GDC national youth president MC Cham Jnr has said President Adama Barrow is dangerous and a threat to the nation’s peace.

In a write-up he shared with The Fatu Network, Cham Jnr frowned at the president’s announcement on Saturday for alkalolu to begin receiving monthly salary.

Cham Jnr said: “My best advice to our traditional leaders is to watch their back and be very careful of president Barrow. He doesn’t represent peace because he does not preach or practice it! He is on a mission to divide Tribes and regions.

“Again to the Alkalos and chiefs, you were here with Jammeh, where Is he? He is in exile but you are here. All of you are serving citizens in your various designated territories irrespective of tribe, religion or political affiliations.

“Whoever is fooling the Alaklos for salary is just lying. There is no iota of truth in it. Our civil servants have the worst salary and strive in the poorest working conditions throughout the whole world.

“Stipulating salaries for Alaklos is impossible unless it is table in the form of a bill to the National Assembly. This means that, Alkalos need an appoint letter and a well-defined job description. The minister of local government therefore has just come out to expose his ignorance in front of the nation. Barrow is dangerous and a threat to our peace.”

The faculty and staff association of the University of The Gambia has suspended its sit-down strike after a seven-hour summit on Saturday.

The staff of the nation’s top learning institution mostly lecturers have been striking over poor working environment at the varsity.

In a statement on Saturday, the association of the staff said the staff have decided to end the sit-down and “give chance to students to start their exams, the meeting unanimously agreed on some of the below resolution, attached to timeline for implementation”. It came after over seven hours of engagement with all the stakeholders of the University of The Gambia – MOHERST, Governing Council, Office of the President, Student Union and Chairman of the National Assembly Select Committee for Education.

According to the association, some of their demands have been met including the dissolution of the Interim Governing Council within three weeks and replace with a substantive new members and with a Chairman, as per dictate of the Tertiary and Higher Education Act 2016, on or before 19th July 2021.

The stakeholders have also agreed for a new Joint Search Council and Senate Committee in line with the Byelaws of the University of The Gambia 1999. MOHERST will also lift the ban on the UTG from running their engineering programs on or before 19th July 2021.

Elsewhere, the Secretary-General and Head of the Civil Service instructed UTG to augment all allowance of the striving low scholarship allowance and match the amount with the UTG Training and Development policy. The Registrar will also officially handover overseeing both the Directorate of HR and Records and correspondence of the University of The Gambia back to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration and Finance).

President Adama Barrow has said a UDP delegation headed by former Gambian ambassador to Paris Dr Sidat Jobe ‘attacked’ the Senegalese ambassador over Senegalese meddling in Gambian politics.

“How many ambassadors do we have here but they singled out the Senegalese ambassador and went to attack him,” Mr Barrow said on Saturday while speaking strongly against UDP.

According to the president, UDP was organizing thugs who were black outfits and going around profiling Gambians.

The president said: “You have people who mobilise themselves going around and profiling people – who is a citizen and who is not. Myself they labeled me saying I’m not Barrow but Barry and I’m from Guinea. It’s politics that can bring violence in this country.

“You have not come to power yet and yet you organize thugs wearing black outfits and they’re attacking people, they’re going to be at queues and taking their papers and telling them they’re not Gambians. What kind of people are they? If such people take this country, Billahi until the world ends you will never forget what they will do to you.

“And it’s deliberate. You have people among those thugs who are holding American passports and they vote in the America election. And their blacks when America is a white country. And these same people wrote a letter to the Senegalese ambassador telling him his people were engaging in Gambian politics and then a delegation was formed headed by someone said to be a top diplomat, Sidat Jobe.

“They went to Senegalese ambassador and told him his Senegalese people were meddling in our politics and they want them to stay away. How many ambassadors do we have here but they singled out the Senegalese ambassador and went to attack him.”

The Fatu Network will reach out to Dr Sidat Jobe for his side of the story.

Citizens’ Alliance (CA) has issued a statement expressing dismay over videos circulating on social media showing members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) being verbally and physically attacked by fellow citizens leaving their party motor vehicles damaged.

