Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed has announced he will lead his country’s soldiers on the front lines of the war against advancing rebel fighters, in the latest escalation of the year-long conflict between his government and rebel groups from the northern Tigray region.

“Starting tomorrow, I will head to the war front to lead the defense forces in person,” he wrote in a statement on Twitter late Monday, urging citizens to “lead the country with a sacrifice” and join him. “Those of you who aim to be one of Ethiopia’s children who will be celebrated in history, rise up today for your country, let’s meet at the war front.”

“In the past and in the present, the needs and lives of each and every one of us is below [the needs of] Ethiopia,” Abiy added. “We would rather die to save Ethiopia than outlive Ethiopia.”

Abiy referred to the push as the “final fight to save Ethiopia” from “internal and external enemies” who he claims are “ready to build their strength on the weakness of Ethiopia.”

The statement comes after the Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) — the former ruling party of Tigray — claimed its fighters had captured two towns as they advance towards the capital Addis Ababa, more than one year after the conflict erupted in the north of the country.

One of the towns TPLF claims was captured on Saturday includes Shewa Robit, which is about 220 km (136 miles) northeast of Addis Ababa. CNN has not been able to reach the federal government for comment on the claim.

TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda responded to Abiy’s statement in a tweet, warning that “our forces won’t relent on their inexorable advance towards bringing his chokehold on our people to an end.”

While the Prime Minister is on the battlefield, his duties and the duties of other administrators who have joined the fight will be done by federal and regional officials who will “work to their fullest capacity” to oversee the development and administration of the country.

“Ethiopia is the name of winners,” Abiy concluded his statement, ” I never doubt that my generation shall pay the price in its name as an icon of freedom.”

When Abiy received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for ending a 20-year war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, he was lauded as a regional peacemaker. Now, he is presiding over a protracted civil war with rebels in Tigray that by many accounts bears the hallmarks of genocide.

In November 2020, Abiy ordered a military offensive in the northern Tigray region and promised that the conflict would be resolved quickly. One year on, the fighting has left thousands dead, displaced more than 2 million people from their homes, fueled famine and given rise to a wave of atrocities.

 SOURCE CNN

The Director General (DG) of  Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS), Mr. Malick Jeng, has showered praises on President Adama Barrow and his government for providing the national broadcaster with a new set of transmitters for both radio and television.

In a press release dated 23rd November 2021. DG Jeng confirmed that the said equipment has already been delivered to the GRTS offices.

He said the equipment was purchased from a government allocation of 36 million dalasi (about 680 thousand United States dollars) to the state broadcaster, being part of a supplementary budget allocation approved by the National Assembly on 28th July this year.

DG Jeng noted that the development comes at a time when all GRTS transmitters are operating below half power, emphasizing that the said equipment will enable the national broadcaster to improve its public service delivery to communities across The Gambia.

He disclosed that the new equipment will be installed at four of GRTS’ transmitter stations, namely:  Abuko, Mansakonko, Bansang and Basse, adding that a second consignment of transmitters expected in the near future will replace the equipment at two other stations, Kanilai and Kudang, as well as equip two new stations proposed for Kaur and Kerewan.

In his statement, the Chairperson of the GRTS Board of Directors, Mrs. Fatou Jagne Senghore said: “As part of the efforts to reposition and transform GRTS into a truly public service broadcaster, it is critical that the institution be fully equipped to cover the whole of The Gambia and provide better services to Gambians.”

The Director General of GRTS also disclosed that in addition to the transmitters, GRTS also purchased Television cameras, new Pickup vehicles and a mobile studio. He also thanked all staff of GRTS for their hard work and dedication.

By Lamin Njie editor-in-chief, Christian Conteh and Maimuna Bah

Judge Amina Saho-Ceesay on Tuesday blasted that the Independent Electoral Commission’s wanton disregard and non-compliance with the prescription of the law and its own guidelines profoundly violated the right of Citizens’ Alliance leader Dr Ismaila Ceesay to stand for election.

In my judgment, the cumulative effect of IEC wanton disregard and non-compliance with the prescription of the law and their own guidelines profoundly infringes on the 1st applicant’s fundamental right guaranteed under Section 20(c) of the constitution, that is the right to stand for election without reasonable restriction,” she said while entering a judgment in favour of Dr Ismaila Ceesay.

“I also finds and holds that the IEC’s rejection of the 1st applicant’s (Dr Ceesay) without following due process of the law is in violation of Article 13 of the Banjul Charter…,” the top judge said elsewhere.

Dr Ismaila Ceesay had last week sued the Independent Electoral Commission for illegally rejecting his nomination to stand in next month’s presidential election. Election House turned his nomination down saying he did not fulfill the 200 signatures requirement in one of the nation’s seven regions, Banjul.

The judge however ruled the Independent Electoral Commission treated Dr Ceesay unfairly by not giving him a chance to make adjustments to his nomination as required by law.

Dr Ismaila Ceesay was happy with the court’s verdict telling reporters he did not go to court for himself only but for future generations.

“This is not about this election, it’s about justice, it’s about preventing somebody in the future to become a victim of such malpractice and such blatant disregard for the rule of law,” Dr Ceesay told reporters.

The IEC’s lawyer Kebba Sanyang said he is neither surprised nor disappointed by the high court’s decision.

