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high,” it said, echoing comments made by WHO officials at an online briefing on Tuesday.

For the first time since the dominant Delta variant was classified as a variant of concern in April, the percentage of Delta sequences registered on the global science database, GISAID has declined this week compared with other variants of concern, it said.

This needs to be interpreted with caution as countries may perform targeted sequencing for Omicron and therefore upload fewer sequences on all other variants, including Delta, it said.

The Delta variant is still dominant, however, accounting for 99.2 percent of the almost 880,000 sequences uploaded to GISAID with specimens collected in the last 60 days.

But the trend is declining in the proportion of Alpha, Beta and Gamma, and with the emergence of the Omicron variant. Out of the total, some 3,755 – or 0.4 percent – were Omicron and the other three variants of concern together numbered 401, less than 0.1 percent each.

The Turkish energy company operating in The Gambia, Karpowership, yesterday presented cash totalling D569,000 to a local health facility and an educational foundation.
The presentation was done at a ceremony at Faraba Kairaba Health Centre in Kombo East. Karpowership Country Director Yankuba Mamburay handed over D312,000 to workers at the health centre and presented D257,000 to the head of the Salimatou Foundation for Education.

Mr Mamburay said when the community of Faraba Kairaba wrote seeking support from Karpowership, he forwarded the letter to the head office in Istanbul and approval was given to provide the money to operationalise the village health centre which was constructed five years ago. He said the approval was also given to support the children’s education programme of SAFE.

Mr Mamburay said since it started operations in The Gambia in May 2018, Karpowership has gone beyond its mandate of supplying electricity, and through the fulfilment of its corporate social responsibility, spent millions of dalasis in assisting government, institutions, communities and individuals in areas including education, health, fisheries and the environment.

Faraba Kairaba health centre manager, Famara Fatty, described Karpowership as “unique” among Gambian based companies in giving back to the community. He promised that funds will be put to the intended purpose.

Regional Health Director Jean D’Arc Jarju-Kujabi thanked Karpowership for empowering the villagers to take charge of their health. She called on them to do their part in sustaining the centre and not rely entirely on outside help.

She urged the management of the centre to construct a waiting shed whilst lamenting that pregnant women in the community have to trek to Pirang or travel to Brikama for antenatal services.

On her part, Salimatou Fatty of SAFE, said since she started her foundation in 2015, this was the first corporate donation she received and thanked Karpowership for supporting the education of Gambian children. The alkalo (village head) of Faraba Kairaba, Kemo Colley, thanked Karpowership and its country manager for the assistance.

The ceremony, chaired by Sheriff Bojang, a Karpowership local partner, was interspersed with drumming and dancing by local troupes.

By Amara Thoronka

December 10 every year is International Human Rights Day. It marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 10th December 1948.

What are human rights?

Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. At the international level, the UDHR, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and others stipulate and guarantee human rights to be exercised by everyone across the world. Both the ICCPR and ICESCR were adopted by UNGA in 1976.

Some major internationally recognized human rights include; the right to work in just and favourable conditions; right to social protection; right to an adequate standard of living and the highest attainable standards of physical and mental well-being; right to education and the enjoyment of benefits of cultural freedom and scientific progress; freedom of movement; right to a fair trial and presumption of innocence; freedom of thought, conscience and religion; freedom of opinion and expression; peaceful assembly; freedom of association; participation in public affairs and elections; protection of minority rights; right against arbitrary deprivation of life, torture, cruel or degrading treatment or punishment, slavery and forced labour; right against arbitrary arrest or detention and arbitrary interference with privacy; right against discrimination, racial or religious hate.

However, while the aforementioned are general, there are rights aiming at protecting and/or targeting a specific set of people like women, children, the aged, workers, refugees and so on. There are also global, regional, subregional and national laws and bodies established to recognize, defend and protect human rights at various levels.

The trilogy of human rights

Every right has three components: the right, the limitation, and the responsibility. The right component is the exercise or enjoyment of the given right without interference. The limitation component is the reasonable restriction of the same right in the interest of public order, public safety, public health, public morality and the protection of other people’s reputation. The last component, responsibility, is the willingness of the person to own up for anything arising from the exercise of his/her right.

Even at the international level, there are no absolute rights. They are reasonably limited to enhancing sanity, peace and development in every given society. Without laws to somehow restrain the conduct of people and make them take responsibility for their deeds and words, society according to the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes would be “solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.” There will be impunity for gross violation of rights or freedoms.

