President Adama Barrow’s trip to Dubai has been postponed, the presidency has said.
In a terse statement, the Office of the President said the President’s trip to Dubai scheduled for 3rd – 8th April 2021 has been postponed. It did not give any reason.
His press secretary Amie Bojang Sissoho did not respond to a request for comment.
GMC leader Mai Ahmad Fatty said on Saturday he sees critics as his partners who help make him a better person.
Fatty writing on his official Facebook page said: “It’s noble to admit when one is wrong, change direction and make amends. The reverse is dishonorable and should be banished from our body politic. We all do make mistakes, but we must admit and be humble enough to learn from them, to make us better serve each other and our society.
“I am grateful to my most ardent critics and detractors for pointing out my fallibility and help make me a better person. I see critics as partners because they invest their time, energy, emotion and may be resources on me, to give prominence to areas I may need to improve, change or strengthen. The good part is, it’s all free, though I concede it’s sometimes tough to stomach.
“Each time a missile of destructive swipe comes my way – and that’s often very routine – my agility in managing them becomes more settled; improves my knowledge about myself, environment and better prepare me to serve. Thank you to all those who are kind enough to enable me acknowledge my human limitations away from the public glare. As imperfect as we all are, my determination to serve you, is perfect. And we shall triumph against all odds!”
The United States on Friday lifted sanctions imposed by former President Donald Trump on officials of the International Criminal Court who are investigating the US and Israel for war crimes in Afghanistan and Palestine.
The executive action by President Joe Biden reverses one of the prior administration’s more aggressive moves to target international institutions, although Biden administration officials said the US still objects to the ICC assertion of jurisdiction over the US.
“We believe, however, that our concerns about these cases would be better addressed” through diplomacy “rather than through the imposition of sanctions”, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.
The ICC is a standing body based in The Hague created in 2002 to prosecute international claims of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The US is not one of the roughly 120 member countries of the court.
“Our support for the rule of law, access to justice, and accountability for mass atrocities are important US national security interests that are protected and advanced by engaging with the rest of the world to meet the challenges of today and tomorrow,” Blinken said.
The Trump White House had imposed economic and travel sanctions against court officials in June 2020 saying the ICC’s investigations of abuses in Afghanistan “are an attack on the rights of the American people and threaten to infringe upon our national sovereignty”.
Trump’s sanctions had targeted ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and the court’s head of jurisdiction, Phakiso Mochochoko, for pressing ahead with investigations into the US and Israel.
A spokesman for the ICC on Friday said the court and its governing body of the member states welcomed the US move.
Rights groups applauded Biden for throwing out Trump’s sanctions — Amnesty International called them an “act of vandalism” against international justice — but called for Biden to go further, by supporting the court’s work and making the US a member country.
Previous US President Bill Clinton had expressed deep reservations about the ICC while former President Barack Obama had engaged in limited cooperation with it.
Israel is not a member of the ICC and, along with the US, opposed Palestinian accession to the court in 2015 because it is not a state.
The ICC ruled in February is has jurisdiction over the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories opening the way for the ICC to investigate alleged war crimes committed in the 2014 Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the besieged Gaza Strip by both the Israeli army and Palestinian armed factions. (Al Jazeera)
Police have said they have arrested 117 people after their new war on crime dubbed ‘Operation Zero Crime’ got underway on Friday.
In a statement, police said: “The Police High Command wishes to notify the public that, day one of the operation against crime was successful.
“A total number of 117 people including 3 females were arrested at various criminal hideouts within the Greater Banjul and West Coast Regions. Among the number of people arrested, 15 were arrested at Banjul Region, 75 arrested at Kanifing Region and 27 arrested at West Coast Region.
“They were arrested in connection to several offenses including going armed in public, assault causing actual bodily harm, possession of suspected drugs, possession of suspected stolen properties, idle and disorderly manners, attempt to commit felony among others.
“They are currently being processed for court actions.
