Three Years Jotna mandarin Yankuba Darbo has said he has been charged by police after he was asked to report to Serious Crime Unit.

According to Darbo, “I attended High Court on Tuesday 2 March 2021, together with my 8 colleagues from the 3 Years Jotna leadership, on the reinstituted charges of the State of the charges we were previously discharged by the High Court on 10 February 2021 and re-arrested on the same date.”

“I have been however asked by the Police to report to Serious Crime Unit today for more charges!

“They said I am charged with Insulting the Judiciary and Sedition as the new charges, which I reported for today and as usual detained since early morning and likely to be detained here for the rest of the day, whilst waiting for orders from the top!

“If you think we are not under dictatorship in The Gambia, you have not walked in my footsteps,” Darbo wrote in a Facebook post Thursday

Essa Faal blasted Baboucarr Jatta on Wednesday by saying it is disappointing for a man who held high positions in the country to ‘deliberately’ mislead the TRRC.

Faal and Jatta went up against each other for the time third in less than a year as investigations in the human rights violations and abuses of the 22 years rule of former President Yahya Jammeh deepened.

The former army chief had earlier on testified on the November 11 extermination of soldiers accused of plotting of a coup and the April 2000 student killings. Jatta clashed with Faal during these meetings where the latter accused Jatta of being economical with the truth.

On Wednesday, Jatta returned to the probe to testify on the 2005 migrant massacre where at least 44 Ghanaians were brutally killed allegedly on the order of former President Jammeh.

The showdown began with Essa Faal quickly warning Jatta that it was an offence to lie under oath in this country.

“It’s also an offence to provide false or misleading information to the commission,” Faal told him.

He then told him: “I have heard an interview you provide in which you prided yourself for not providing the full information to the commission or to Essa Faal for that matter. Well you weren’t talking to Essa Faal, you were talking to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of the republic of The Gambia I hope you understand that. And it cannot be worn as a badge of honour that you did not provide the full information to the commission. Do you understand that Mr Jatta?”

Jatta replied: “I do. I just felt that I was not been given the opportunity to clarify certain issues before [this commission].”

“Mr Jatta this is not about giving you opportunity, this is you deliberately withholding information knowing that that information was relevant to the inquiry of the commission. Could you apologise to the commission for doing that?,” Faal asked Jatta.

“I’m very sorry. Beginning is always difficult you know,” Jatta replied.

“Mr Jatta that was your second trip to the commission. And the thing is, Mr Jatta you have occupied very senior positions in this country in the past. It is very disappointing that a person of your stature to have occupied such positions would pride himself for misleading the commission,” Essa Faal then told him.

Jatta during his testimony denied any knowledge of the killing of the West African migrants.

A group of Gambians deported from Europe arrived at the Banjul International Airport early Thursday in what observers say was always bound to take place.

The group comprising at least 20 Gambians was flown into the country by a Corendon Airlines plane from Germany. They arrived at the Banjul International Airport at 2:30am.

By Sarjo Brito

Chaotic scenes gripped the streets of Senegal as opposition leader Ousman Sonko headed to court Wednesday to face a judge over rape allegations against him. Sonko’s appearance before the court was after a back and forth with security forces on which route, he will travel on. Many videos online show security forces firing tear gas at pro Sonko demonstrators. Many Senegalese have taken to the streets, some standing in solidarity with the 44-year-old politician. The rape allegation against Sonko has also been met with conspiracies, with some going as far as accusing the government of Macky Sall of trying to throw the young politician behind bars to end his political career.

Reacting to events happening in his country, Senegalese vendor in The Gambia Omar Joof said the Sonko issue is highly political and was a setup from the beginning. Joof said whilst Sonko has agreed to face the court, the justice system must not be trusted as far as this case is concerned.

“This was clearly a setup from the beginning and now they know they do not have a case. I do not trust the Senegalese Justice system with this case to begin with. All the judges, Magistrates belong to Macky Sall,” Joof said

And on the other side of the coin, another Senegalese vendor that goes by the name Mo accused Ousman Sonko of pitting the Senegalese people against Macky Sall, arguing that Government has the right to tell Sonko which road to take for the purpose of security.

“All Sonko is trying to do is pit the Senegalese people against Macky, choosing to travel on a route where he knows his supporters will cause some chaos and put the blame on President Sall. The security has the right to tell him which route to take because it us for security purposes,” Mo said.