“CA condemns the act and calls on the government to swiftly probe into case and establish the facts for further actionable courses in order to sustain peace before, during and after elections,” CA said of the attack on UDP officials in Kanilai on Saturday morning.

CA added in their statement: “CA hereby calls on the general public to continue to uphold the laws of the land and jealously guard the peaceful co-existence that the country is known for by respecting and protecting the civic, political and other rights of every person.

“We enjoin the government to open a robust and swift investigation and ensure that justice prevails. By this medium, we wish to encourage all Gambians to avoid taking the law into their own hands.”

President Adama Barrow Saturday launched an extraordinary attack on UDP and the party’s leader Ousainou Darboe – charging that the party organises thugs who wear black outfits and go about profiling Gambians. Mr Barrow also said the party’s leader Darboe was engaged in desperate attempts to become president.

Speaking at State House on Saturday afternoon while meeting with chiefs and alkalolu, Mr Barrow said: “I have seen something going on and all Gambians should be mindful of that. I have never seen it. APRC spent 22 years here and Jawara did 30 years and we were here. But we have never seen anything like it. I’m just seeing it this year and everyone should stand and fight against such politics in this country.

“You have people who mobilise themselves going around and profiling people – who is a citizen and who is not. Myself they labeled me saying I’m not Barrow but Barry and I’m from Guinea. It’s politics that can bring violence in this country. You have not come to power yet and yet you organize thugs wearing black outfits and they’re attacking people, they’re going to be at queues and taking their papers and telling them they’re not Gambians. What kind of people are they? If such people take this country, Billahi until the world ends you will never forget what they will do to you.

“And it’s deliberate. You have people among those thugs who are holding American passports and they vote in the America election. And their blacks when America is a white country. And these same people wrote a letter to the Senegalese ambassador telling him his people were engaging in Gambian politics and then a delegation was formed headed by someone said to be a top diplomat, Sidat Jobe. They went to Senegalese ambassador and told him his Senegalese people were meddling in our politics and they want them to stay away. How many ambassadors do we have here but they singled out the Senegalese ambassador and went to attack him.

“And Senegal’s is our neighbours and Senegal is Gambia’s most important development partner. However desperate you are to become president, it should not have to reach to certain lengths. And we were all in the same party in the past. We didn’t we see such bravery. Why weren’t you abusing people in the past? Why weren’t you telling people they’re not citizens in the past?

“If anything happens, my elder [Darboe] calls a press conference saying ‘I will not accept this, I will not accept that’. Why were you not doing those press conferences yesterday [during Jammeh’s time]? For 25 years the press conferences he never did is what he is doing in a year. He just finished doing a press conference. You intimidating people and you’re not a president yet. If such person become president, you will see what he will do to us.”

Police have begun investigating the alleged attack on UDP voter registration monitoring team in Kanilai.

Five UDP officials allegedy came under attack while trying to enter Kanilai to monitor the voter registration exercise in the village. One of the officials, Ebrima Dibba, was hit with a rock on the arm.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie confirmed the police have visited Kanilai and have taken statements.

Superintendent Njie said: “We’ve received reports of the incident at Kanilai – and so the police have opened an investigation into the situation. As we speak, our officers have visited the scene and they have taken relevant statements and so we are reviewing the evidence that have been collected from the scene and this will be followed by appropriate action.

“We want to send message to people around the area to observe restraint and calm so that police can investigate the situation and appropriate actions will follow. We implore them to exercise restraint and desist from any further escalation of the situation.”

Ebrima Dibba has said the people of Kanilai denied them entry into the village and a big stone landed on his arm.

Mr Dibba and other UDP voter registration monitoring officials came under attack in Kanilai, former President Yahya Jammeh’s home village Saturday morning.

And speaking from Bwiam hospital, Mr Dibba said: “I got assaulted by the people of Kanilai. They denied us entry, beat us and assault [sic]… But it’s all part of life, we are doing this for our country and we will not relent. We will continue working for our country and make sure we salvage Gambia from this kind of situation.