“The public is assured that, the conduct of the security personnel shall be strictly within the confines of the Law. To ensure this, the Police High Command has instituted a strong Inspectorate Unit to regularly supervise and monitor the activities of security personnel, in a bid to ensure respect for human rights and the rule of Law.
“The usual cooperation and compliance of the public particularly in the sharing of information by community members is highly solicited.”
Halifa Sallah has been saluted by a raft of Gambians online as the respected politician turned 68 years old on Saturday.
Sallah was born on April 3, 1953.
He is the leader of PDOIS and his career as a politician spans more than three decades.
PDOIS youth bureau chief Kexx Sanneh wrote: “You are not only a PRIDE of our generation, but a genuine voice for REAL CHANGE in our country and the continent of Africa. You are a symbol of our national pride. You have set yourself apart by inspiring and impacting generations.”
Annetta Titita said: 2If anyone person is looking for a role model, look no further. For this man right here, Hon. Halifa Sallah represents all that an upright citizen seeks to become. When others were thinking of self, he demonstrated the collective interest.
“When people ran away with their emotions to change positions to please the crowd and their own interest. He stood resolute to the truth, even though it was unpopular.”
Spicy Jatta wrote: “Happy blessed birthday to this statesman. Here’s a man who dedicated all his entire life to the service of his Nation and her people selflessly. This is a man who demonstrated all great characters of leadership, discipline, contentment, integrity and humility.”
The government has created new protocols around coronavirus quarantine procedures and testing guidelines for travellers arriving into the country.
The government in a statement on Friday signed by spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh said the ministry of health in collaboration with the WHO have progressed to conduct rapid Covid-19 test for passengers arriving into the country.
Travellers coming into the country from hotspot countries will now undergo a rapid Covi-19 test upon arrival at the airport in addition to having a valid Covid-19 PCR test results of 72 hours.
Countries affected by the new rule include the UK, Belgium, Italy, US, Spain and France.
UDP leader Ousainou Darboe and his top lieutenants on Friday traveled to Kani Kunda in Jara for the launch of the village’s mosque.
The people of Kani Kunda greeted and appreciated Darboe throughout as he honoured one of the village’s most important religious events with his presence.
Darboe was accompanied by top officials including his deputy Aji Yam Secka, Mayors Talib Ahmed Bensouda and Rohey Lowe and Momodou Sanneh.
The Police High Command under the leadership of the Deputy Inspector General of Police Abdoulie Sanyang has activated a joint security high visibility patrols targeting criminal hideouts within the Greater Banjul and West Coast Regions.
The objective of the operation is to tackle crime and criminal activities within communities and to dismantle all criminal hideouts, as well as prosecute offenders in accordance with the Law, police said in a statement Friday.
The statement added: “The public is hereby notified that, they maybe seeing high presence of security movements within their vicinities as routine patrols will be intensified. However, people are urged not to panic and should go about doing their lawful businesses.
“Individuals going armed in public with knives and other small weapons will be stopped and searched and anyone found wanting will be processed and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the Law.
“Similarly, all criminal dens, vous, ghettos, and criminal hideouts will be targeted during the exercise.
“Members of the public who wish to travel outside or leave their homes for other reasons during odd hours of the night are accordingly encouraged to carry with them documents for identification purposes.
“The public is further reminded that, it is our collective responsibility to collaborate and partner with the security in the fight against crime.”
Citizens’ Alliance has issued a statement greeting the nation’s Christians on the occasion of this year’s Easter.
The party’s leader Dr Ismaila Ceesay said in a statement he signed: “As the Christian community observe Good Friday today, following a prayerful Lenten season, My party and I join all Christians to reflect on the Crucifixion of Jesus whose compassion, love and sacrifice for humanity inspires us to serve and fight hardship. Wishing you and your families a blessed, sacred and holy Good Friday.”
The rape case of a self-proclaimed prophet in Senegal Daouda Bâ otherwise called Baba Malabé Mbackérouhou of Saré Ngagne has taken a new twist.
