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)

Journalist Mustapha K Darboe has ripped into MP Omar Ceesay over his indirect plea for UDP to give up ground over the beleaguered draft constitution.

Political parties except UDP have agreed to let President Barrow have his wish of his current term not counted as his first of two terms under a new constitution.

And in a statement at the weekend, Omar Ceesay who is also the national chairman of GDC called on all opposition parties to compromise on the retroactive clause.

But in a savage put down, journalist Mustapha Darboe said: “I have never read anything more ridiculous! This young man is making an argument that we can grant the President’s wish of taking out the famous retroactive clause because we the people can vote him out anytime we want.

“That is like saying to Alpha Conde ‘oh you committed not wrong by changing the Guinean constitution to enable you to run again. In the end it is the people who will decides whether you get reelected’.

“I am sure we know how that story went. Conde removed the term limit in Guinea’s laws and he also won another term. Okay. My issue with the President is that we agreed in 2016 that there will be 2 terms for every president and that includes him.

“In fact, it was his promise, one that got him elected. And when the CRC went around the country, top on people’s wish-list of what ought to be in the constitution is for everyone to have 2 terms as President.

“If we now achieved a democratic change and that same President is telling us that his first term will not count, that is scary. And it is not any different from presidents who change their constitutions to run again on ‘my people love me’ claims. That shows greed, dishonesty and disregard for social contract that got the elected official elected. Words do matter!!!

“I have heard people say ‘oh the President can win forever. We are better off with 15 years than an indefinite number’. That is incorrect and in fact besides the point. With the daring behavior Barrow showed with this draft, he will change our constitution to run again even if he has 15 years.

“And I can assure you, anyone who does not see anything wrong with his ambition to have 3 terms will not see any problem with him changing the constitution, like Alpha Conde, to run again. The argument is the same: ‘in the end, the people will decide’.

“So, for me, I am not ceding any space to him on this. If the Gambian people voted for him in the next 20 elections, he can be here forever. What is unacceptable for me is the idea that his first that must not count and the whole republic of free people entertain that rubbish.”

President Adama Barrow has commiserated with the family of Basori grand marabout Alhaji Yustapha Darboe who died on Tuesday at the ripe age of 106.

State House in a statement said: “His Excellency, President Adama Barrow extends his condolences to the Darboe family of Basori on the passing of the Grand Marabout Alhajie Yusupha Darboe, today 2nd March 2021at his residence in Kombo Basori.

“In his condolence message to the family, President Barrow, on behalf of the Government and people of The Gambia, said Grand Marabout Alhajie Yusupha Darboe’s demise will leave a void not only in the Darboe family but their community and the country as a whole.

“President Barrow described the Grand Marabout as a father figure, grandfather, confidant, and rock for many Gambians and non- Gambians both in the country and abroad.

“The President prays that the angels of mercy receive his gentle soul in Jannahtul Firdawsi, and Allah grants the family solace during these trying times.”

PPP’s Kebba Jallow has blasted Touma Njai as a ‘problem’ person amid a huge row over the soul of the party.

PPP officials last Saturday met in Brikama-ba to elect a new leader but a row erupted resulting in Touma Njai who was vying for leader of the party storming out. She claimed the process was marred by fraud.

Speaking to The Fatu Network, Kebba Jallow who is celebrating his own victory after the EC of the party returned him as leader of PPP following an election which saw only his supporters vote for him insisted Touma is a ‘problem’ person.

“She also participated in the last election which is still going to court. So I can say very clearly that she’s a problem person. She was one of the people who lured Bakary Darbo into this mess we were in. So if the same person comes again to contest and this happens, who are you going to blame?” Jallow told The Fatu Network.

His comments come amid Touma Njai holding a press conference on Monday where she savaged the election process and then going ahead to declare herself leader of PPP.

Dr. Michael Ryan, the Executive Director of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme, warns that it will be very premature and unrealistic to think that we’re going to finish with this virus by the end of the year.”