“I am not disappointed,” Barrister Sanyang said and said when asked if he was going to appeal. “I act for a client, when I get instructions on that we will proceed.”

The verdict came at 5:32pm on Tuesday after the judge had finished going through the facts of a case that started only last week. Judge Amina Saho-Ceesay ordered that Dr Ismaila Ceesay submit additional signatures to the IEC for the Banjul Administrative Area and for the IEC to be at liberty to vet the signatures. She also ordered that the IEC pay D200,000 dalasis to Dr Ceesay and CA.

Gambians mourn the death of Nderry M’bai, proprietor and editor of the Gambia’s online Freedom Newspaper. According to his friends, M’bai passed away in Raleigh, North Carolina, after a brief illness.

Tributes continue to pour in as the country mourns the death of one of the best-known journalists.

President Adama Barrow took time off the campaign trail to send the family and Gambians a tribute message on the passing of the veteran journalist.

“It was so sad that the country woke up to the news of the passing away of veteran journalist, Pa Nderry Mbye, proprietor of Freedom Newspaper.

Pa Nderry through his online paper contributed a lot to the struggle to liberate The Gambia from dictatorship. I extend my condolences to his family and pray that Allah grants him mercy and make Jannahtul Firdawsi his lasting abode”

Lamin Njie is Editor-in-Chief at The Fatu Network, he paid his tribute to Pa Nderry Mbye through a tweet that read,

“I worked for him in 2016, writing stories for Freedom from The Gambia. This was when the dictator was at its most brutal Pa Nderry Mbai used his outlet to expose Jammeh’s brutality, at every turn. He did it with every life in him. May Allah bless Mr. Mbai and may he RIP.”

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) the professional umbrella body for journalists in the Gambia expressed heartfelt condolence to the fallen media guru.

“The board and staff of the Gambia Press Union extend heartfelt condolence to the entire Gambia media fraternity on the demise of journalist Pa Ndery Mbai.”

GPU President Muhammed S Bah said Mr Mbai will be remembered for his braveness and consistency in shining light on the ills of the government and government functionaries.

“Despite the threat on his life and harassment of his family in The Gambia, Pa was consistent in exposing malpractices and giving people access to information that was kept away from the public,” Mr Bah said.

The death of Mr Mbai was announced Monday, 22nd November, in Raleigh, USA where he had been in exile for more than a decade.

Born in Touba Mourid, Niamina, Central River Region, M’bai started his journalism career at the Daily Observer Newspaper in the early 1990s. He reported on a number of issues and developed a reputation of reporting what the authorities and the management of his newspaper never wanted to be published.

Being a thorn on the side of the authorities and the owners of the Daily Observer, which was headed by the late Buba Baldeh, M’bai was sacked from his post in 2000 in what the newspaper described as a ‘restructuring exercise’.

Weeks later, M’bai joined The Point Newspaper, and under the guidance of the late Deyda Hydara, he continued reporting on issues affecting the Gambians. He also reported to the Voice of America radio.

In 2005, M’bai relocated to the United States and worked briefly for a number of online Gambian newspapers and forums including the defunct All Gambia before establishing the Freedom Newspaper. M’bai used the freedom of living in the United States to give a voice to all Gambians and to expose the ills of the regime of Yahya Jammeh.

His style of journalism was despised by the Jammeh regime and exposed his family to government attacks. In one instance, his parents were paraded on national television by the authorities and forced to disown him.

M’bai continued to be a thorn on the side of President Jammeh and played a significant role in bringing down his regime in 2016. He continued to run his newspaper until last week when he took ill. For more than 20 years, Pa Nderry Mbai played a key role in exposing human rights abuses and other injustices during former President Yahya Jammeh’s time in office.

Because Pa Nderry Mbai helped expose the frequent killings, disappearances and torture in The Gambia, Mr Jammeh put the journalist high on his long list of enemies. Two decades ago when newspaper offices were being set ablaze and reporters locked up, Pa Nderry Mbai moved to the United States and launched his online Freedom newspaper. Mr Jammeh made it a crime for anyone to read it.

The website was hacked into and smear campaigns were carried out in an effort to silence him. Because Mr Mbai did so much to expose atrocities taking place in The Gambia, people referred to him as the voice of the country’s first truth commission.

Opposition strongman and presidential candidate of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Ousainou Darboe has vehemently refuted claims that UDP is a tribalist party belonging to the Mandinkas. He was speaking at Sandu Darsilami village on Friday as he continues his campaign.

“UDP is not a tribalist party and will never be. Our primary objective is ‘UDP for a United Gambia’. A UDP government will stand for a one Gambia and will make sure tribalism has no place to survive in this country,” Darboe said.

“I want to remind everyone that The Gambia is one; I want to remind everyone again that all tribes in The Gambia make The Gambia a country. This country’s name is not Mandinka, it is neither Fula nor Wolof but The Gambia,” Mr. Darboe reiterated.

He noted that during the time of Sir Dawda Jawara, Pierre Njie and others they knew no tribe; they knew no religion, they only knew The Gambia and put her first in all they did.

According to Dorboe the UDP’s ‘5-Point Agenda’ will benefit and protect every Gambian regardless of tribe or religion.

He used the recent UDP convert, Marie Sock as an example of a non- Mandinka who has joined the party.