Meanwhile Ousman Sonko’s immunity has been lifted by the Senegalese parliament since Friday. At a live press conference yesterday evening, Sonko said this was a political stunt and after the realization that it has blown up, they resorted to making up false evidence against him. Sonko said despite they have no substantial evidence against him, he predicted being arrested for other charges like public disturbance, among others.

Author, teacher, journalist, politician, and cultural connoisseur, the late Baa Trawally is one of the most intelligent and profound human beings I have ever met anywhere in the world.

Oft touted as an icon of journalism, Baa was certainly more than a journalist; we shall excuse The Gambian media for their one-dimensional portrayal of the man; for who would not want to claim total ownership of such a towering giant (both literarily and metaphorically) like Baa Trawally?

Certainly the late old man has earned a special place in  the history of journalism in this country. But that should not take away anything from his trailblazing work as a teacher who started the first school in Ballangharr (CRR) and played a fundamental role in The Gambia’s struggle for independence. The late old man was a founding member of the PPP as well as the social club, Protectorate Peoples Society (PPS) that preceded, and eventually, birthed Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s legendary erstwhile ruling party. Baa is an important part o the history of this  country, alongside such unsung heroes like Mamady Sanyang and Bakary Sidibeh.

To the credit of our media fraternity, the late Baa spent most of his time practicing journalism and earned many accolades in the process. To wit, a most auspicious ceremony held in New York, many decades ago, as narrated to me by the late doyen himself:

“I was the first African to study journalism in Israel. And I got a huge reception from the Jewish community in the United States when I subsequently visited Manhattan. A State Department official told me that the Jewish community in Manhattan had been alerted that an Israel-trained journalist was in town and they put up a reception befitting a head of state attended by more than 200 people. When I entered the hall, the ovation was overwhelming; I felt like a head of state. Israel had trained so many African scholars but for journalism, I was the first.”

Certainly The Gambia Press Union and the University of The Gambia’s School of Journalism have lost a fountain of knowledge and a virtual reference library in their specialty. Second only to the family of the departed soul, I extend my condolences to these men and women who are now saddled with the responsibility of moving on (and up) with the legacy of Baa Trawally, Suwaibou Conateh, Dixon Colley, and many other doyens of journalism who have passed on.

During the many chat sessions I had with him over the past year, Baa Trawally’s emphasis was always on newspapers and communication. He taught me many things but he was insistent on drumming into my head effective communication skills, both written and oral.

As he would fondly tell me “young man, come and sit down here near me. I will put something into your head. Everything that you need to know is right here in my house!”

We had several sessions where the old man would just sit me down and teach me so many things. On average, I would visit him every fortnight; and whenever I entered his house, he would be bustling with excitement as he downloaded his vast knowledge into my mind. He did this with such a sense of urgency that I treated our regular meetings as a sacred duty.

What started as a single encounter for the old sage to formally task me with being part of the team that would organise the launch of his Mandingka dictionary, became a series of lectures spanning a whole year; where I became the lucky beneficiary of rare wisdom and uncommon knowledge.

May Allah forgive the departed old sage and grant him blissful repose in Jannatul Firdaus.

Momodou Sabally

Author, Economist, former Presidential Affairs Minister.

Police chief Mamour Jobe is at this hour appearing before the TRRC helping the investigation with information regarding keeping of diaries at police stations.

Jobe’s appearance before the probe appeared to have raised concern but TRRC lawyer Essa Faal hastened to soothe any concerns by saying the top cop has never been mentioned in any crime.

Faal said: “Mr Jobe perhaps your appearance today would raise some questions as to why. It is important that I clarify at the very outset such that it would not leave questions lingering in people’s minds as to why you’re called today.

“You are called here to provide certain documents that have been requested from the police. And because you are the police boss, you are being asked to produce certain documents before the commission.

“Ordinarily, we could have asked the commanders of the various police stations to provide the materials but because of the importance of these materials, the commission deemed it necessary to make the request directly to the inspector general of police.

“The commission would also wish to crave your indulgence to provide some basic information on the protocol of diary keeping in police stations. So you have never been mentioned before this commission for anything. So I hope that would allay all fears and put concerns to rest.”