“Maybe we soon you will see the video from Kanilai, hitting me hard and big stone next to my glass, boom [and] landed to my arm. I’m with pain but it’s all part of life.”

Watch video below;

UDP National Organising Secretary Talib Ahmed Bensouda has frowned at the attack on the party’s voter registration monitoring team in Kanilai.

Youth of Kanilai allegedly attacked five UDP officials in Kanilai Saturday as they arrived in the village to monitor the voter registration exercise.

In a statement, top party official Talib Bensouda said: “Today I’m saddened to learn that some residents of Kanilai have not allowed any agent to sit at the voter registration center in their village. IEC is aware of this and has sat passively by.

“This morning our voter registration coordinating committee was assaulted and our party vehicle window was broken by some disgruntled villagers. This is unacceptable and I urge the police to take immediate action against all the perpetrators without delay.

“The UDP is a peaceful party and believes in the coexistence of all parties and we will remain as such. No party agents have been barred by UDP supporters to sit at any registration center across the country and no party monitoring teams have been harassed anywhere across the country by our supporters. The UDP will continue to abide by the law and preach peace and unity amongst all Gambians regardless of tribe, creed or political dispensation and I ask all our supporters to continue as such.

“I condemn this attack on our monitoring team in the strongest of terms and I reiterate that they have the right to visit every registration center across the country without harassment or provocation. Our party’s Deputy Organising Secretary Mr Ebrima Dibba (My Deputy) has been attacked and injured and our party vehicle has been damaged.

“I once again ask the IEC with immediate effect to close this Registration center at Kanilai until such a time it can operate within the rules of the IEC and the laws of The Gambia.

“As Organising Secretary I condemn any of our supporters from engaging in any form of activity and comments that violate our party principles of peace and unity and that go against the laws of our Country.

“After review of the video of the attack circulating on social media I would like to thank the members of the Voter Registration Coordinating Committee for exercising restraint and leaving the village of Kanilai peacefully.

“Following the events of Manduwarr and Now Kanilai I would like to take this opportunity to remind all Gambians that The Gambia is bigger than any tribe or political party and we must first respect each other as Gambians before anything else!”

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe on Saturday challenged those who threatened to divulge his secrets they claim to have knowledge of to go ahead and do so – and then warned he will not apologise over an audio containing profanities.

The UDP leader faced reporters at his Pipeline office Saturday morning to discuss the audio which is believed to have been recorded last year by someone claiming to be a UDP supporter.

According to Mr Darboe, people were threatening that they would reveal his secrets if he did not come out and apologise.

Mr Darboe said: “I’m making this statement because there is someone who said if I do not come out to apologise, he will divulge my secrets he knows of. I told my PRO not to release the statement. That the person who said he will reveal my secrets, we can give him three days for him to come and reveal my secrets. I’m waiting. Anyone who knows anything about Ousainou Darboe…

“I know you will not say anything positive but you can come out and say the negative. The people saying it, you and I know each other but you can go ahead and say the bad things about Ousainou Darboe and UDP.

“For us what we know about you would not be said by us but your own relatives. They will be the ones to say it. I will not apologise to anybody because UDP did not sanction those statements. I will not apologise to anybody because I have never insulted anyone and I never would. But it’s something we condemn. Because anyone doing it is trying to instigate violence in the country.”

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has just told reporters UDP’s voter registration monitoring team came under attack in Kanilai Saturday morning.

“They (natives of Kanilai) took a big rock and smash the windscreen of the UDP 2021 car. The rock landed on Ebrima Dibba’s hand and broke it,” Darboe alleged.

According to Mr Darboe, the five or six UDP officials were attacked by youth of Kanilai.

“As they ran to their car, the [IEC] supervisor told them these are people who have a right to be there [to monitor the registration] but they seriously beat that person too,” Mr Darboe alleged.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie could not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Gambia Press Union and the Civil Society Coalition on Access to Information have issued a statement welcoming the passing of the Access to Information Bill 2021 by the National Assembly on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

If the Bill is granted presidential assent, it will be the first time in the history of The Gambia for right of access to information to be legally recognized as a human right. Globally, over 120 countries have such legislation and The Gambia has become the last country in English-speaking West Africa to have one, GPU and Civil Society Coalition on Access to Information said.