“She’s supporting UDP because she knows UDP is here for The Gambia and will always stand for The Gambia. National unity is what I want for this country,” Darboe said.

“I want to tell every Gambian that all those people that are saying that UDP is a tribalist party are trying to separate the strong union that we all have as people of this country and that all Gambians should not allow this to happen. I’m not and will never stand for tribalism but for a United Gambia,” he stressed.

He used the opportunity to urge all Gambians to desist from all acts of violence as far as the 4^th December election is concerned.

President Adama Barrow has condoled with the family of Pa Nderry Mbai over the death of the fallen veteran journalist.

The Freedom newspaper editor died on Monday in the United States.

And reacting through his verified official Facebook page on Tuesday, President Barrow said: “It was so sad that the country woke up to the news of the passing away of veteran journalist, Pa Nderry Mbye, proprietor of Freedom Newspaper.

“Pa Nderry through his online paper contributed a lot in the struggle to liberate The Gambia from dictatorship. I extend my condolences to his family and pray that Allah grants him mercy and make Jannahtul Firdawsi his lasting abode.”

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission will submit its final report to President Adama Barrow on Thursday.

The investigation’s communications chief Essa Jallow said in a statement that they settled on the date following consultations with the attorney general and minister of justice.

The final report will be submitted to President Barrow on Thursday November 25 and commissioners will speak to reporters following the event, Mr Jallow added in his statement.

The TRRC has since 2018 been engaged in torturous investigation into the human rights violations and abuses of the 22 years rule of former President Yahya Jammeh – and the investigation has revealed the former dictator murdered over 200 people during his rule.

Halifa Sallah has accused Essa Faal of being part of those who prosecuted him in 1994 while he was fighting against the coup.

Former President Jammeh overthrew former President Jawara in 1994, suspended the constitution and banned all political activities.

Mr Sallah was leader of PDOIS at the time and spent time fighting for the return of democracy which saw the military come after him.

And casting his mind back to his problems, Mr Sallah disclosed independent presidential candidate Essa Faal was working at the justice ministry at the time and took part in his prosecution.

Mr Sallah said during a debate between him and Essa Faal over the weekend: “This my colleague prosecuted me in 1994 whiles I was struggling against a coup. They said I violated Decree No. 4 which banned all political parties from issuing any political statements. I am what, the dictator believing in centralized power? I said it and he’s heard it that this is a country with a constitution and nobody can become president and violate that constitution. There is a judiciary.

“So how can you bring any system in this country other than the system of the republic? What we’re debating on policy [and] since he cannot deal with the policies, he goes into that common saying that people who have no ideas, who are bankrupt of ideas usually do. That they (Halifa and Co) are communists.”

Essa Faal dismissed Halifa’s accusation’s saying he was only holding a briefcases for the prosecutors in the matter.

But Halifa fired back: “Whether briefcase lawyer or whatever, he was there among those people who were prosecuting me.”

The Gambia Press Union has issued a statement over the death on Monday of Freedom newspaper editor Pa Nderry Mbai.

The statement reads: “The board and staff of the Gambia Press Union extend heartfelt condolence to the entire Gambia media fraternity on the demise of journalist Pa Ndery Mbai.

“The death of Mr Mbai was announced Monday, 22nd November, in Raleigh, USA where he had been on exile for more than a decade.

“GPU President Muhammed S Bah said Mr Mbai will be remembered for his braveness and consistency in shining light on the ills of the government and government functionaries.

““Despite the threat on his life and harassment of his family in The Gambia, Pa was consistent in exposing malpractices and giving people access to information that was kept away from the public,” Mr Bah said.

“Therefore, the entire Gambian media join the Mbai family in The Gambia and USA mourning this untimely death of a dear colleague, brother and friend.

“We pray that God bless his soul and give him the highest place in Jannatul Firduas.”

Brave newspaper journalist Pa Nderry Mbai who stood up against the dictatorship of former President Yahya Jammeh has died. Mr Mbai died on Monday in the United States.

As Gambians struggle to come to terms with his sudden demise, Mr Mbai’s last much commended work as a journalist came in July when he reported about corruption at the Kanifing Municipal Council.

His outlet reported that the deputy mayor of KM Musa Bah solicited bribes of up to one million dalasis from a company. The official resigned a few days after the report.

The Freedom newspaper was unrelenting regarding more corruption practices at KMC with the Chief Executive Officer Sainabou Martin Sonko also implicated in Freedom newspaper investigations of stealing millions of dalasis. She has since been suspended amid a government sanctioned probe.

The Freedom received plaudits from a lot of citizens for exposing corruption acts at the Kanifing Municipal Council.

Gambians have been left in a state of shock over the death of journalist Pa Nderry Mbai.

Mr Mbai who is the editor of Freedom newspaper died on Monday in the United States. The last time he updated his website was on November 12.

Journalist Omar Bah who worked with Mr Mbai wrote: “Today I lost a great friend, Pa Nderry MBai. I am in shock. I fought with him, confided with him, struggled with him; we advised each other and showed so much care for each other. He was a true legend who stood tall in his fought for The Gambia. A true journalist who cannot be used for any agenda. I have known him for over 20 years. I remember his brave coverage of the Commission of Inquiry of April 10, 2000; his lead stories at the Daily Observer, The Point, and his regular reporting for the Voice of America.