President Adama Barrow on Wednesday briefly played the role of a marketing officer when he asked Gambians to support Gambia Printing and Publishing Corporation regarding the corporation’s new printing machine.

GPPC purchased a new book printing machine at the tune of about 50 million dalasis.

And President Barrow while inaugurating the machine said “I call upon all Gambians, businesses and institutions, both public and private, to support GPPC to maximally utilise this remarkable book production machine”.

According to the president, one of the benefits of this initiative is the “timely provision of quality, affordable and reliable educational materials to schools for effective teaching and learning”.

Matters degenerated for Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko after he was arrested for allegedly disturbing public order by participating in an unauthorized protest.

Sonko was supposed to appear before a judge in Dakar on Wednesday over rape claims against him but things took a dramatic twist after he got arrested by the gendarmerie.

“He has been notified of his arrest on charges of disturbing public order and participating in an unauthorised demonstration,” one of Sonko’s lawyers, Cheikh Khouraissy, told AFP.

Sonko’s supporters came out on the streets on Wednesday to show support to their leader as he prepared to appear before a judge over rape claims made against him.

A woman last month accused him of raping her as he sought massage service at a massage parlour in Dakar. Sonko denies the claims.

By Fatou Camara II

Gambians have expressed their views over the growing number of political parties after the registration of the Democratic Party by IEC took the total number of political parties in the country to 17.

The Gambia has seen a proliferation of political parties since the overturning of Jammeh’s dictatorship four years ago.

Alagie Muhammed Darboe, a Gambian comedian told The Fatu Network: “This is very worrying, Gambia is a developing country. Even in the developed world America as big as it is have only two major political parties (democratic party & the Republican) and the population is about two hundred million people and Gambia is just about 2millions or so. Therefore, if we have sixteen, 17 latest update, political parties it’s just a clear cut manifestation of self-center attitude and greed.”

Lamin Ceesay on his part argued: “The situation of our country is very frustrating and discouraging. Therefore the emergence of political parties is very welcoming and I hope we get to find someone who will feel the pains of Gambians.”

A Gambian artist Gladi Moss said: “To me this makes no sense because Gambia is too small to have about 16 political parties. Personally, I think coming together and work for the betterment of the country is far better.”

As it stands, there are no laws in the Gambia which stops anybody to form his own political party and going by the current trend the country’s number of political parties is only expected to increase.

Former army chief Baboucarr Jatta returned to the TRRC on Wednesday to testify on the murder of West African migrants in the country in 2005.

Dozens of West African citizens most of them Ghanaians got killed by security forces at various times following their arrest. Baboucarr Jatta was the interior minister at the time.

Jatta faced Faal twice in 2019 to give evidence on the November 11 executions of soldiers and April 2000 student massacre.

On Wednesday, he came before Essa Faal again to give evidence on the killing of West African migrants who were trying to reach Spain.

Jatta who was interior minister at the time denied any knowledge of the massacre.

A group of Gambians will get deported by Germany on Wednesday March 3, according to an alarm found on No Border Assembly’s website.

The No Border Assembly is a Berlin/Brandenburg based weekly meeting-space to organize resistance against borders.

Talk of Gambians getting deported from Germany has raged in the past days and weeks. The Gambia government has been tight-lipped about it.

The assembly’s website said: “Our sources of information are Aktion Bleiberecht, NGOs such as Flüchtlingsräte and other activist networks. We do our best to only use trusted sources for the information that we spread.

“We confirm with flightradar data whether a charter-flight happened. The above database is verified with the help of latest Kleine Anfrage (currently confirmed until 30.6.2020).”

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko Wednesday morning left for court where he is set to appear before a judge over rape claims that have gripped him.

Sonko has in the past three weeks been trying to dig himself out of claims by a woman who works at a massage parlour that the politician repeatedly raped her. The woman claimed Sonko raped her at gunpoint.

Sonko will appear before a judge over the charges on Wednesday after his constitutional immunity as an MP was ripped apart.

On Tuesday, he addressed the people of Senegal where he maintained his innocence while disclosing his camp doesn’t have any faith in Senegal’s justice system.

“We do not have faith in the justice system of Senegal but we do have trust in some magistrates of Senegal. Because wherever you go, you will find people who cannot be manipulated,” Sonko said.