The statement added: “The ATI Bill is a product of collaborative effort of the Gambian Civil Society which worked closely with the Government through the Ministry of Justice. It was first tabled in 2019 by then Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou and has since gone through rigorous parliamentary scrutiny.

“The Bill is aimed at proactive and organised dissemination of public records and information to the people.”

Speaking on this milestone, the President of Gambia Press Union, Sheriff Bojang Jr., commended the National Assembly members for putting the Gambia on the true path to democracy.

“I want to commend the National Assembly members not just for passing the Bill, but also for debating on the Bill purely on its principles and benefits to society, devoid of partisan politics,” he said.

“This is an indication that all the political parties and indeed every Gambian is in support of access to information as it had been the missing piece in the Gambia’s quest to becoming a true democracy.”

With the technical and financial support of its partners, the GPU planted the seeds of civil society-led access to information campaign way back in 2016. After a series of consultative meetings with the Government and other civil society organisations, the GPU collaborated with TANGO (The Association of NGOs) to establish the CSO Coalition on Access to Information.

The Chairman of the Coalition, John Charles Njie, said the change of Government in 2017 provided an opportunity for the media, government and civil society to work together towards a better Gambia.

“The passing of this Bill shows how mutually beneficial a collaboration between the civil society and government could become” he said.

“This is the first time that the civil society has worked with the Government on a legislation from conception to enactment, and for me that is an indication that the Government and civil society are not mutually exclusive. We are different sides of the same coin and it’s our two sides that make up a coin.

“The civil society is not here just to criticize government; we do constructive criticism where necessary, but we can also collaborate and work together in solving our problems and the success of this Access to Information Bill is a testimony to that fact.”

Mr. Njie commended the Ministries of Justice, and Information and Communication Infrastructure for leading the process on the side of the government. The Ministry of Justice has been particularly instrumental in the process; the former Minister Tambadou played a key role and the current Minister, Dawda Jallow, took it and successfully completed the process.

From the outset, the Gambia’s Access to Information was not without international support. This came in the form of financial and technical assistance. The main part of the funding came from the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) through a two-year project implemented by the GPU. Other partners including the United Nations Development Program, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office were also key.

Technical support came in different forms and shapes from the Media Foundation for West Africa, Centre for Law and Democracy, Centre for Non-profit Law, Fesmedia, ARTICLE 19 and Gambia Bar Association.

The next steps

Given the political will and commitment demonstrated by the President of the Republic since the inception, we are equally confident that he would assent to the Bill within the 30-day legal limit required.

The GPU, through the CSO Coalition on Access to Information, will continue to intensify its awareness campaign about the legislation to make sure Gambians understand and are able to utilize it.

The collaboration with the Government will also be strengthened so that it creates the necessary structures and systems for the effective enforcement and implementation of the Act.

The enactment of the Access to Information Bill by the National Assembly is just the beginning of another step towards an effective Right to Know regime in The Gambia. More still needs doing and the GPU is hopeful that with commitment and continuous partnership of all institutions and agencies, the Act would contribute tremendously to the democratization process of the country.

Two company directors have denied charges relating to the deaths of five men at a recycling plant.

Almamo Jammeh, Ousmane Diaby, Bangally Dukureh, Saibo Sillah and Mahamadou Jagana died at Shredmet’s premises in Birmingham on 7 July 2016.

The two directors, plus two recycling firms, have been charged with health and safety offences.

Wayne Hawkeswood and Graham Woodhouse appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday to deny charges against them.

ENSCO 10101, formerly Shredmet, and its predecessor Hawkeswood Metal Recycling are also being prosecuted.

The five men – four from the Gambia and one from Senegal – died when a wall collapsed at a recycling plant in Nechells, smothering them in hundreds of tonnes of metal ingots.

A sixth man suffered serious injuries. (BBC)

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has vowed that UDP will not be like previous ruling parties who would promise voters all sorts of things and fail to live by them after their victory.