“We had a wonderful time during attaya moments in The Gambia and the memorable naming ceremony of his daughter in 2001. I vividly remember when in 2004, how excited he was about migrating to America. Once he got to the US, he wasted no time in starting a lifelong brave battle against the dictatorial regime in The Gambia. He was everywhere – from the Gambia Post, AllGambia, and later launching the stature-status medium of Freedom Newspaper/Freedom Radio. He gave all to The Gambia.”

Coach Pasamba Jow said: “Every tyrant survives on mystification , and to defeat them requires demystifying them. This was what Pa Nderry Mbai was able to achieve. He was extremely effective in demystifying Jammeh. In fact, Pa was the TRRC well before there was one. Through his radio and website, he brought us news about Jammeh’s excesses without fear.

“Pa was one person that couldn’t be bought. He was uncompromising to a fault. There is no one he was afraid of pissing off.  I have had many fights and disagreements with him, but who didn’t? He will always call irrespective of how late or early it was- when Pa wanted the news, he saw no obstacles. “ Magji nakam? I am doing this piece for VOA and wanted a short interview “. Of course a short interview meant an hour, he would probe and follow up on every answer. He would end with Jerejeff Coach Kanja.

“Say whatever you want about the brother, but he was a patriot and an icon. He left us way too soon, but has left behind a legacy that people who live for 90 years will only dream of.”

Bakary Samateh said: “So devastated at the loss of Gambian journalist pa ndarry mbai comrade and a mentor at the point newspaper who stood up to helped many young journalists including myself during his time at the point before traveled to USA.

“I personally I am very grateful for everything you have done for me during the difficult times together. Pa definitely you would remember now and forever in the history of Gambian journalists fraternity saddened.”

Ahead of Gambia’s 4th December 2021 presidential election, the Commonwealth recently constituted an election observers mission to observe and monitor the said presidential election in which six Gambians: incumbent President Adama Barrow, Ousainou Darboe, Halifa Sallah, Mama Kandeh, Abdoulie Jammeh and independent candidate Essa Faal are contesting for the country’s highest office.

The head of the mission is former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo. But who is he?

Chief Olusegun Matthew Okikiola Aremu Obasanjo was born in Nigeria on 5th March 1937. He is a retired political and military leader who served as Nigeria’s head of state from 1976 to 1979 and later as its president from 1999 to 2007.

He was a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from 1999 to 2015, and from 2018 has been a member of the African Democratic Congress party. He was born in the village of Ibogun-Olaogun to a farming family of the Owu branch of the Yoruba.

Obasanjo was educated largely in Abeokuta. Joining the Nigerian Army, where he specialised in engineering, he spent time assigned in the Congo, Britain, and India, rising to the rank of major. In the latter part of the 1960s, he played a senior role in combating Biafran separatists during the Nigerian Civil War, accepting their surrender in 1970. In 1975, a military coup established a junta.

After the junta leader Murtala Muhammed was assassinated, the following year, the Supreme Military Council appointed Obasanjo as head of state. Continuing Murtala’s policies, Obasanjo oversaw budgetary cut-backs and an expansion in access to free school education.

Increasingly aligning Nigeria with the United States, he also emphasised support for groups opposing white minority rule in southern Africa. Committed to restoring democracy, Obasanjo oversaw the 1979 election, after which he handed over control of Nigeria to the newly elected civilian president, Shehu Shagari.

He then retired to Ota, Ogun, where he became a farmer, published four books, and took part in international initiatives to end various African conflicts.

In 1993, Sani Abacha seized power in a military coup. Openly critical of Abacha’s administration, in 1995 Obasanjo was arrested and convicted of being part of a planned coup, despite protesting his innocence. While imprisoned, he became a born again Christian, with providentialism strongly influencing his subsequent worldview.

He was released following Abacha’s death in 1998. Entering electoral politics, Obasanjo became the PDP candidate for the 1999 presidential election, which he won comfortably. As president, he de-politicised the military and both expanded the police and mobilised the army to combat widespread ethnic, religious, and secessionist violence. He withdrew Nigeria’s military from Sierra Leone and privatised various public enterprises to limit his country’s spiralling debt. He was re-elected in the 2003 election. Influenced by Pan-Africanist ideas, he was a keen supporter of the formation of the African Union and served as its chair from 2004 to 2006.

In retirement, he earned a PhD in theology from the National Open University of Nigeria.

Obasanjo has been described as one of the great figures of the second generation of post-colonial African leaders. He received praises both for overseeing Nigeria’s transition to representative democracy in the 1970s and for his Pan-African efforts to encourage cooperation across the continent. Critics maintain that he was guilty of corruption, that his administrations oversaw human rights abuses, and that as President he became too interested in consolidating and maintaining his personal power.