However, Ryan said that what countries should now focus on is finishing the hospitalizations, the deaths and the tragedy associated with the coronavirus pandemic.

“We need to focus on what our targets are, we should be targeting getting our hospitalization down to the lowest number possible, targeting getting deaths down, targeting getting cases down.” Said Dr. Ryan.

Adding that “when we get to those low numbers, we will be in control of the virus”

Globally, 114 million people have contracted coronavirus. 64.6 million have recovered, while unfortunately, 2.45 million have died. (CGTN Africa)

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe said ‘nobody loves this nation more than me’ as he finally addressed the issue of the draft constitution.

Darboe was among the nation’s political leaders who met with former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja as the fate of the draft constitution continued to hang in the balance.

Darboe declined to comment on the Abuja trip upon his return to the country but he on Sunday addressed the issue.

Speaking at the UDP’s Manjai office on Sunday, Darboe touted his love for his country and how it made him take on Jammeh in 1996.

Darboe said: “Those people talking about national interest, who among them had his son or brother arrested? I was jailed. Lang Marong was jailed and he died shortly after leaving jail all for the national interest. Gambians say they want this constitution and they do not want anything altered from it. That’s the national interest and that’s what I stand for.

“If that is not national interest, then I don’t know what national interest is. The reason I say this is because there is a lot of gibberish over national interest. Nobody loves this country more than me. The reason I accepted to challenge Yahya Jammeh in 1996 was because I love my country.

“I have heard statements from places like Star Radio and elsewhere that UDP are the problem. UDP is not the problem. When this constitution came, we said we must try to pass it. So tell those who blocked it to look at the interest of the nation.

“We never said we do not want this in the constitution. Those who said they do not want it in the constitution are those you should ask to look at the interest of the nation. Anything in it, from the first word of the constitution to the last word was supported by UDP. So they must give us reason why we should allow for any change to be made to us.”

Two men have been caught on CCTV entering a house in what appears to be a night-time stealing operation.

The footage shows the moment the two men entered the house and looking around for items that could be carted away.

Ali Hydara who shared the video said: “Please help identify these thieves, they went to my friend’s house last night around 2:40am and stole mobile phones, tablets, bag etc.

“Luckily he woke up and chased them otherwise they would have steal more valuables, They ran away and throw away his car keys. The thieves went away with the items mentioned and left their knife and shoes at the house.

“Please stay vigilant there are lots of thieves around.”

Watch video below;

Three Years Jotna officials will return to court on Tuesday, the first time since their re-arrest.

The officials were discharge by the high court in Banjul last month after the state withdrew from the case. The state then filed fresh charges against them.

Yankuba Darbo one of the officials wrote on Tuesday morning: “We are back at the High Court today at 12pm to begin the second trial of the same charges against us, 3 Years Jotna leadership! The matter is now before Justice Achibonga of the High Court! The same charges were before Justice Bakre from 2020 to 2021, which the State withdrew at a point of replying to Defences’ No Case to Answer Submissions, on 10 February 2021.

“Now that same State has brought back the same charges for a new trial before a new Judge! Catch the full details of what will transpire in a dedicated chapter on this matter in my future book publication!

“Three Years Jotna – the struggle continues to remind and hold President Adama Barrow of his 3 Years pledge to the Gambian people!!!”

Basori top cleric Alhaji Yusupha Darboe has died. He was 106.

A source close to his family said the foremost Islamic leader died on Tuesday.

This story is developing…

Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has is scheduled to come before a judge on Wednesday as his rape rigmarole festers.

According Senegalese outlet Leral.net on Monday, lawyer Khoureychi Ba announced the summons of his client Sonko. The MP will be before the 8th Cabinet examining magistrate on Wednesday at 9 a.m, the outlet said.

It comes even as Sonko claimed the removal of his constitutional immunity was illegal and then going on to reject the summons.

Sonko has in the past weeks been trying to dig himself out of allegations by a woman that he repeated rape her at a massage parlour in Dakar.