His supporters on Wednesday morning gathered at his house as he left for court.

Police said on Tuesday evening countries who are not providing security to Gambian diplomatic missions around the world may not continue to enjoy security benefits in The Gambia in their diplomatic missions in the country.

“Also, based on the principle of reciprocal relations governing diplomatic institutions, countries that do not provide security to Gambian diplomatic missions may not continue to enjoy security benefits from the state guards,” police said.

It came as police set the record straight regarding the withdrawal of their officers from the homes of the nation’s former vice presidents and other important citizens.

According to police, the decision was not a sudden withdrawal as a formal notice was sent to all affected personalities “about three weeks ago”.

The affected categories of personalities include former Vice Presidents, all Government Advisers as well as Magistrates.

The Gambia has received its first shipment of 36,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX Facility, less than a week after the Ministry of Health submitted the required documentation for the delivery of the vaccines to the country.

The AstraZeneca vaccines were shipped by UNICEF on behalf of COVAX, from the Serum Institute of India (SII), and arrived at the Banjul International Airport late Tuesday night.  More shipments of COVID-19 vaccines and syringes are expected in the coming weeks.  With the arrival of this consignment, The Gambia joins other African countries, such as Ghana, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire and Angola, to recently receive COVID-19 vaccines under the COVAX Facility.

“This is a historic and momentous occasion for The Gambia,” said Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh, the Minister of Health of The Gambia. “Now that both the syringes and vaccines are here, we are expediting our plans to ensure that vaccination of health care workers, those with underlying medical conditions, and elderly people of 65 years and above kicks off soon. I must reiterate that the Government of The Gambia only accepts vaccines that are safe and effective, and these vaccines have passed the test.”

COVAX is a global initiative co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization (WHO), alongside key implementing partner UNICEF, working to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries.

“Today, we have made history, reaffirmed our commitment to vaccine equity, and delivered on our promise to leave no one behind,” said Gordon Jonathan Lewis, UNICEF The Gambia Representative. “By delivering these vaccines, we have taken a giant leap towards recovery for the hundreds of thousands of children and their families affected by the pandemic in this country.  We look forward to working with the Ministry of Health, WHO and other key partners to support the fast roll-out of a landmark immunization campaign.”

Over the past several weeks, COVAX partners have been supporting the Ministry of Health of The Gambia to prepare for this moment, including the shipment of 37,500 syringes and 375 safety boxes for their disposal, and assisting with the development of the national deployment and vaccination plan that includes other priorities such as training of vaccinators, cold chain assessment and risk communication and community engagement.

“The arrival of the first shipment of vaccines under the COVAX Facility represents tremendous hope for all of us,” said Dr Desta Alamerew Tiruneh, World Health Organization Representative to The Gambia. “These vaccines have been given Emergency Use Listing by the World Health Organization and are considered safe and efficacious for use by the population after going through rigorous scientific and regulatory scrutiny, including trials on tens of thousands of people. We look forward to exciting times as the rollout begins and prepare for the challenge to ensure everyone is protected from COVID-19.” (Press Release by MoH, UNICEF and WHO)

Police on Tuesday confirmed their move of withdrawing officers deployed to the houses of former vice presidents and other important citizens.

In a statement, police said: “The Police Command has accordingly withdrawn resident guards previously assigned to certain VIPs due to operational exigencies.

“The affected categories of personalities includes former Vice Presidents, all Government Advisers as well as Magistrates. The personal orderlies of former VPs are not affected by the exercise.

“The decision was not a sudden withdrawal as a formal notice was sent to all affected personalities about three weeks ago.

“Also, based on the principle of reciprocal relations governing diplomatic institutions, countries that do not provide security to Gambian diplomatic missions may not continue to enjoy security benefits from the state guards.

“However, the GPF will continue to strengthen its patrols, surveillance and crime prevention initiatives to ensure security for the general public.”

One of reggae’s most important voices, Bunny Wailer, has died at the age of 73.

The musician, from Kingston, Jamaica, was a founding member of The Wailers alongside his childhood friend, Bob Marley.

Together, they achieved international fame with reggae classics like Simmer Down and Stir It Up, before Wailer left to go solo in 1974.

He went on to win three Grammys and was given Jamaica’s Order Of Merit in 2017.

His death was confirmed by manager Maxine Stowe, and Jamaica’s Culture Minister, Olivia Grange.

