The United Democratic Party have again said they have ‘overwhelming’ evidence of the December 4 presidential election getting stolen.

UDP issued a statement on Wednesday to speak on the election, the first time the party is doing so.

UDP said in their statement: “Further, the United Democratic Party had on the 24th of December filed 30 witness statements and over two thousand pages of overwhelming evidence that established beyond any reasonable doubt that: The conduct of the election was fraught with corrupt conduct and vote buying; Thousands of voters were added to the voter list after close of registration; Thousands of foreigners obtained voters cards in The Gambia illegally; The conduct of the vote counting was full of irregularities that made the result of the election null and void.

“Over the past three weeks the United Democratic Party has carried out diligent investigation and placed evidence before the Supreme Court to demonstrate how the elections were stolen from The Gambian people.”

UDP supporters are contending with the devastating defeat they suffered in the hands of President Adama Barrow.

While the party has continued to claim the election was stolen, many including the international community have all held the election as free and fair.

Top commander Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Bojang has said training afforded his troops in Turkey centered on UN peacekeeping and advanced military tactics – as his troops returned home.

Two hundred and fifty GAF personnel dubbed GAMCOY QRF 2 were airlifted to The Republic of Turkey for training in October.

The group landed in Banjul on over the weekend after the successful completion of a much cherished training, the military said in a statement.

The statement said: “According to the Contingent Commander Lieutenant Colonel Amadou Bojang, the training was a specialized and tailored one centering on UN peacekeeping procedures and advance military tactics. He was also quick to highlight the special gains made in the field of convoy operations, mine awareness drills amongst a cadre of peace operation courses. The training package is part of a series earmarked amongst others for Gambian QRF contingents to undergo prior to deployment in a peacekeeping environment.

“The troops were received at the Banjul International Airport by the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff Major General Mamat O Cham together with some GAF top brass. General Cham welcomed them back home and commended them for the good conduct they showed while in Turkey, noting that no adverse report or misconduct of any individual has reached the Defence Headquarters.”

United Democratic Party has hailed its lawyers who led the party’s legal war regarding the December 4 election result.

In a statement on Wednesday, the party praised the lawyers as great men and women of the law

“Our legal team have over the past few weeks, worked tirelessly – (burning the midnight oil) to ensure that we prosecute our petition by presenting evidence in its support.

“The United Democratic Party takes this opportunity to salute these great men and women of the Law for their principled stand that justice should not be sacrificed on the altar of technicalities,” UDP said.

UDP was led into the battle by lawyer Borry S Touray with the legal team also consisting of top attorney Lamin S Camara and Darboe’s daughter Fatou Darboe.

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick says disruptions caused by COVID-19 have impacted his progress since taking over at Manchester United.

The German, 63, is unbeaten in four games since replacing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the end of November. After beating Crystal Palace and Norwich either side of a Champions League draw with Young Boys in Rangnick’s first three matches, games at Brentford and at home to Brighton were postponed because of a number of COVID cases at United.

They returned to action at Newcastle on Monday, with Rangnick admitting that he “did not like the performance at all” as his side escaped St James’ Park with a 1-1 draw.

“The last three days, we were almost back to full strength with regard to the size of the squad, but we couldn’t do that much in training,” he added before Thursday’s home match against Burnley.

“On the other hand, in those two-three training sessions, the team looked good and therefore in Monday’s game it was really a bit of a negative surprise, the way that we played with regard to game speed, game tempo and physicality.”

But he says the COVID outbreak that led to the closure of the club’s Carrington training base and the postponement of two games has complicated his work.

“Of course not,” Rangnick said when asked if he had achieved his targets.

“Every coach, every ambitious coach – and there’s no difference between other coaches and myself in that area – wants to take faster steps and larger steps forward. But, in order to do that, you need to be able to train.”

Source: BBC Sports

By: Dawda Baldeh

In the sports arena, GAI SPORTS AGENCY based in the US has organised a free student-athletes college Showcase in the Gambia. The Pre combine program, open soccer tryout was held at the FIFA Goal Project in Yundum.

The showcase soccer camp is designed for high school soccer players that want to work directly with coaches in the US. The event was for those young athletes who focus on becoming college soccer student-athletes.

Speaking to this medium CEO of the Agency Pa Saloum Gai a native of Bakau residing in the US said the tryout is to support the young athlete community free of charge.

He said this will also help the athletes, as evaluations provided by coaching staff through the instructional process, information on college scholarships and pointers on US college athletes for players.

“Each segment of these camps will consist of player evaluation and skill training on the technical and tactical competencies of the game,” he said.