The Interior Ministry of Spain has pushed the deportation of dozens of Senegalese of March 10, departing from its February 24 date.

Spain was supposed to send back scores of Senegalese living in Spain illegally on February. But according to Senego, there has been a change of date with the deportation now set to go on, on March 10.

The February 24 date was abandoned after Senegal refused to accept the flight over Spain’s management of the coronavirus in the Canary Islands, Senego reported on Monday.

This will be the first return flight of migrants from the Canary Islands to Dakar organized since 2018, when at least 150 Senegalese were transferred to their country in four planes departing from Gran Canaria (one, with 40 people) and Tenerife (three with a total of 110), according to Senego.

The Gambia Press Union said Monday evening it is deeply shocked and saddened to learn of the demise of veteran journalist Ba Trawally, the first treasurer of the Union.

The veteran journalist died on Monday at the age of 90. The burial is scheduled for 11am Tuesday.

Ba, as he was fondly called, began his remarkable journalism career in 1961 with the establishment of his newspaper, ‘New Gambia’ – one of the first renowned independent newspapers in The Gambia, GPU said. He dedicated pages of his tabloid newspaper to giving voice to the voiceless and holding the governors accountable to the governed, GPU added.

GPU said: “A hallmark of Ba’s professional life was selflessness and sacrifice for the development and independence of the Gambian media.  And as a unionist, his commitment and dedication to the welfare of journalists is indelible.”

Speaking of Ba, GPU President Sheriff Bojang Jr said: “The history of the Gambian media is incomplete without mentioning Ba Trawally.  He lived for the good of journalism and press freedom, and his legacy of standing for all that was right for journalism would be long remembered.”

As a well-deserved tribute and honour to his dedication, service and mentorship to journalism, the GPU, at the celebration of the 2017 National Journalism Awards Night awarded Mr Trawally in recognition of his role in the development of journalism in The Gambia, GPU said.

“As family and loved ones mourn his death, the GPU also celebrates Ba’s legacy as a professional and progressive journalist who despite the challenges of journalism of his time never relent.

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

“The GPU will lead a delegation of journalists at his funeral on Tuesday,” GPU said.

Veteran broadcaster Ba Trawally whose journalism career spanned well over five decades died on Monday, his family announced. He was in his 90s.

Gambian journalists began reacting as soon as news of his passing emerged.

Fatou Touray Kerr Fatou boss said: “Rest In Peace Uncle Ba Trawally and thank you for your service and dedication to this noble profession. My sincere condolences to my friend Jamil Trawally , ST and the rest of the family.”

Sainey MK Marenah commented: “Woke up to the news of the passing away of Ba Trawally, doyen of the Gambian Media and stanch advocate of Media freedom in The Gambia.

“Baa Trawally was like a father figure to me and many other promising young Journalists in the country and beyond having inspired and supported me along my Journalism career. Big Tree has indeed fallen.

“Baa, a trained Journalist of more than 40 years experience will be remembered as someone who fought for media freedom and independence. Until we meet again, sleep well Dad.”

Baboucarr Ceesay said: “Inna lilahi wa inna ilaihi rajihoun. Veteran journalist Ba Trawally was a great friend and mentor. He was our invited guest at the launching of the first ever Scouting Magazine pioneered by me and my team of Boy Scouts in the year 2000 under the leadership of then Chief Scout Commissiiner Alieu Momar Njie, the current IEC chairman. Ba Trawally was a knowledgeable and religious elder who was fond of young people. May Allah grant him Jannahtul firdaus.”

Gambia have been knocked out of the AFCON U-20 Championship in Mauritania after a 1-0 defeat by Ghana.

Ghana forward Boah blasted a free-kick into the top right-hand corner in the 34th minute from just outside the box. Gambia never recovered.

Gambia beat Ghana in the group stage 2-1 and Monday’s game was the second time the two countries faced each other in the competition.

Ghana have now reached the competition’s final.