Senegal’s top opposition leader Ousmane Sonko has been gripped by allegations of rape following a massage parlour scandal.

-What we know-

Sonko is Senegal leader Macky Sall’s biggest opponent but recent days have seen the opposition leader sweating after he got accused by a woman of rape.

The opposition leader himself broke his silence on Sunday saying no one could really believe what is being peddled – that he repeatedly sexually assaulted a woman at gunpoint at a massage parlour he’s been frequenting.

Sonko admitted on Sunday he sought massage therapy at a massage parlour that belongs to a married woman.

He said he is ill and doctors recommended that he undergoes massage therapy.

He said two ladies are always in the room when he is being massaged – and that it was his Oustadh who said he could be massaged by women if it’s on health grounds.

The ministry of local government has claimed the decision from the mayor of Kanifing Municipality reeked of an attempt to direct the ministry to a particular line which is not in line with the local government act.

Two Faals had since last year been locked in a bitter war over who should be the new leader of Latrikunda Yeringaya.

The war between Pa Omar Faal and Swaibou Faal is now over after the intervention of the ministry of local government and lands who ruled Pa Omar is the right person for the job.

The Kanifing Municipal Council had been leading the effort in resolving the crisis but according to the ministry of local government, the council employed an illegal process and tried to direct the ministry towards a particular line.

Local government ministry permanent secretary Buba Sanynag told West Coast Radio: “The KMC mayor must have to understand that he’s given a leverage to recommend for the minister but it doesn’t mean the minister has to go by that. He has to understand that. We looked at the process that the KMC followed. What they did was they took papers to people to sign. This is not prescribed in any act, this is not the procedure in selecting and alkali.

“But even if we have to go by that, we came to realize that the aspirant candidate himself was going round to collect these signatures and also there are people we know who were part of that list are not yard owners, they’re tenants in those compounds. We were able to establish all those facts. So I want to make it on record that the law says we should follow traditional lines of inheritance.

“I want to give you an example: we all know Gambians tribes have the same standards in terms of following our traditional lines of inheritance in the sense that if you are a father or an uncle in a family, however young you are, you are considered before a son or a nephew. I think this is across our customs and traditions in this country. If you are a father, I might be 25 years as a father, somebody might be 40 years as a son but when the throne comes, they consider the father first before the son. Unless and until I say I am not interested.

“[In] Latrikunda case, the aspirant candidate who is the imam wrote to the mayor informing him that he is not interested as being the next [in line to] the throne. They wrote to the mayor himself telling him that he said he is not interested but he recommends Pa Omar Faal as the next to the throne. And also the Faal family of about six or seven of them wrote also to the mayor indicating that they are supporting the candidature of Pa Omar Faal.

“This ministry, after we received the list from the Lord Mayor, we wrote to him requesting that let the mayor provide the minister all the correspondences he received regarding this matter to enable the minister make a decision. And his response was those correspondences he doesn’t deemed them necessary and he has discarded that. I have a correspondence to that effect. That is not correct. Somebody gives you power to go down and do a work for him.

“If you feel that you have picked up information against or for a particular thing, you should make it all available to the person if you want him to make a correct decision. The decision that came from the office of the mayor is more of directing us to a particular line which is not in line with the local government act. Because that one (Swaibu) is not in the line of fathers. Pa Omar Faal is an uncle and Swaibu is a son.”

Salimina Drammeh expressed displeasure after TRRC lawyer Essa Faal told him he lied over his claims he only knew about two incidents of torture at the NIA.

“I’m ashamed to tell you that you lied,” Faal told Drammeh who was appearing before the TRRC as a top ex-official of the NIA.

The TRRC has in the past weeks been holding hearings on the NIA – an institution bastardised by former President Yahya Jammeh and used for the detention and torture of Gambians.

Drammeh who served as director of operations at the NIA felt offended when Essa Faal told him he lied by saying he knew about only two incidents of torture at the NIA.

“You don’t tell an elderly person that you are lying,” Drammeh told Faal.

“But in this business, a lie is a lie. We don’t maslaha (compromise) the truth here. The lie is a lie,” Faal replied.

“With courtesy please,” Drammeh fired back.

Faal then capitulated and said: “I’m being super courteous now by telling you that was false and be courteous enough to accept the truth. You agree?”