“The camp is open to all high school soccer players who are eligible based on academic performances,” he said.

Mr Gai further noted that it has been his dream to support his country through sports education. He disclosed that he was once awarded the same opportunity and his mission is to continue to help the Kids.

The agency invited a prominent college coach from the US to witness the second combine session which was held recently.

Coach Malang Jarjue is currently in the Gambia for scouting young athletes during the showcase.

In a recent telephone conversation with him, Coach Jarjue said the invitation to witness another great soccer showcase is an opportunity for him, especially in his home country.

He welcomed the invitation and said that the youth deserve attention and support.

Mamour M Mbenga alias Kifa Barham a community youth leader and journalist by profession is the sports Manager for Gai Sports Agency in the Gambia, he said 150 athletes participated at the beginning of the first combine tryout session.

He said every session the Agency will scout and assess the athlete’s performances to list the best qualifiers.

The agency he revealed has set standard program activities which include recording all games with professional soccer cameras and inviting local professional coaches to participate in the showcase camp.

” We are on our final list assessment as the camp session will continue annually with different badges of athletes,” he said.

The United Democratic Party has broken its silence over the Supreme Court striking out its election dispute petition.

A statement shared Wednesday evening reads: “On the 28th of December 2021 the Supreme Court, sitting with a panel of 5 Justices, delivered a ruling on two applications that had been filed on behalf of President Elect Adama Barrow.

“The first application sought to dismiss the petition on the following grounds: That the petition was filed late; That the petition was improperly amended; That the IEC was improperly joined to the case; and That President Elect Adama Barrow was not properly served.

“The Supreme Court dismissed the first application as lacking merit and agreed with the UDP’s arguments.

“The second application claimed (Under Rule 11 of Election Rules) that UDP had not served a notice of presentation of the petition as well as a notice of proposed cost on President Elect Adama Barrow within five days after presentation of the petition and therefore the petition should be struck out.

“In fact the UDP had conducted its case above and beyond the requirements of Rule 11 in that: The Petition was served within 48 hours of filing and the Respondent had already commenced participating in the matter.

“UDP had applied for costs to be ordered. Indeed costs of GMD 300,000 was ordered and paid immediately within the five day period. Therefore a notice of proposed cost was overtaken by events.

“Notice of the costs was given to the Respondent by the Master of the High Court and further re-issued a second time by UDP to the Respondent. All these steps were upheld by the Court.

“Surprisingly the Supreme Court decided to dismiss the entire Petition on a trivial point of technicality. It is even more disappointing that the Supreme Court chose to strike out the petition when striking out was not a remedy provided for by statute.

“Further, the United Democratic Party had on the 24th of December filed 30 witness statements and over two thousand pages of overwhelming evidence that established beyond any reasonable doubt that: The conduct of the election was fraught with corrupt conduct and vote buying; Thousands of voters were added to the voter list after close of registration; Thousands of foreigners obtained voters cards in The Gambia illegally; The conduct of the vote counting was full of irregularities that made the result of the election null and void.

“Over the past three weeks the United Democratic Party has carried out diligent investigation and placed evidence before the Supreme Court to demonstrate how the elections were stolen from The Gambian people.

“While we respect the decision of the Supreme Court as the apex judicial authority, we express our unreserved disappointment that the will of the Gambian people is once again suppressed.

“We will explore all legal options and ensure that the evidence gathered is presented to The Gambian people. Our legal team have over the past few weeks, worked tirelessly – (burning the midnight oil) to ensure that we prosecute our petition by presenting evidence in its support.

“The United Democratic Party takes this opportunity to salute these great men and women of the Law for their principled stand that justice should not be sacrificed on the altar of technicalities.

“The UDP therefore wishes to assure all its supporters and every Gambian, including the Respondent, that it has not LOST the Petition.  UDP was driven from the seat of judgment by being barred from presenting evidence in support of its case.

“Despite the striking out of the Petition by the Supreme Court, the leadership of UDP calls on all its members to continue to be law abiding while pursuing their legitimate constitutional rights of recruiting more people into the membership of the party.”

The United Democratic Party has issued a statement thanking Gambians for their support in the 2021 presidential election but also indicating it is now set to focus on the upcoming national assembly and local government elections.

The statement signed by leader Ousainou Darboe reads: “The leadership of the United Democratic Party extends sincere appreciation to all Gambians who believe in our mission, vision and Agenda for change and voted for us.  We are greatly indebted to all those who took their time and resources to join us in the campaign trail. Many from the diaspora flew in, and although some couldn’t vote, joined us in the trenches to sell our Agenda and sensitise communities on their civic rights to vote.