Obasanjo has written many books including but not limited to: My Watch Volume 1: Early Life and Military, My Watch Volume 2: Political and Public Affairs, My Watch Volume 3: Now and Then, My Command, Nzeogwu, The Animal Called Man, A New Dawn, The Thabo Mbeki I know, Africa Through the Eyes of A Patriot, Making Africa Work: A handbook, Forging a Compact in U.S. African Relations: The Fifth David M. Abshire Endowed Lecture, 15 December 1987, Africa in Perspective, Letters to Change the World: From Pankhurst to Orwell, Not my Will, Democracy Works: Re-Wiring Politics to Africa’s Advantage, My Watch, Challenges of Leadership in Africa, War Wounds: Development Costs of Conflict in Southern Sudan, Guides to Effective Prayer, The Challenges of Agricultural Production and Food Security in Africa,

Addressing Africa’s Youth Employment and food security Crisis: The Role of African Agriculture in Job Creation, Dust Suspended: A memoir of Colonial, Overseas and Diplomatic Service Life 1953 to 1986, L’Afrique en Marche: un manuel pour la reussite économique, Africa’s Critical Choices: A Call for a Pan-African Roadmap.

He is expected to use his experience to adequately and effectively monitor said presidential election on behalf of the Commonwealth of Nations.

THE FATU NETWORK EXPLORER : With Amara Thoronka  

Culture is the way of life of people. The culture of people and nations are in their cultural traits such as marriage, naming ceremony, beliefs, festivals, dress code, dialects, interactions, etc. Because of modernity and advancement in technology, many cultures are fading out while some [no matter their seemingly archaic nature] are still practically evident in societies.

Here are five cultural practices in Africa which you may find shocking or bizarre:

1. The Reed Dance in Swaziland

Umhlanga, an annual dance ceremony meant to celebrate virginity in Swaziland. It all has to do with maidens completely bare-breasted dancing for their respective kings. Before they can do this, they would have to queue up to have their virginity teste.

This is normally done in a traditional way which majorly revolves around examining the physical features of the vagina and shallow inserts into the organ to see if the hymen is intact. It is reported that ladies who are no longer virgins, for fear of being stigmatized, go as far as inserting raw meat into their vaginas to pass the test.

2. Force-Feeding of Girls for Marriage in Mauritania

In this practice, it is believed that a lady is more desirable and would attract fine suitors if she is well fed and fat. As such, young girls and maidens from as low as five years old and right thorough teenagehood are being secluded and forced to consume a large portion of food and milk by their fatteners (people who help them to look fat).

3. Ethiopia’s Bull Jumping

For Ethiopia’s Hamer tribe, a male child isn’t a man until he jumps the bull. That is the only way he can prove his manhood and earn his respect among his people. The culture is like a rite of passage a young man of the Hamer tribe must go through before he can assert himself as a man and take his first bride.

While it is expected of the young man to strip naked, run, jump on the back of a bull and run across the back of several bulls lined-up for the event, his female friends would be seriously whipped. They are expected to receive as much pain as possible from the whipping to indicate their loyalty to the young man who is about to become a Maza – accomplished man.

4. Kenya and Tanzania’s Massai Tribe Spit Greeting

You will find the Massai tribe in Tanzania and Kenya and they can brag about owning some of the strange African cultures. Prominent among them is their spit greeting. If you are one of them, you will have to spit to greet. It is unacceptable to offer an elder a handshake without first spitting into your hands.

More to that, the Massai tribe would spit on a newborn and tell the baby that he/she is everything bad and undesirous. Reports say the tribe believes that saying sweet words to a newborn is tantamount to cursing the child with a bad life.

5. The Wodaabe’s Wife Stealing Dance Festival

The Wodaabe people are nomadic cattle-herders and are loosely scattered from Nigeria to the Central African Republic, Chad, and Cameroon. Their Gerewol festival, an annual dance courtship competition. At the festival, Wodaabe men dress up to dance with the hope of impressing and stealing another man’s wife.

In this culture, it is completely acceptable to steal a man’s wife and have sex with her. Her husband has no option but to live with it. If he doesn’t want his wife to be stolen or suspects that his wife wants a man to steal her, all he can do is to stop her from attending the Gerewol festival. If he can’t do this, his life partner is literally up for grabs.

Resources

Strange African Cultures: Top 10 Surprising Way of Life in Africa (oddybugs.com)

https://www.google.com  

The death of the fearless newspaper journalist who is credited for his uncompromising stance against the Jammeh dictatorship Pa Nderry Mbai has been announced.

Mr Mbai died on Monday in his adopted home of the United States, according to reports.

One person who knew Mr Mbai for over two decades told The Fatu Network the journalist was planning to finally visit The Gambia for the election after more than two decades away.

Mr Mbai started out as security guard at RVTH. He later joined the Daily Observer. He also worked with The Point newspaper and was also a former executive member of Gambia Press Union.

Mr Mbai founded Freedom newspaper in the 2000s which served as a voice against dictatorship in The Gambia. Former President Yahya Jammeh put him on the top of the list of his enemies.

The death of the fearless newspaper journalist who is credited for his uncompromising stance against the Jammeh dictatorship Pa Nderry Mbai has been announced.

Mr Mbai died on Monday in his adopted home of the United States, according to reports.

One person who knew Mr Mbai for over two decades told The Fatu Network the journalist was planning to finally visit The Gambia for the election after more than two decades away.

Mr Mbai started out as security guard at RVTH. He later joined the Daily Observer. He also worked with The Point newspaper and was also a former executive member of Gambia Press Union.

Mr Mbai founded Freedom newspaper in the 2000s which served as a voice against dictatorship in The Gambia. His tough stance against former President Yahya Jammeh saw the former tyrant put him on the top of the list of his enemies.