Senegalese media reported on Friday the underage girls who lived with the prophet were reunited with their families this week. They’d been under the custody of an NGO since allegations of child abuse and rape were made against the prophet.
The oldest among the girls was said to be 16 years old but medical examinations concluded there were no sexual intercourse, effectively exonerating the prophet and his three disciples who were arrested for pedophilia and rape.
Baba Malabe is following the ways of his late father who he says is a prophet. They have their own scripture called the Jam Jam Padar and pray in the Fula language.
Momodou Sabally has branded President Adama Barrow and his government thieves as he says the president was never invited by the government of UAE but a private individual.
Speaking to Gambians in an audio message, Sabally said: “I’m confused because they said the private office of his Highness. So private office means the Dubai government never invited Adama Barrow, rather one individual from the royal family who invited him.
“It’s belittling for our government and our president to get up and not to go and answer to another president but a private person. Diplomatically it’s wrong. But I’m saddened because the reports I have is that a few Gambian businessmen are the one who organized this trip and are already in Dubai.
“One of them is in telecommunications, you have another who is in petroleum products and another in construction. Barrow doesn’t know what he enters into and what he emerges out of. Let’s kick Barrow out of power before he destroys this country. What these businessmen want is to sell our petroleum and our port to these Arabs.
“His squirrel government also increased the tax on Gambians because they have increased the price of fuel. A litre of petrol has increased from D47 to D52 and a litre of gasoil has increased from D46 to D50. Barrow and his people did not want this to come out. So these government are thieves.”
By Zakaria Kemo Konteh, ZKK
Over the course of it’s public hearings, we have witnesses appeared before the TRRC giving accounts of unimaginable horrible and disgusting things they did and experienced. Some of these testimonies were not only gripping but agonizing to listen to or watch, leaving many of us viscerally outraged and traumatized. They painted a vivid picture of an out-of control President (Yahya Jammeh, of course!) who used lethal and brute force along with really other degrading rights violation techniques to rule our country for 22 years.
But yesterday’s riveting testimony by one of our country’s most respected human rights and Constitutional experts (he humbly prefers to be called specialist), Gaye Sowe, brought a different perspective to the whole argument with some disturbing parallels between what obtained under Yahya Jammeh and what could still happen now and in the future. The 1997 Constitution, the most obnoxious anti-Gambia and anti-democracy legal instrument ever, was also designed not only to give an entrenched legal justification for the July 1994 treasonous overthrow of a democratic elected government, it goes further to ensure all but coronation of Yahya Jammeh as the King of Gambia with all powers – imaginary and avaliable – concentrated in his hands. Sir Gaye Sowe’s presentation also provided us the simplified legal context in regards to some of the provisions Yahya Jammeh relied on to hold all of us hostage and abused our fundamental human rights because, technically, Gambians have little or no rights under the 1997 Constitution.
Thus, the argument or the idea that this bastardized Could simply have been amended to suit our country is ludicrous, lame and devoid of any compelling logic.
Yet, and perhaps the most somber feeling of national tragedy and inexcusable failure is the haunting realization that the same pro-Kingship and anti-Gambian 1997 Constitution is still in force and, damningly, is still being favored by President Barrow over the people-friendly, pro-democray , progressive and check and balance Draft Constitution. To think that four years after Jammeh’s ouster we are stuck with his favorite whip is the height of insult.
Like many Jammeh apologists, President Barrow and his minority but decisive allies in the National Assembly all idolize Yahya Jammeh and there is no better way to imitate and hold onto the vestiges of his excesses than the continuing utilization of his brainchild 1997 Constitution. In my books, this represents a shameful and an unforgivable betrayal of our country that transcends political ideology and affiliation. I will never accept nor rationalize or even excuse the weight and significance of this treachery.
And in the wise words of both Lead Counsel Faal and echoed by Sir Gaye Sowe, Gambians deserve better and we can do better. I must add that we cannot and will not do better until we wish better for ourselves, work on bettering ourselves and resist every attempt – political or otherwise – that seeks to subjugate us and stymie our progress as a country. To begin that journey, let’s get rid of the 1997 Constitution and anyone, group or entity beholding us to it..
UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has put out a statement greeting the nation’s Christians on the occasion of Easter.
The UDP leader’s statement sadi: “In the spirit of celebrating the end of the fasting period and of the Lenten Season, the National Executive and Members of the United Democratic Party extends a Blessed Good Friday and Happy Easter to our Christian families.
“On this occasion, we join you all in prayers and celebration.
“The past Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter reminds us all on the need for continued tolerance, patience, unity of purpose and togetherness as a people and the deep message of the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf.
“Wishing you all once again a Blessed Good Friday, a Happy Easter and a well-rested holiday weekend.”
Lieutenant General Cheikh Wade has been installed as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Senegal.
The event held on Thursday was chaired by Me Sidiki Kaba, Minister of the Armed Forces, in the Dial Diop district of Dakar. Wade takes over from Biram Diop who is retired.
Wade is a top commando who held various commando leadership roles in the Senegal army including head of the commando battalion and unit commander of the 2nd company of the commando battalion.
He was also a United Nations observer between Iraq and Kuwait (Monuik) and participated in an ECOWAS mission to Liberia.
The General was also Chief of Staff of the Micega, Operation Restore Democracy in The Gambia in 2017. General Francois Ndiaye worked under him.
United Democratic Party has secured the support of Bai Malick Ceesay, a longtime supporter of PDOIS, party official say.
Ceesay who is based in Sweden flipped to UDP on Thursday.
His conversion to PDOIS makes him the second person in recent days to have publicly left PDOIS for UDP.
Pa Suma who also supported PDOIS for a long period left PDOIS last month to join UDP.
The Fatu Network understands Ceesay is a respected supporter of PDOIS who contributes towards the party’s financing.
The taskforce on youth development in Sanyang on Thursday called on government to release 22 youth of Sanyang who have been charged with arson.
“Twenty-two of our youths are currently still in detention at the Mile II Central Prison without charges since on the 15th day of March, 2021,” taskforce chairman Yusupha Jobe said in a statement at a news conference held in Sanyang Thursday afternoon.
“We demand the release of your youths. The inaction of the government on our plight has degenerated to the current situation in our community.”
According to the taskforce, the violent protests that erupted in Sanyang were as a result of longstanding frustrations “caused by the lack of justice towards the persistent environmental violations and pollution by the fishmeal factory and mining companies in Sanyang”.
“…we have suffered enough from the activities of the factory and we kindly seek immediate international intervention. So long these factories continue to exist, both lives and livelihoods are threatened, natural resource related conflicts will persist,” Jobe said.
As the European region currently fights a resurgence of COVID-19 transmissions, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday called upon the governments in the region to “scale-up of both vaccine production and vaccination.”
According to WHO Europe, to date, only 10 percent of the region’s total population has received one vaccine dose, and four percent has completed a full vaccine series.
“Let me be clear: we must speed up the process by ramping up manufacturing, reducing barriers to administering vaccines, and using every single vial we have in stock, now,” Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe said in a press release.
There were 1.6 million new COVID-19 cases and 24,000 deaths last week, which made Europe the second most affected region in the world, said the WHO regional office, highlighting the urgency of a speedier vaccine roll-out.
“Vaccines present our best way out of this pandemic…However, the roll-out of these vaccines is unacceptably slow,” said Kluge.
Of particular concern to WHO Europe is the ongoing disparity in the vaccine roll-out across the European region which has seen every high-income country in the region vaccinating, while “only 80 percent of upper-middle-income countries and 60 percent of lower- and lower-middle-income countries” vaccinating.
“While acknowledging the intent of governments to protect their own populations, before the vaccines are extended to other age groups I strongly urge governments to share excess doses of WHO-approved vaccines with COVAX or with countries in need, once health-care workers and the most vulnerable have been vaccinated,” said Kluge.
COVAX is a World Health Organization-led initiative aimed at ensuring equal access to COVID-19 vaccines by various countries.