The missing link in right-based advocacy

Human rights campaigners, defenders or advocates are almost always focused on informing people about their rights, freedoms and privileges which they are at liberty to freely and satisfactorily enjoy without interference, thereby making many feel that their rights are not limited and cannot take responsibility for unlawful issues or occurrences that may emanate from exercising their rights.

This is where right-based advocates are getting it wrong. In poor and unenlightened communities or societies where civics is lacking in the minds of the greater majority, many have imbibed a self-centred right mentality where the rights of others and the orderliness or sanity of society are given little or no consideration.
You will see someone, who has violated the right of another, vehemently asserting that it was his/her right to do or say what he did or said.

The Way Forward

Over the years, so much has been poured into human rights advocacy. If human rights campaigners and defenders are to be successful, their advocacies should be holistic.
As you campaign for children’s right to education, equally so inform them about their responsibility to attend classes, take notes, do their assignments, focus on their studies, prioritize learning over everything and respect school authorities.
As you campaign for men and society to respect the rights of women, equally so inform women about the limitations of their rights and the obligations they owe to their husbands, families and society in general.

As you advocate for employees’ rights, equally so enlighten them on their obligations to their employers, workplaces, and society. As you campaign for governments to uncompromisingly protect and defend the rights of citizens, equally so inform citizens on why and how their rights are reasonably restricted. Also, encourage them to honour their obligations to their nations and embody the spirit of patriotism.

The aforesaid are just highlights of the entirety of human rights considerations. Right-based campaigns should give equal prominence to the said components so that people will have a holistic picture of human rights and not just exercise their rights unguided.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad Dr. Mamadou Tangara on Tuesday morning received in his office the out-going UNFPA Representative to The Gambia, Mr. Kunle Adeniyi to bid him farewell at the end of his tour of duty in the country.

Foreign Minister Tangara expressed his appreciation of the efforts exerted by Mr. Kunle in the implementation of projects during his time in the country whilst wishing success in his tour of duty in Sri Lanka. Dr. Tangara posited that legacy should always be guarded by any person occupying position of responsibility.

For his part, the out-going UNFPA Representative, Mr. Kunle Adeniyi, commended the Government through the Foreign Ministry for the role played in fighting and reducing maternal mortality and child marriage. Mr. Kunle said throughout his stint, The Gambia stands strong in ensuring effective implementation of UNFPA projects.

The farewell ceremony was attended by the Director Administration and Finance, Ms. Binta Singhateh – Njie and Director of Asia and Oceanic Affairs Division, Ms. Fatou Njie – Hydara.

The ministry of trade has issued a statement announcing a reduction in the price of flour in the country.

The price of flour shot up recently pushing families into pain.

But the ministry trade in a statement on Tuesday said: “Following the recent increase in the price of locally produced flour, Ministry of Trade, Industry, Regional Integration and Employment MOTIE is hereby informing the general public that: agreement has been reached with Nessim Trading Company Limited for the price of Ferry brand to be restored to D1, 425.00 per bag, Bridge brand at D1,385.00 and Golden Brown maintained at D1, 350 with immediate effect; locally produced flour should not be exported to neighboring countries in line with the earlier press release from this Ministry; bakeries are encouraged to buy flour from the factory to save costs and benefit from other applicable discounts.

“Given that flour milling companies have agreed to restore their original prices as stated above, This Ministry is calling on all bakeries to continue their production of bread and ensure that the price of bread is maintained at D7 per loaf.

“The public is hereby reassured that MOTIE/GCCPC is fully committed to ensuring the availability and affordability of essential commodities including flour and will work diligently to find a permanent solution as we grapple with global price increments brought about by the effects of Covid 19 on global supply chains.”

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has said supporters of the party are putting the party in bad light, asking supporters to not adopt a stand that will further alienate the party from some section of the population.

UDP supporters including prominent member Jainaba Jah have led calls for the boycott of all businesses belonging to businessman Muhammed Jah. Jah’s only crime is supporting President Adama Barrow.

But Darboe said: “I see the campaign for a boycott of the Jah businesses is intensifying. I agree entirely with Amadou that we should be liberal minded, accept and respect choices made by individuals and groups. This campaign strongly validates the label of intolerance attached to us.

“Although I asked the media team to issue a statement confirming that Ambassador Bah’s appeal was her personal view and not the official position of the party, it does appear that the party is supporting the campaign as our platform is being used to promote the boycott.

“As a responsible and accommodating party we should engage Jah to win him over. We are putting our party in bad light. Let us accept that not everyone will support us but that does not mean we should adopt a stand that will further alienate us from some section of the population.”