On 4th December 2021, Gambians will head to the polls in their first presidential election since the end of Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year dictatorship.

Incumbent Adama Barrow, who shockingly defeated Jammeh in 2016 with the backing of seven opposition parties is seeking re-election at the head of his new National People’s Party.

The election promises to be intensely competitive in the freer political and media landscape that Gambians have enjoyed under Barrow.

Ahead of the election, the latest Afrobarometer survey findings have revealed that the majority of Gambians believe in the value of elections, but very few of the voting population trust the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

“Although they see their most recent presidential and parliamentary election in 2017, as having been generally free and fair, popular trust in the IEC, the country’s electoral body has declined,” Afrobarometer 2021.

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life.

The Afrobarometer team in The Gambia, led by the Center for Policy, Research and Strategic Studies (CepRass), interviewed a nationally representative, random, stratified probability sample of 1,200 adult Gambians in January and February 2021. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

According to the survey findings, most Gambians value elections as the best way to choose their leaders and are generally

satisfied with the quality of their most recent election. This is significant because it suggests that Gambians desire to leave Jammeh’s authoritarian legacy behind in favour of a new era of democracy.

“One concerning trend is the decline in popular trust in the IEC. For the upcoming elections to meet citizens’ expectations and build trust, the commission must be seen to be both independent and capable in its management,” the Afrobarometer report points out.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE 2021 AFROBAROMETER SURVEY

An overwhelming majority of Gambians support elections as the best way to choose leaders (88%) and believe that elections work well in enabling voters to remove leaders who don’t do what the people want (85%). However, a smaller majority (57%) say The Gambia needs many political parties to ensure that voters have a real choice.

In the last national election, in 2017, about two-thirds (64%) of Gambians who were of voting age at the time say they cast ballots. Three in 10 (30%) say they attended a campaign rally, and 11% report working for a candidate or party. While, seven in 10 Gambians (71%) say the 2017 election was generally free and fair, and 78% believe that announced election results were accurate.

Another highlight of the report is that small minorities report a variety of flaws in the 2017 election, including that some people’s votes were not accurately counted or fairly reflected in results (16%) and that police or soldiers, rather than election officials, assisted voters (15%). Despite fairly positive assessments of election quality, only about half (49%) of citizens say they trust the Independent Electoral Commission “somewhat” or “a lot,” a significant decline compared to 2018 (64%).

SUPPORT FOR ELECTIONS

Almost nine out of 10 Gambians (88%) endorse elections as the best method for choosing leaders. Support for elections is uniformly high across key socio-demographic groups.

A similarly overwhelming majority (85%) think elections in the Gambia enable voters to remove leaders who do not fulfil the people’s wishes, a belief supported by Barrow’s victory over Jammeh in the 2016 election.

SUPPORT FOR MULTIPARTY COMPETITION

Despite near-unanimous demand for elections, support for multiparty competition is weaker: 57% of Gambians say many political parties are needed to ensure they have real choices in who governs them. But more than four in 10 (42%) believe that political parties create division  and confusion, and the country would be better off not having many of them (political parties)

Support for multiparty competition is stronger in the cities (64%) than in rural areas (47%) and increases with respondents’ education level and age.

PARTICIPATION IN THE 2017 ELECTION

While almost all Gambians support elections, far fewer participate in them. Excluding those who were too young to vote in 2017, about two-thirds (64%) of respondents say they voted in the most recent national election, while 35% say they did not.

Three in 10 (30%) say they attended a campaign rally, and 11% report working for a candidate or party. About one in eight (13%) say they were contacted by a political party representative during the campaign.

As reported by survey respondents, voting rates were considerably higher in rural areas (80%) than in cities (52%). Young citizens (57%) and the most educated respondents (47%) are far less likely to report having voted than their older and less educated counterparts.

ELECTION QUALITY

 While some elections are tainted by irregularities, fraud, and corruption, seven in 10 Gambians (71%) describe the 2017 parliamentary election as free and fair, including 55%

who say it was “completely free and fair.” Only about one in 10 say it was either “free and fair with major problems” (8%) or “not free and fair (4%).

Even among respondents who say they “feel close to” the political opposition, more than two-thirds (69%) see the election as having been generally free and fair (Figure 8).

One aspect of a fair election is that results announced by the Independent Electoral Commission correspond to the actual vote count and reflect the choice of the electorate. More than three-fourths (78%) of Gambians believe this was the case in the 2017 election, while only one in 10 respondents think announced results were “not very” or “not at all” accurate.

Even among opposition supporters, 77% accept the announced results as reflecting the votes as counted.

The Ministry of Justice on Monday issued a long and strong statement pushing back at claims by Global HOMM that the organization owns a property in Bijilo that has been a subject of much row.

Police over the weekend arrested Global HOMM country representative Neneh Gomez and her assistant for trying to enter into the property. It was the second time they were arresting in respect of the property.