“Similarly, we thank those behind the scenes who rendered unconditional support to the Party when it was most needed.

“To our funders, our supporters; our champions; and to friends of the UDP, we say a big thank you for your trust and faith in the decisions we took on your behalf.  These are the people who see country first; who are committed to the UDP’s cause because The Gambia and Gambians matter to them most of all over their individual and personal gains.

“Today, we stand proud to be part of Gambia’s history, shoulder to shoulder with those who challenged the status quo and fought for justice and peace but are sadly, not alive today to witness the emocracy they gave their lives for.  We sincerely thank the Gambian people and all our supporters, members and sympathisers for their relentless support and for putting The Gambia first.

“Our warm and heartfelt thanks go to all our hosts for the excellent accommodation and catering during both the Five Point Agenda Tour and the Presidential Campaign: from Barra to Passamas in Wuli and from Kartong to Songkunda in Kantora. In the same vein we thank all the security personnel who provided security services for the UDP campaign team.

“We acknowledge with appreciation and gratitude our rank and file supporters for choosing to be on the right side of history by putting country above all else, and for continuing to remain calm, steadfast and law abiding.

“Although the party’s petition challenging the 4th December Presidential Election has been struck out by the Supreme Court, we still have two important and crucial elections ahead of us.  These are the National Assembly and the Local Government Elections in 2022 & 2023 respectively.  We implore each and every one of you to focus your energies on these two elections to ensure we don’t only maintain the seats we have in these important institutions but to make sure we increase our membership.

“The United Democratic Party has since 1996 defended injustice against any person in the Gambia in need of the equal protection of the law.  This is what our Party stands for and it forms the basis of our ethos – Justice, Peace and Progress.  This has been and will continue to be the pillar of our contribution to democracy as a party and responsible members of our society.

“As the struggle continues, I pray for Allah’s continued blessings over The Gambia and her people.My best wishes for the New Year, God Bless you all, and God Bless the Gambia.”

By DailyMail Sport

Guinea President Colonel Mamady Doumbouya has warned his players they must win the Africa Cup of Nations, or pay back the money used to help them prepare for the tournament.

The National Elephants – captained by Liverpool star Naby Keita – are in Group B alongside Malawi, Senegal, and Zimbabwe for the tournament that is set to begin on January 9.

Their best ever finish at a Africa Cup of Nations came in 1976, when they finished runners-up to Morocco in the last edition of the tournament to feature a final group stage.

But military officer Doumbouya – who led a coup d’etat by the country’s armed forces against Alpha Conde and his government on September 5 – has laid down a brutal ultimatum to Kaba Diawara’s men.

‘Bring back the trophy or bring back the money we invested in you. Period,’ the Guinea’s interim president said as quoted by Soccer 24.

The BBC claimed in October Doumbouya is among 25 Guinean officials the European Union has been threatening to sanction for alleged human rights abuses committed in recent years under President Conde.

Meanwhile, his country’s football team will look to defy their 40-1 odds when they begin their latest campaign against Malawi on January 10 at Bafoussam Omnisport Stadium Kouekong in Cameroon.

The Gambian government is set to take a decision on what will be the fate of serving government officials named in the recently released TRRC Report.

However, according to the country’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow the decision will only be reached after the report is discussed in cabinet. Cabinet will then put together a white paper that will reflect the position of the Adama Barrow led government on the TRRC Report.

Several substantive officials mainly from the security services have been named in the report, most of whom are accused of serious crimes committed during the Jammeh era.

“We shall meet and discuss the report in cabinet, once any administrative action is taken about them [those government officials named in the report], we will come back to the public with that information,” Justice Minister Dawda Jallow said.

Civil society activists, human rights practitioners and media personnel have on several occasions since the release of the report called for government officials implicated by the report to do the honourable thing, which is resign.

Police Commissioner Ensa Badjie, Interior Minister Yankuba Sonko, Ousman Sowe Director General State Intelligence Service (SIS) and Baboucar Sowe are a few of the prominent names mentioned in the report.

Recommendations in the report call for some officials mentioned to be either banned from holding public office or prosecuted.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 969 irregular migrants were intercepted off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

The update comes amid reports some Gambians have died while attempting to reach Italy.

“In the period of December 19-25, 969 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,” IOM said.

So far this year, a total of 32,425 irregular migrants have been intercepted, while 573 died and 933 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the Organization.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores. (XINHUA)

The world hit a record number of COVID infections in a week, an AFP tally revealed Wednesday, as the WHO warned that Omicron poses a “very high” risk and could overwhelm healthcare systems.