Drammeh in replying simply said: “Yeah.”

Top adviser to President Adama Barrow Dou Sanno has predicted United Democratic Party will die after the December presidential election.

Speaking in Tallinding on Sunday at the christening meeting of the respected Teneng Ndure as mother by the people of Tallinding, Sanno said: “Those insulting let them continue insulting. It’s only a useless person who insults. And a compound where there is insult disintegrates.

“What’s left of UDP’s life is from now to the December election. Because when it gets to there, it will die. The reason it will die is that there are people in the party who joined the party because of position.

“Those who failed in life are the ones who joined the old man and confused him. It will be clear in December 2021. If disappointment comes, they will all leave, you will not see one person [in UDP] anymore. That’s when UDP will die.”

Pa Omar Faal has defeated Swaibou Faal in a bitter battle for alkalo of Latrikunda Yeringanya after the ministry of local government intervened.

The duo was locked in a bitter row over who should be the new leader of Latrikunda Yeringanya in a crisis that has spanned many months.

Pa Omar is an uncle in the large Faal family of the town who insisted he was next in line for the coveted leadership role while Swaibu said it was his turn to hold the role, previously held by his late father.

The Kanifing Municipal Council had for months been trying to address crisis but there remained no breakthrough.

The ministry of local government has now intervened and has ruled Pa Omar Faal the next alkalo of Latrikunda Yeringaya.

“The law clearly indicated that the minister shall appoint an alkalo in consultation with the governor and the chief. But further, it states that while the minister is doing this, he will consider the traditional line of inheritance,” local government ministry permanent secretary Buba Sanyang told West Coast Radio in an exclusive interview.

“So I want to make it on record that the law says we should follow traditional lines of inheritance. I want to give you an example: we all know Gambians tribes have the same standards in terms of following our traditional lines of inheritance in the sense that if you are a father or an uncle in a family, however young you are, you are considered before a son or a nephew.

“I think this is across our customs and traditions in this country. If you are a father, I might be 25 years as a father, somebody might be 40 years as a son but when the throne comes, they consider the father first before the son. Unless and until I say I am not interested. Because that one (Swaibu) is not in the line of fathers. Pa Omar Faal is an uncle and Swaibu is a son,” he said.

Twenty-one people have had their names published by the ministry of health after they allegedly refused COVID-19 testing and quarantine upon their arrival into the country.

According to the health ministry, although the travellers carried negative COVID-19 test cards, they refused a follow-up test and quarantine procedures.

The ministry said the travellers came into the country from hotspot nations. Their names were published in the health ministry’s official Facebook page.

An independent inquiry into the death of Momodou Lamin Sisay who was shot and killed by police in the United States has heard the 39-year-old’s crime was being black.

Lamin Sisay was killed following a shooting that happened on Temple Johnson Road near Pate Road in Snellville, Georgia in May last year.

Father of the 39-year-old told The Fatu Network then while his family is not accepting or disputing the narrative police in Georgia are pushing that he shot at police, they intended to do their own investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s slaying.

A UN-okayed inquiry into his death opened on Saturday with attorney for the Sisay family testifying that Lamin Sisay died because he is black.

“His only crime was being black, driving a car with an expired tag. Think about that. This was on May 29, 2020, four days after George Floyd was killed,” Abdul Jaiteh told the investigation during a session done via video and streamed on Facebook.

Jaiteh also told the probe: “They pulled him over not just because of the tag. The tag is pretext for them to see what else they can find in the car. That’s why they did it.

“We have laws in the books that police cannot act on a hunch, they have to have probable cause that someone has committed a crime or a criminal activity is about to occur.

“A license plate violation and an expired tag is not a criminal offense. Mr Sisay what he thought is best for him at the time for fear of his life was to flee from the police. That’s what led to what happened later.”

The ministry of health has apologized to five people who it wronged by publishing their names alongside scores sick with coronavirus who refused to adhere to treatment protocols.

The ministry last Thursday said they were looking for more than 100 people who have failed to surrender themselves to medical care.

But according to the ministry on Saturday, the publishing of the names of five people in the “previous missive was done in error”.

They are Adama Gassama (Ebo Town), Sarah Sophia Swaray (Sukuta), Lamin Kemba Manjang (Kotu East),  Ismaila Bah (Ebo Town) and Therese Ibrahim (Kololi)

“The Ministry of Health apologises to the following people listed below for any embarrassment and inconvenience this might have caused them and their families.