However, the justice ministry has issued a statement and it reads: “The uproar that followed the arrest of Ms Neneh Freda Gomez on suspicion of obstruction and idle and disorderly conduct has necessitated the release of this statement. As stated in our previous statement, the lack of an elaborate response by this office has been as a result of the pendency of this matter before the Courts. This silence on our part has led to the propagation of blatant falsehoods in an attempt to influence public opinion. The facts of this matter are as follows:

“In 2007 a Korean-American Christian medical missionary organisation known as Global Hearts of Medical Mission made an elaborate presentation to former President Jammeh on the establishment of a state of the art medical facility to deliver free medical services to underprivileged members of the public. Following this presentation, without following due process and contrary to law, former President Jammeh gave an executive directive for a lease to be issued to the said organisation within the Tourism Development Area (TDA), an area reserved for tourism-related facilities. Furthermore, former President Jammeh gave an executive directive for the organisation to be promptly issued with an NGO certificate even though the law requires operation for two years before the issuance of an NGO certificate.

“In 2007 Global Hearts of Medical Mission set up its operations at the property in question and provided medical services to the public until they were expelled by former President Jammeh in 2010, on allegations of their failure to provide free medical services as promised. Following this, the former President illegally converted the property into a base for the “Green Boys”.

“Upon assumption of office in 2017, the Government dispatched a high-level delegation which included 2 Cabinet Ministers and the Director of Health to meet with the head of the Global Hearts of Medical Mission in the United States and invite them to return to The Gambia to continue their work of providing charitable medical services as per their initial proposal. The Government however informed the organisation that the land previously allocated to them was not properly allocated as it was within the area reserved for tourism development facilities. The Government, therefore, informed them that they will be allocated another parcel of land in an area suitable for the establishment of a charitable hospital for the provision of free medical services for the less privileged.

“Global Hearts of Medical Mission denied all attempts by the Government to allocate them with an alternative piece of land and insisted on keeping the mostly vacant parcel of land measuring 9 hectares within the TDA. At the time, the Government was in the early stages of planning for the hosting of the upcoming OIC summit and required land to build executive lodging facilities for the Heads of State and Government who will be participating in the said summit.

“The area in question was deemed to be the most suitable land for the development and importantly it was consistent with its lawful status as TDA land.

“According to law, all state land is vested with the Government for management in the public interest. Accordingly, all leaseholders are tenants of the state who may not be dispossessed of the land unless due process is followed. The Land Acquisition Act permits the state to compulsorily acquire any state land from a leaseholder as far as such land is acquired for a public purpose and the leaseholder is compensated.

“A plaint was filed on the 20th of March 2019 by “Home of Medical Mission” at the Kanifing Magistrate’s Court for possession of the land in question. In light of the Government’s intention to follow the process of compulsory acquisition, the Government conceded to the claim with the clear intention of pursuing the compulsory acquisition route.

“Following the Magistrate Court judgement which for purposes of clarity was not on the merits but rather as a result of a technical concession by the State, the Department of Lands initiated the process of compulsory acquisition on the 20^th of March 2020. In line with the law, the Government still maintained its desire to adequately compensate the claimants but the claimants rebuffed all approaches from the Government.

“Following this, Home of Medical Mission made another application before the High Court on the 26th of May 2020 challenging the compulsory acquisition of the property, based on a gazetting step that was inadvertently skipped by the state in the course of the acquisition process. In this matter, the court made it very clear that a declaration of title was no bar to the state initiating and completing the acquisition process in line with the Land Acquisition Act. The State again made a technical concession with the intention of properly complying with the process laid out in the Lands Acquisition Act, contained in judgement of 29th June 2020.

“It will be recalled that all the suits were initiated in the name of Home of Medical Mission, the same name that was on the lease issued under executive directive by former President Jammeh. In an attempt to settle the cost order in that matter, it became apparent that there was no organisation existing by the name of Home of Medical Mission. A thorough search at the Companies Registry revealed that Home of Medical Mission has never been incorporated in The Gambia or anywhere for that matter contrary to the representations made by Ms Gomez in her affidavit. Because the judgement was in favour of “Home of Medical Mission” which does not exist, it was and remains unenforceable.

“This discovery revealed that the Claimants intentionally misled the Courts and the Government by bringing a suit on behalf of an organisation that does not exist, and cannot sue or hold title to land. The Government requested the Claimants to provide evidence of their existence as a legal entity but until now they have been unable to do so. It is important to state again that it was the current Government that invited the claimants back to The Gambia after their faith believing Home of Medical Mission was a legal entity. The law is very clear on this, a non-legal entity cannot own land. Similarly, a non-existing entity cannot sue or be sued as no judgement can be enforced against or in its favour.

“At the time, the claimants had an application before the High Court for an order of mandamus to compel the IGP to vacate the land in question. In light of the discovery, the State made an application to dismiss the application on the grounds that the Plaintiff does not exist. There is no existing law or scenario that will permit a non-existing entity to initiate and maintain a lawsuit. On the day the matter was set for hearing, fearing a ruling on their non-existence, the Claimants surprisingly withdrew their claim.

“Following the Claimants surprise withdrawal of their application, the state applied to set aside the High Court’s judgement dated 29th June 2020 on the grounds that the judgement was fraudulently obtained and the Claimants do not exist. This application is scheduled to be heard on the 2nd of December 2021 and we are confident that this will lay bare the deception that has been perpetrated by the claimants. This follows a trend of individuals applying for land allocations under the guise of implementing public interest projects and then turning around to utilise these lands for profit-making ventures.