The cause of death is unknown, but he had been in hospital since having a stroke in July 2020.

Tributes have already poured in for the musician, with fans and fellow musicians describing him as a legend.

“Oh man, god bless Bunny Wailer,” wrote Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, Flea. “What a true rocker and noble man. I love him.”

“The passing of Bunny Wailer, the last of the original Wailers, brings to a close the most vibrant period of Jamaica’s musical experience,” wrote Jamaica politician Peter Phillips in a Facebook post. “Bunny was a good, conscious Jamaican brethren.”

The star, whose real name was Neville O’Riley Livingston, had been the last surviving member of The Wailers, following Bob Marley’s death from cancer in 1981, and Peter Tosh’s murder during a robbery in 1987.

Born on 20 April 10, 1947, Livingston spent his earliest years in the village of Nine Miles, where he was raised by his father, Thaddeus, who ran a grocery store.

That was where he first met Marley, and the toddlers soon became firm friends, making their first music together at Stepney Primary and Junior High School.

Following the death of Marley’s father in 1955, his mother, Cedella, moved in with Livingstone’s father. The boys were essentially raised as step-brothers, especially after Cedella and Thaddeus had a daughter together, Pearl.

After moving to Trenchtown in Kingston, they met Peter Tosh and formed a vocal group called The Wailing Wailers – because, Marley said: “We started out crying.”

The area was poor and afflicted by violence. Livingstone later remembered building his first guitar from “a bamboo staff, the fine wires from an electric cable and a large sardine can”.

But singer Joe Higgs, aka “the Godfather of Reggae”, lived nearby and took the boys under his wing. Under his tutelage, they refined their sound, adding vocalist Junior Braithwaite and backing singers Beverly Kelso and Cherry Green before shortening their name to The Wailers.

In December 1963, the band entered Coxsone Dodd’s infamous Studio One to record Simmer Down, a song Marley had written calling for peace in the ghettos of Kingston.

Faster and harder than the music The Wailers later became known for, the song was an immediate hit, reaching number one in Jamaica. They followed it up with the original version of Duppy Conqueror, before releasing their debut album The Wailing Wailers, in 1965.

Soon after, the band went on hiatus as Marley got married and moved to the USA, and Livingstone served a year in jail for marijuana possession. But they still managed to release 28 singles between 1966 and 1970, before releasing their second album, Soul Rebels.

Their international breakthrough came three years later with Catch A Fire – the first record they made for Chris Blackwell’s Island Records.

The collaboration came about almost by accident. The Wailers had been touring the UK with Johnny Nash – who’d had a hit with a cover of Stir It Up – but found themselves unable to pay for their trip home.

Blackwell offered to sign the band to Island, paying them an advance to cover their air fares and cost of recording an album in Jamaica.

Much to the band’s displeasure, some of the songs were overdubbed to make them more palatable to an international audience.

“I felt the way to break the Wailers was as a black rock act; I wanted some rock elements in there,” Blackwell later told Rolling Stone. “Bunny and Peter didn’t want to leave Jamaica, so Bob came to England when we did the overdubs.”

Tensions began to arise within the band, exacerbated by Island marketing their album under the name Bob Marley and The Wailers, and a touring schedule that kept Livingstone away from his family.

Livingstone left in 1973, saying the touring lifestyle clashed with his Rastafarian beliefs – citing the pressure to eat processed foods and play “freak clubs”.

Free from the band, he began to work on his solo album Blackheart Man, which included classic songs like Dreamland and Burning Down Sentence, which was inspired by his stint in prison.

He went on to release several acclaimed albums, including 1981’s Rock ‘n’ Groove and 1980s’s Bunny Wailer Sings The Wailers, which saw him revisit some of the band’s classic material.

In the 1990s, he won the Grammy award for best reggae album three times – with each of those records extending and preserving the legacy of Marley and the Wailers: 1991’s Time Will Tell: A Tribute to Bob Marley, 1995’s Crucial! Roots Classics, and the 1997’s all-star Hall of Fame: A Tribute to Bob Marley’s 50th Anniversary.

“I’m satisfied with knowing that I’m serving the purpose of getting reggae music to be where it’s at,” he told the Washington Post in 2006. “I’m proud to be part of that.” (BBC)