The United Democratic Party has filed a petition at the Supreme Court of The Gambia asking the top court to scrap the December 4 poll due to corrupt practices.

UDP filed the petition Tuesday afternoon through the party’s lawyer Borry Touray.

In their petition seen by The Fatu Network, UDP alleged President Adama Barrow and members of his National People’s Party bribed voters by giving them money, cooking utensils and milling machines.

Elsewhere, the party alleged that non-citizens were inserted in the register of voters in the length and breadth of the country.

The party wants the Supreme Court to declare the poll invalid.

A date will now be appointed for hearing.

The United Democratic Party put out a short statement Tuesday afternoon saying it has not given its blessing for the boycott of any business.

Supporters of UDP have since on Monday been calling for the total boycott of QTV, Qcell and all other businesses owned by Gambian businessman Muhammed Jah. The UDP supporters accuse Jah of supporting President Adama Barrow.

But UDP said in a statement on its official Facebook page: “The United Democratic Party does not endorse and has not called for any businesses to be boycotted.

“The party is very mindful of the fact that calling for such actions would have detrimental consequences for all, including employees of such companies.”

The United Democratic Party has filed a petition at the Supreme Court of The Gambia asking the top court to scrap the December 4 poll due to corrupt practices.

UDP filed the petition Tuesday afternoon through the party’s lawyer Borry Touray.

In their petition seen by The Fatu Network, UDP alleged President Adama Barrow and members of his National People’s Party bribed voters by giving them money, cooking utensils and milling machines.

Elsewhere, the party alleged that non-citizens were inserted in the register of voters in the length and breadth of the country.

The party wants the Supreme Court to declare the poll invalid.

A date will now be appointed for hearing.

By Associated Press

A two-dose Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination provides just 33% protection against infection by the omicron variant of the coronavirus, but 70% protection against hospitalization, according to a large-scale analysis in South Africa released on Tuesday.

The first large-scale analysis of vaccine effectiveness in the region where the new variant was discovered appears to support early indications that omicron is more easily transmissible, and that the Pfizer shot isn’t as effective in protecting against infection as it was against the delta variant.

The analysis was based on more than 211,000 positive COVID-19 test results, 41% from adults who had received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. About 78,000 of these positive COVID-19 test results between Nov. 15 and Dec. 7 were attributed to omicron infections. The study was carried out by Discovery Health, South Africa’s largest private health insurer, and the South African Medical Research Council.

The study has been carried out in the weeks since omicron was first announced in November by scientists in South Africa and Botswana. The researchers emphasized that its findings are preliminary and not peer reviewed.

The data are gathered from the first three weeks of South Africa’s omicron-driven wave and may change as time passes. South Africa is the first country to experience a surge in COVID-19 driven by the omicron variant.

By Christian Conteh

Overcrowding in Sierra Leone’s correctional centres is an age old challenge, fueled by the several inadequacies in the country’s criminal justice system. With the advent of the COVID-19 Pandemic correctional centres risk exposing detainees to the virus, a new joint research from AdvocAid and Cyrus R. Vance Centre for International Justice suggests.

The research which looks at the causes and consequences of women’s imprisonment in Sierra Leone interviewed predominantly women held in pre-trial detention.

Court backlogs and strict bail conditions lead to women languishing in pre-trial detention for excessive time periods. This major cause of overcrowding, which combined with limited access to water and sanitation, is putting detained women in alarmingly precarious conditions as the current COVID-19 pandemic rages on.

The research finds out that criminalisation of poverty is one of the main reasons for over incarceration of women, with 71% of interviewees saying that before going to prison they could only afford one or two meals per day. Almost half had been the main earners of their households and 88% were taking care of at least one child before their arrests. 34 % of the women interviewed had been arrested and detained for economic or petty crime, often committed for their survival or that of their loved one.

“I have eight children and sometimes it was just impossible to take care of them all. So I borrowed some money from a friend but when I couldn’t pay back she turned me in to the police. I am so worried, who will make sure that my children go to school and are well fed now?” Mariama asks.

The majority of incarcerated women are survivors of sexual and gender-based violence – 48% during their childhood, 72% as adults at the hands of their partners, and 45% during adulthood from someone other than their partner. Out of the 24% of women who were in prison for committing a crime against their partner, 94% reported that the partner beat, bullied, belittled, or sexually harmed them before they committed the crime.

Narrating her ordeal Adama another inmate revealed that she was just 14 and going to school when a man who was older impregnated her.