“Ensuring data privacy and confidentiality as we battle COVID-19, is of paramount importance to the Ministry of Health. The Ministry therefore assures the public that it will continue to strongly protect each individuals’ COVID tests information as long as the protocols and guidelines for COVID cases are adhered to by the individuals,” the ministry said.

Gambia For All has expressed concern over voter registration exercise by the Independent Electoral Commission.

The IEC was supposed to commence registering voters for the presidential election last month but cancelled it.

The leader of GFA and others had along the way sued the IEC over Gambians who live abroad not allowed to vote or be voted for. In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court last month declared as illegal such law.

But according to GFA, the issue of voter registration is now in limbo – even after the IEC was instructed to register all Gambians, whether they live in the country or outside.

GFA said: “The Gambia For All (GFA) party would like to congratulate the party Leader and Secretary General Bakary Bunja Dabo, and fellow Gambian Plaintiffs on their recent victory in the supreme court of the Gambia’s decision that extends franchise to Gambians in the Diaspora. A landmark decision that for the first time, will enable Gambians living abroad to participate in the choosing of our leaders.

“By their own released election timetable, the IEC should be busy with voter registration from January 14th through to February 26th 2021. A tight election schedule which anticipated the approval of the draft constitution by the National Assembly, to be followed by a  referendum on the approved Draft Constitution on June 5th 2021. However, the spectacular failure of the National Assembly to approve the draft constitution, is matched only by the Machiavellian machinations of the Executive in seeing to it that the draft constitution is presented to the National Assembly with the tag  “dead on arrival”.

“One would have thought that the presidential election of 2016 and the impasse that followed will be a lesson for both the IEC and the country at large. The country was taken to the brink of chaos, and it was only the timely intervention of the international community under the leadership of ECOWAS  that prevented a national catastrophe.

“It is a little more than 4 years since the last presidential election was held, and barely less than a year to the next. In the meantime, the IEC has been busy registering new political parties, each paying a million Dalasis to do so, while nothing is being done to create the circumstances that will result in a free and fair election. New voter registration has been unilaterally suspended/postponed by the IEC and no indication given as to when it will start, if at all.

“The registration of Gambians in the Diaspora, which the IEC is now required to undertake as per the Supreme Court’s decision in B.B Dabo et al  vs the IEC and the Attorney General is now held in limbo. “Even if by some miracle the IEC changes course and decides to start Diaspora voter registration, how long the exercise will take, given  the experience of the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) in their Diaspora consultation process.

“Without any preparation, the IEC is committed to using the “paper balloting system” in the 2021 election series, while no effort is being made to improve on the much familiar marble voting system. Public sensitization and education on the new system has not started, and there is no indication that will happen. Is it incompetence, or a deliberate attempt to  have a chaotic election process that will produce tainted election results which will damage  our democratic credentials?

“Given all of the above, and adding to the mix the failure of the authorities to address the electoral boundary issue, we are as it were, sleep walking into a scenario potentially worse than the impasse of 2016/17. The position of The Gambia For All party is very clear an unequivocal. The  party expects, and will accept nothing less than a level playing field, resulting in a free, fair, and untainted election that reflects the genuine aspirations and will of The Gambian people.”

The nation’s former vice president Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang has spoken for the first time on her failed bid to become the deputy chairperson of the AU commission.

Tambajang Jallow was supposed to battle it out with four other African women for the top role but Nigeria’s interest in another job led to the withdrawal of her candidature. Some believed Nigeria strong-armed its compatriot ECOWAS nations.

But she wrote on her official Facebook page on Saturday: “On February 2nd, ECOWAS Heads of States had an extraordinary summit via videoconference and decided to have Ghana and The Gambia step down their Candidates for Deputy Chairperson of the AU. This means that I am no longer in the running for deputy chairperson of the AUC. Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Burkina Faso and Gambia all also withdrew their commissioner candidates as well, in order to allow Nigeria to run as a sole regional candidate as commissioner of peace.

“Since my nomination by The Gambia government in September 2020, I have been busy campaigning but like the saying goes, man proposes but God disposes. Today as the voting process of the new AU commission kicks off, I would like to thank all those who have supported my campaign; I will continue to support the reform and growth of the AU and wish the incoming commission the best of luck.”