According to WHO Europe statistics, the total number of deaths in the European region is now fast approaching one million and the total number of cases of transmission of the coronavirus will soon exceed 45 million.
“Only five weeks ago, the weekly number of new cases in Europe had dipped to under one million, but now the region’s situation is more worrying than we have seen in several months,” said Dorit Nitzan, Regional Emergency Director for the WHO Regional Office for Europe in the press release.
According to WHO Europe, it was more preferable for a vaccine to work alongside timely and targeted public health interventions.
“And as long as the coverage remains low, we need to apply the same public health and social measures as we have in the past, to compensate for delayed schedules,” said Kluge.
In reference to the increased mobility around the Easter holidays over the next few days, as variants of concern continue to spread across the region, Kluge reminded citizens and their governments in the region of their responsibility in the face of the pandemic. (XINHUA)
President Adama Barrow will travel to Dubai on Saturday in a visit of the city that will last for fives days, the presidency said on Thursday.
The president said: “The Office of the President informs the public that, at the invitation of the Private Office of His Highness, Sheikh Marwan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, His Excellency, Adama Barrow, President of the Republic of The Gambia will travel to Dubai on Saturday, 3rd April 2021, on a five-day working visit.
“The President and his delegation will amongst other issues explore possible partnerships to promote and strengthen Public-Private Partnership to enhance socio-economic development.”
Momodou Sabally has said he has no bigger enemy than President Adama Barrow who he says is responsible for his life public service ban.
The Janneh Commission had recommended a life ban for Sabally after concluding he aided former President Jammeh in his pillage of Gambian coffers. The government said it was implementing the recommendation.
And speaking in Baddibu Balengo recently, Sabally addressed the issue saying: “He is the one who said I will never work in Gambia again. He is the only one who said it and he is the one who implemented it and signed it. His own relatives called me and said I should support him. I told them how can I support someone who banned me.
“I have no bigger enemy than Adama Barrow. I want the people of Baddibu that there is nothing in this world that is more precious to me than my country and I want contribute my quota to its development. All the schemes Adama Barrow is engaged in, the people they’re sending that they will give me a car for me to join them…
“I don’t need money, I don’t need any car. I just want to be able to work in my country and make my country stand out. But Adama Barrow is the one who said I am banned and I will not work here for eternity. But he will know I’m Kaddy Jammeh Mabintou’s son he banned. Barrow will know Landing Binta Njie Tida Mama’s son he touched.”
Gambia government officials met with top government officials of Senegal on March 12 in Dakar, Senegal to discuss ways of eliminating bottlenecks around transit trade in Gambia and Senegal.
Government spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh in a statement said officials of both governments discussed and agreed to adopt strategies for “combatting transit fraud through information sharing, eliminating all non-tariff barriers particularly on petroleum products destined to Mali and accelerating the handling of goods in transit to Guinea Bissau and the Republic of Guinea”.
He said: “The two countries also agreed to codify transit procedures between Gambian and Senegalese Customs Administrations by mid-2021, and adopting the Automated Management of Transit Merchandise (SIGMAT) as well as upgrading strategic border posts.
“The high-level talks were led by the Senegalese Minister of Finance and Budget, Abdoulaye Daouda Diallo and his Gambian counterpart, Mambury Njie.
“During the high profile talks, both Finance Ministers echoed similar sentiments that Senegal and The Gambia were inextricably interconnected by geography, history, culture and ethno-linguistic realities; forces too powerful to ignore in out geo-political and economic existence as neighbouring states.
“Senegalese Finance Minister Diallo was assisted by Ambassador Basiru Sene, High Commissioner of Senegal to The Gambia, AbdourahmanJaye, Director General of the Senegalese Customs and several experts.
“Finance Minister Njie was accompanied by Gambia’s Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, Secretary General Nuha Touray, The Gambia’s High Commissioner to Senegal, His Excellency Hadrammeh Sidibeh and Director General of The Gambia Revenue Authority, Yankuba Darboe.”