“As things stand there is no entity in existence by the name of Home of Medical Mission. Ms Gomez cannot, therefore, be said to represent an organization that does not exist. Similarly, the land in question has never been held by Global Hearts of Medical Mission, which Ms Gomez purports to represent. As such all previous judgements are unenforceable as there is no beneficiary in existence.

“It is interesting to note that the original proposal made by Global Hearts of Medical Mission to former President Jammeh was for a charity hospital. The constant persistence by Ms Gomez to try to bend the law and mislead the public is non-surprising given credible reports that Ms Gomez is in discussions with several investors to develop a private for-profit hospital and hotel on the land which is valued at millions of dollars. This is immoral, deceptive, and constitutes an attempt at unjust enrichment by Ms Gomez and her associates at the expense of the Gambian public.

“The Government through the OIC issued a public call for proposals and following a transparent process has entered into a joint venture to build and operate a 5-star resort that will host the Heads of State during the OIC summit.

“This development which will be rightfully situated in the TDA will create thousands of jobs in the tourism sector and will form a key part of the Government’s plans to make the Gambia a high-value year-round tourist destination.

“Despite everything, the Government is and has always been willing to work with Global Hearts of Medical Mission to lawfully allocate them with a sufficient expanse of land in an area suitable for the setting up of a charitable hospital as far as they comply with their original proposal to build a charitable health facility.

“Ms Gomez has for months now embarked on a campaign of public deception and has intentionally provoked law enforcement to elicit a reaction which she could utilise in furthering this deception. We have full trust in our law enforcement and judicial institutions and a ruling by the court on a previous arrest is in no way a bar to the police doing their job on a subsequent suspected offence. The Police have been deployed to provide security at the property which has since been allocated by the state to a Public Private Partnership company, for the purpose of constructing the OIC 5-star resort.

“It is undisputed that Global Hearts of Medical Mission, which Ms Gomez purports to represent, does not and has never held title to the land in question.

“We challenge Ms Gomez to produce any evidence to the contrary. We are resolute in our position and are confident that after the hearing on the 2nd of December this matter will be resolved once and for all.

“We wish to assure the general public of our commitment to Human Rights and the Rule of Law. We have confidence in our judicial system and to date have not disregarded any of the Court’s orders. We believe the Judiciary is adequately placed to deal with all issues at stake in this matter and the Complainants ought to know that disputes are not resolved through Social Media.

“All statements characterising her arrest on Friday 19th November 2021 as arbitrary are premature, bias and made without due recourse to the state’s position on this matter. We urge members of the public, institutions and civil society to refrain from making conclusive statements on these events without proper consultations or verification.”

(Nov. 10, Banjul, The Gambia) U.S. Embassy Banjul’s American Corner at Kairaba Avenue, Comium Building in Banjul, is now open to the public. This announcement follows several months of closure as a precaution for COVID-19.

In re-opening the facility, Richard Carl Paschall, Ambassador of the United States to the Republic of The Gambia,thanked the staff and 2020 interns for a job well done during the pandemic. “I was so impressed at the creativity of the interns in creating content during the past year – book clubs, English language learning programs, a coding club for girls – all of this was done virtually,” he said. “These programs were very well done, all while keeping our fellow Gambians safe.”

The ambassador also welcomed the American Corner 2021 interns and advised them to work diligently. They were reminded that they provide the people of The Gambia with a space where they can participate in interesting programs, learn about studying in the United States, and connect so that they can all maintain strong relationships with one another.

The American Corner is now open from 10am to 6pm, Monday–Thursday and 10am to 7pm on Friday and Saturday. The center will observe Covid-19 safety measures. Masks are required and no more than 15 people may use the space at a time. Reservations for visiting the center can be made at +220 796 27 89 or emailing [email protected]

The American Corner plays a significant role in advancing U.S. Embassy of The Gambia’s mission goals of bolstering education and youth empowerment. The American Corner internship program is a prestigious platform for university students, offering young Gambians an opportunity to gain employment while pursuing higher education.

The National People’s Party (NPP) and the National Unity Party (NUP) have both accused the Gambia Democratic Congress GDC of Violating Campaign Codes and called for the intervention of the country’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).

Pa Khan is the Director of Communications at the IEC, he confirmed that the commission is in receipt of a formal complaint sent to the commission by the NPP against The GDC’s Mama Kandeh accusing him of violating campaign rules by offering a platform to former President Jammeh to speak.

The IEC he says is set to address the issue.

GDC’s Mamah Kandeh has continued to provide a platform to Yahya Jammeh amidst the caution from President Barrow, who has described Jammeh’s involvement in the nation’s politics as a way of fomenting instability in the country.

Defiantly, Mamah Kandeh has continued to allow Jammeh to address his meetings, saying the president was angry because Jammeh failed to give blessings for his faction to back NPP.

“The commission is yet to formally respond to the NPP on the matter because a decision has not yet been taken by the commission. We are working on the complaint at our level and a decision will be reached and communicated to the parties concerned,” Mr Khan said.

He also disclosed that the IEC has received a formal complaint from the National Unity Party headed by Abdoulie Jammeh against the GDC.

The NUP complaint indicates that the GDC is violating campaign codes by overstaying the time allocated to them to conduct meetings at various rural constituencies thereby hampering NUP rallies.

Similarly, the IEC Communications Director said the commission is yet to respond to the NUP as it is still investigating the allegations.