“My family decided I should marry him in a traditional wedding so that I wouldn’t give birth out of wedlock. We later moved to Freetown and I gave birth to a baby boy. My husband was financially, physically and emotionally abusive. Every time he was angry at me, he would rape me. He didn’t even give me money to cook and care for our kid so I started cooking and selling fish to support me and the boy. I reported my husband to the police but they did nothing.

One day, my husband ate the food I was going to sell for survival and so I asked him to pay me money. He said he would not pay me and he started beating me. I had a knife in my hand because I was cooking when he started squeezing my throat. I stabbed him on his side and he died. There is still no justice for women in Sierra Leone because I kept reporting my husband to the police but they never took me seriously.”

According to Lydia Kembabazi AdvocAid’s Legal Manager the majority of women behind bars should not be detained.

“The over-incarceration of women, most who come in conflict with the law because of poverty or abuse, is causing long-lasting damage to women and children. Sierra Leone should urgently invest in gender-responsive alternatives to incarceration which are less costly to the country and society,” she said.

The study further shows that mental health hardly ever plays a role in a judge’s decision. This is due to the fact that there are only two psychiatrists who could conduct a mental health assessment for a criminal trial; the judiciary also told researchers that they have not received adequate training on this issue. Incarceration has a highly negative impact on women’s mental health. 54% of women reported a mental health condition starting or deteriorating while detained and several formerly incarcerated women said that even after their release they had had suicidal thoughts.

According to a sister of an incarcerated woman who has been released her sister (the former inmate) has not been engaged in anything meaningful since her release.

“She is now a drunkard and acts abnormal. The community considers her an ex-convict and not the best candidate for any job. This has led to acute depression and it’s beginning to affect her mental wellbeing”.

One of the prison officers who participated in the research accepted that they recognise these issues, but was honest to reveal they lack the financial and professional wherewithal to address the issues.

“We used to have ropes where inmates used to hang their dresses but an order was given by the manager that all ropes should be banned because we had an inmate who used such rope to strangle herself.” Correctional center officer

Marie-Claude Jean-Baptiste, Programs Director at the Vance Center for International Justice, said:

“This report has important implications for women in detention not only in Sierra Leone but all over the globe. Research has shown that women’s pathways to prison and the consequences for themselves, families and communities are eerily similar globally. The international and regional legal standards protecting the rights of women in detention are clear. We call on the Sierra Leone government and other international partners, including the donor community, to work together to uphold the rights of women in detention.”

In an open letter to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, 19 organisations from the Women in Prison Network convened by the Vance Center have joined the call for measures to reduce overcrowding in women’s correctional centres to slow the spread of Covid19.

AdvocAid has over the years continued its call on the government of Sierra Leone to release vulnerable, low risk and pre-trial detainees.

Commentator Banka Manneh has given his analysis on United Democratic Party’s current crisis which has thrown the party’s future into great uncertainty.

UDP dramatically lost the election to President Adama Barrow after a vast campaign that began in 2019.

President Barrow defeated the party comprehensively, a defeat UDP has struggled to come to terms with.

According to Banka Manneh, the failure is mainly a UDP failure and that the party’s leaders need to be removed.

Mr Manneh said: “This was not anybody’s fault. The elections was not stolen, Barrow didn’t do anything horrible. UDP in fact had a free lane. In fact they were operating freely, more freely than anybody in this country during this elections process.

“This is a party that had people going to registration centres to confront people as to who is foreigner and who is not. They were getting away with so much. What I’m saying is that the failure is mainly a UDP failure, their own failure. Nobody caused this but UDP.

“What they need to do is they need to go back to the drawing board and have an honest internal assessment. And to do that, they must allow the party faithful within the party to speak their minds.

“They should get rid of their current leadership. Absolutely. That should be on the table. In the West look at what they do: a massive failure like this, they will be forced to resign because they know they have failed to deliver.”

By Reuters

A number of Senegalese lawmakers have drafted legislation that might tighten already repressive laws against same-sex relations, lengthening potential jail phrases for these convicted of LGBTQ actions, one of many legislators mentioned on Monday.

In Senegal, gay intercourse is punishable by as much as 5 years in jail, in accordance with a 2020 international assessment by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).

According to a Reuters report, Lawmaker Alioune Souare said he had helped draft a replacement to anti-LGBTQ laws.

“We hope to current the proposal to the parliament earlier than the top of the week,” he said.