Speaking while receiving D300,000 from UDP supporters in Italy, Mr Darboe said UDP will put an end those things it is complaining against and deliver on its promises.

Mr Darboe said: “InshaAllah we will win and if we win, it would be you the diaspora Gambians who made us win. Thank you. After the victory is what matters. This is a trust test for leaders of UDP, for people to take their money and put it into a party without expecting anything back. All they want is for Gambia to be saved and a government that would wipe the tears of all Gambians.

“We’re hopeful that after the victory, we will not be like the others. After the victory, the things we say should not happen would all be stopped and make sure the things that should be done are done. Because you cannot seek people’s votes on a purpose and [fail to do it]. You must fulfill [those promises]. That is not UDP.”

Reverend Father Peter Gomez of St Kizito’s Church died early Thursday, a statement by the church said.

In the statement, “the Bishop of Banjul, Most Reverend Dr. Gabriel Mendy, the Priests and religious of the Diocese of  Banjul and the family of the deceased regret to announce the sudden death of Rev. Fr Peter Gomez”.

“This sad event took place early this morning, 1st July, 2021 at St. Kizito’s Parish House. Details of funeral arrangements will be provided later.

“May God grant him forgiveness and reward him for the good work he has done in the name of Jesus our Merciful Saviour,” the statement added.

The United States will begin shipping the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines it has donated to Africa from this weekend, a special envoy of the African Union said on Thursday.

President Joe Biden’s administration announced last month it would donate 500 million Pfizer coronavirus vaccine doses to the 100 lowest income countries in the world and will seek no favours in exchange for the doses.

Strive Masiyiwa told a weekly online briefing of the Africa Centres for Disease Control that the donations consisted largely of Pfizer doses and a few Johnson and Johnson vaccines.

“We begin to ship by this weekend the U.S. donations. So some countries will begin to receive early next week shipments that are Johnson and Johnson, others will receive shipments that are Pfizer. No country will receive both,” Masiyiwa said.

Masiyiwa is part of the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust, which is helping coordinate the distribution of the vaccines donated by the United States.

The continent is lagging behind in vaccinating its population, with just 1% fully inoculated, John Nkengasong, the Africa CDC director said during the same meeting.

Africa had targeted to have 800 million doses by December this year but had only received 65 million so far, Nkengasong said. (Reuters)

General Yakuba Drammeh Thursday morning visited a military farm in Banjullinding amid his tour of military installations across the country.

The army chief has in past days been visiting all military installations as part of his annual engagement with his men and women.

Drammeh became the head of the army last year when President Adama Barrow pulled the trigger on powerful general Masanneh Kinteh.

Dr. Mamadou Tangara on Wednesday 30 June 2021 addressed India Global Leaders Forum 2021.

Foreign Minister Tangara was invited by the Global Leadership to give an African perspective on issues bordering on COVID-19 and the recovery process, the friendly bilateral relations between The Gambia and the Republic of India and how the global tourism industry can be revived in the face of an ongoing global pandemic, the foreign ministry said in a news release on Thursday.

The release said: “Commenting on measures taken by The Gambia in containing the pandemic and protecting its economy, Dr. Tangara said the government cut all travels and used those funds to buy ambulances and other medical equipment for health workers.

“He said negotiations were held with bilateral partners for the country to access vaccines with 10,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine donated by the President of the Republic of Senegal to his brother President Adama Barrow and later, AstraZeneca vaccine was also received.

“The Honourable Minister indicated that the challenge the government had was to convince people to take the vaccine. The government, he added, resorted to a massive sensitisation campaign which made great impact because it significantly reduced the vaccine hesitancy.

“Minister Tangara told the Global Leaders Forum that The Gambia does not have adequate vaccines to give second doses to the teeming number of people that have had the first shot.

“The Honourable Minister also emphasised the importance of global solidarity in this phase of the pandemic by helping countries with little or no vaccine to access it.

“On the bilateral ties with India, Honourable Tangara extolled the excellent bilateral relations The Gambia has with India in the past decades and how India is one of Gambia’s strongest partners.”