The highly transmissible variant has seen case records in multiple countries and registered infections were up 37% globally from December 22-28 compared to the previous seven-day period, according to the AFP tally based on national databases.

A total of 6.55 million cases were detected between 22-28 December, the highest figures since the World Health Organization declared a pandemic in March 2020.

The surge, currently worst in Europe, has forced governments to walk a tightrope between re-imposing restrictions designed to stop hospitals becoming overwhelmed and the need to keep economies and societies open two years after the virus first emerged in late 2019.

Studies suggest Omicron, now the dominant strain in some countries, carries a reduced risk of being admitted to hospital, but the World Health Organization still urged caution.

“The overall risk related to the new variant of concern Omicron remains very high,” the UN health agency said overnight.

“Consistent evidence shows that the Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant with a doubling time of two to three days.”

More than 5.4 million people around the world have died from Covid-19, but the number of deaths declined to an average of 6,450 a day in the last week, the AFP tally said, the lowest since late October 2020.

The WHO warned further data was needed to understand Omicron’s severity.

By: Christian Conteh

The Country Representative for the African Network against Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances (ANEKED) has said that as an organisation they expect that the Adama Barrow led government will keep its word, honour its promise and ensure the implementation of the recommendations in the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) Report, recently made public by the Gambian government.

“They gave the TRRC the mandate to dig out the truth and make recommendations. Now that the truth is out, we expect the government to honour its promise and implement the TRRC recommendations,” Sira Ndow said.

Sira was speaking to the Fatu Network in an exclusive interview immediately after the TRRC Report was made public by the Gambian government through the Ministry of Justice.

“It’s a great feeling that you are seeing progress happening, especially according to plan. The submission of the TRRC Report to various stakeholders is in compliance with the TRRC Act, seeing that being done is very encouraging and shows that we are moving forward,” she said.

She further noted that as an organisation she is looking forward to seeing the government white paper when it is released 5 (five) months from now.

Formed in 2019 and led by women African human rights activists, the African Network against Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances has campaigned against forced disappearances and summary executions over the years, whilst supporting the victim’s transitional justice process.

One of its flagship projects has been the TRRC digest, a summarised version of the TRRC public testimonies and sessions to give people an alternative archive.

Japan braced for a feared rebound in coronavirus cases as the highways and airports filled with travellers at the start of New Year’s holidays on Wednesday.

The governors of the metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka urged residents to keep end-of-year gatherings small, as more cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 come to light, including a suspected cluster at an Osaka nursing home.

Health officials advised travellers to avail themselves of free coronavirus tests before departure, amid fears that an outpouring of city dwellers could spread infections to the countryside.

“The highest risk is meeting people without taking adequate measures to prevent infection,” said Norio Ohmagari, director of the Disease Control and Prevention Center and a top health advisor to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government.

“Also, due to the reports of relatively mild infections caused by the Omicron strain, people are underestimating the risk of corona.”

The consecutive New Year’s holidays mark one of the busiest travel seasons in Japan. Footage from public broadcaster NHK showed Tokyo’s main airports were packed, while public highway data showed a 39 km (24 miles) traffic jam heading southwest of the capital.

Officials in Osaka confirmed five Omicron cases at a nursing home, believed to be the first cluster of the variant in Japan, Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.

Community transmission of Omicron has been found in eight prefectures so far, according to a Jiji news agency tally. The variant may comprise 90% of COVID-19 cases in Osaka by early next month, according to a projection released on Tuesday by Kyoto University professor Hiroshi Nishiura.

Concerns that Omicron may be more infectious and evade vaccine protections have prompted Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to accelerate Japan’s booster shot programme and maintain some of the world’s strictest border restrictions.

New COVID-19 infections have ticked up in recent weeks, reaching 385 nationwide on Tuesday. Even so, serious cases and deaths have stayed low, aided by a vaccination push that has fully inoculated almost 80% of the population. Japan has seen just 28 COVID-19 related fatalities in December, on course for the lowest monthly tally since July 2020.

Source: Reuters

A newly unveiled statue of Portuguese football star Cristiano Ronaldo is dividing opinion in India. Placed in the western Goa state, where football is hugely popular, officials hope it will inspire young people.

However, not everyone is happy with the towering brass statue that now graces a park in a coastal village. Critics say local football players should have been honoured, especially since several past and present members of India’s national team are Goan.

Portugal is a popular team in Goa, which is a former European colony, and many locals have lived in Portugal or have family there.