The invoice would lengthen jail phrases to between 5 and 10 years and criminalise LGBT+ actions particularly. The present legislation targets anybody who commits an “act against nature” with individuals of the identical gender.

It is unclear how a lot help the invoice would win in parliament.

Same-sex relations stay taboo in lots of socially conservative African societies, the place some spiritual teams have branded it a corrupting Western import. It is authorized in solely 22 of Africa’s 54 international locations and punishable by demise or prolonged jail phrases in others, in accordance with ILGA.

Neighboring Ghana can also be contemplating anti-LGBTQ legislation that might lengthen jail phrases and pressure some to bear “conversion remedy” meant to alter an individual’s sexual orientation.

By Sky News

Manchester United’s Premier League away game to Brentford on Tuesday night has been postponed due to a COVID outbreak among the visitors’ squad.

United asked league officials to postpone the fixture after being forced to close first-team operations at their Carrington training complex on Monday afternoon.

The club said they recorded a “small number” of positive cases among first-team players and staff who took lateral flow tests on Sunday, a day after they beat Norwich 1-0 at Carrow Road.

It comes after Tottenham’s Europa Conference League game against Rennes slated for 9 December had to be postponed as staff and players tested positive and was later unable to be rescheduled.

The postponement of another high-profile fixture so quickly after Spurs’ troubles will raise fears over the rising impact of COVID amid the rapid spread of the Omicron variant.

The Premier League also announced on Monday a record 42 players and staff tested positive for COVID in the previous week, the highest number since 40 cases were reported in January.

“Manchester United can confirm that our Premier League fixture at Brentford FC has been postponed and will be rescheduled in due course,” read a United statement.

By: Dawda Baldeh

A group of activists comprising young men and women representing different civil society organisations have on Saturday 11^th December 2021 called for zero tolerance against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in society.

At an event held at Palma Rima Beach in Kololi, the group of young men and women walked through the beach chanting in and holding banners that read,

I am a survivor, not a victim, Women are to be protected, speak up and Act now, enough is enough, do not rape women; among others.

The activity was in line with the 16 days of activism against SGBV which is an annual international campaign that usually kicks off from 25th November to 10th December.

The period is dedicated to advocacy for the elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls. The theme for this year is “Orange Gambia, end violence against women now!”

Speaking at the event, Satang Dumbuya, Advocacy and Campaign Officer of the Network Against Gender-Based Violence called for collaboration in the fight against eliminating gender-based violence while pointing out that women and children are the most vulnerable people in the society.

Adding that the empowerment of women should be everybody’s business, emphasising that the goals cannot be achieved if men are not in the forefront.

“Women’s empowerment is everybody’s responsibility. We must make sure the rights of women and children are respected,” she said. “We have been focusing on the empowerment of women but now we are also focusing on children and men because we have men who are also victims of sexual and gender-based violence. We want this to end.”

Sainabou Baldeh, Representative from Sound Mind Gambia, said the focus of their organization is on giving psychosocial support to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. She added that it requires a lot of strength for survivors of gender-based violence to recover mentally from sexual violence.

“Our focus is to make sure everyone has good mental well-being in the country. That is why we give people psychological support to help them recover from trauma,” she said

She further stated that societal perspective is another factor that affects survivors. This she said needs to be addressed.

“People are ill-informed about what mental health is and how they can help people to recover from such,” she noted. “We help them without giving them medication or taking them to ‘Tanka Tanka’ (a place for mentally ill patients in The Gambia).”

Among the challenges highlighted by various speakers in combating gender-based violence is a lack of collective responsibility in reporting SGBV cases, proper data record and access to finance and mobility.

Cherno Ceesay a physically challenged individual, Fatoumata FM Sonko survivor of sexual and gender-based violence and Aminata Yajoh commended the organizers of the event and called on the society to speak up and help fight violence against women and girls.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson has on behalf of the Peoples Republic of China congratulated President Adama Barrow on his victory in the just concluded presidential election. Promising that the two countries are set to achieve new progress in friendly and cooperative relations.

Mr. Wang Wenbin was speaking at a press conference convened by China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing yesterday.

“China has noticed that The Gambia’s Independent Election Commission has announced the results of the presidential election and relevant African observer groups have also recognised the process of the election. We are glad to see a peaceful election and extend congratulations to President Barrow on his victory,” he said.

He further noted that the Gambia is China’s good friend and partner adding that Beijing attaches high importance to relations with the country and stands ready to work together with the new administration in The Gambia to implement the outcomes of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the FOCAC among other shared ventures.