But some people in the Indian state think it is insulting to install the statue during the 60th-anniversary celebrations of Goa finally gaining independence from Portugal, which happened 14 years after the rest of India was liberated from British rule.

Source: BBC

Deputy political adviser to President Adama Barrow has called on supporters of the United Democratic Party to exercise patience over their pain.

UDP lost in devastating fashion in the December 4 presidential election and supporters of the party have been left in a state of pain and shock.

The supporters had further heartache on Tuesday after the Supreme Court threw out UDP’s petition, their last chance at having anything in their favour.

Dou Sano told Gambian Talents TV: “The first defeat came and this is the second defeat for them. Let them go and take heart and be patient. We are all part of nation building.

“This victory is from Gambians and UDP supporters are part of those Gambians. Let them join us to build the nation.

“The country is not owned by President Barrow, not owned by Ousainou Darboe or myself. It’s owned by the citizens. So if the court decides, then it’s over now. Let them stay away from violence.”

Former Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo has called for reconciliation between UDP leader Ousainou Darboe and President Adama Barrow.

UDP saw its last chance at success slipped through its hands when the Supreme Court struck out its petition against the election result.

Darboe and President Barrow had been locked in a bitter fight in the build up to the December 4 presidential election and the bad blood started as far back as in 2019 when President Barrow sacked Darboe as his deputy.

But DA Jawo said on Tuesday: “Now that the case is over, it is time for both sides to take steps to achieve genuine reconciliation between the two bitter rivals; Adama Barrow and his political God-father, Ousainou Darboe, in order to give the President-elect the chance to concentrate on forming his next government, as well as for the UDP and other opposition parties to plan for the legislative elections, which are just as important.

“Where should the reconciliation start? As far as I am concerned, it should begin with Mr. Darboe calling President Barriw to congratulate him on his victory. Also, President Barrow should reciprocate by not only commiserating with Mr. Darboe on his loss but even going further to forgive the UDP the D100,000 costs imposed by the Supreme Court. That would definitely be a very good start for genuine reconciliation between a father and son.”

CA leader Dr Ismaila Ceesay has confirmed meeting President Adama Barrow and congratulating him on his electoral victory.

Alkamba Times broke the news of Dr Ceesay meeting President Barrow but CA supporters online dismissed the news as false.

But Dr Ceesay sharing a photo of himself with President Barrow today said: “It was great pleasure meeting President Adama Barrow to congratulate him, extend our goodwill and explore possibilities of collaboration to build our country.

“We in Citizens’ Alliance believe that political parties should coexist, collaborate, compete and where necessary challenge each other. Let’s move on and start building our country for the next generation. We owe it to them.”

The Supreme Court has ordered that the D100,000 it awarded as in favour of President Adama Barrow against the UDP be recovered from the D300,000 UDP lodged with the court as security for costs.

“This court awards costs in the sum of D100,000 against the petitioner in favour of the applicant/first respondent. Such costs are to be recovered from the deposit of D300,000 lodged with the court by the petitioner,” Justice Hassan B Jallow ordered in a ruling on Tuesday striking out UDP’s petition.

UDP had sued President Adama Barrow over the December 4 presidential election, accusing the president of bribing voters.

But the party’s petition ran into serious trouble on Tuesday over its failure to respect the law around filing a petition.

The Supreme Court had earlier this month asked UDP to provide security in the sum of D300,000 for the payment of all costs relating to its lawsuit.

UDP had prayed for the court to fix the amount the party would give as security for the payment of all costs.

UDP’s commando Momodou Sabally vowed that ‘it’s not over yet’ as he reacted to UDP’s petition collapsing at the first hurdle.

Lawyers for President laid an ambush for UDP regarding the way and manner the party filed its petition – and the Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed UDP failed to comply with the law around filing a petition.

It’s the latest heartbreak for UDP in a space of less than a month, with supporters of the party struggling to make sense of their devastating defeat in the hands of President Adama Barrow in the December 4 poll.

Momodou Sabally told UDP supporters today: “If you (Adama Barrow) think you have escaped, you haven’t. This is not over yet. There is law in this country and its course is not yet exhausted.

“And let it be known this is not an issue for just UDP. GDC is with us, there are people who are not involved in party politics who also want the truth to prevail.

“So let UDP supporters still accept God’s decision again and continue fighting against injustice. The prayers have been answered but only God knows when it will be revealed. We should not our hard work has not gone in vail.”

Momodou Sabally had earlier said it was his belief the Supreme Court would rule in UDP’s favour regarding the petition.