The role went to Rwanda’s Dr Nsanzabaganwa Monique on Saturday after 33 delegates voted for her.

President Adama Barrow on Saturday addressed the 38th ordinary session of the African Union heads of state and government where he warned strong leadership is required over COVID-19.

“I am confident that working collectively, Africa will successfully generate the resources to address the challenges before us.

“Therefore, The Gambia supports the comprehensive strategy designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and revitalise our economies; but, this requires strong leadership and redoubling our efforts collectively,” the president said.

According to the president, the COVID-19 pandemic poses immense challenges in various ways.

“We regret the loss of lives, and pray for the recovery of those infected. May the departed souls rest in peace,” the president said in a statement he delivered over video.

MFDC rebels in Casamance have accused Guinea Bissau of entering into an agreement with the government of Senegal after two of their bases fell.

The Senegalese army shelled two rebel bases near the border with Guinea Bissau causing the rebels to abandon the two bases.

But according to a statement by MFDC, there is an agreement between the Senegalese government and Guinea Bissau which allows the Senegalese Army to use Bissau-Guinean territory to attack their bases.

Two new COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded bringing the total number of deaths since March of last year when the virus was first seen in the country to 134.

Both newly deceased cases were males aged 70 and 91 – and had their samples collected and processed posthumously, the health ministry said on Friday.

It comes as the ministry said 53 new cases have been registered bringing the total number of COVID-19 cases ever confirmed in the country to 4,237.

Those who tested newly for the virus include 14 women and 39 men.

A taxi driver whose vehicle number plate circulated online over an alleged theft involving goats and sheep has been arrested.

“The suspect is currently helping the Police in their investigations,” police said in a statement on Thursday.

The man was suspected of stealing sheep and goats around Tujereng.

“The Inspector General’s Office commends the public for timely sharing of the information leading to the arrest of the suspect.

“Together we can fight crime and therefore the cooperation and partnership of the public is highly solicited,” police said.

Cabinet discussed and adopted a paper presented by the Ministry of Transport, Works and Infrastructure on the revised scope of the Banjul rehabilitation project of roads, drains and sewerage systems, according to State House.

President Adama Barrow and his ministers held a meeting on Thursday where a paper of the new infrastructure plan was discussed and adopted.

The proposed scope of work will cover a total of 17 streets in the older parts of the city and four additional streets in the Tobacco Road area, State House said. These works will be attended by an equal refurbishments of drainage and sidewalks, State House added.

A book on how telling truth force many journalists across Africa flee their homeland written by Gambian journalist Sainey Marenah and 15 otheer African journalists has finally been published.

The book ‘Hounded: African Journalists in Exile’, documents accounts of how the unrelenting conviction to tell the truth forced many journalists to flee our homelands. The book has finally been published.

According to Marenah, he is proud to tell his story and the difficult experience of Gambian journalists under a repressive and cruel dictatorship through “this international publication, which further inspires my commitment to journalism and freedom of expression in Gambia and Africa at large”.

“Some of the contributors – editors, journalists and bloggers who hail from West, Central, East and Southern Africa – remain in exile for telling the truth. “Power hates scrutiny,” Hounded editor Joseph Odindo writes and rightfully so,” Marenah said while reacting to the publishing of the book.

He added: “Why else are there journalists in Africa and other parts of the world threatened for doing their job? Facing murder, “disappearances and Kidnaps; journalists have “slipped away to continue the struggle at great personal risk,” writes exiled Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo Takambou who now plies her trade in a newsroom in Germany.

“As Odindo observes, this book is both a tribute of record and history. History rhymes eerily for African journalists who continue to be hounded to this day.

“Special Thanks to Ebrima Jatta, Managing Editor of GRTS for his support and guidance during the process, Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow, TRRC Executive Secetary and my friend, Saikou Jammeh, Secetary General, Gambia Press Union.

“The Book is published by The Media Programmme Africa of The Konrad Adenauer Foundation, a German Think Thank based in South Africa

“Crucial insights into the tough world of journalism and travails of african journalists under repressive regimes, these stories underscore challenges faced by members of the press in fulfilling their fundamental duty to inform.”

See internet link of the book; https://www.kas.de/en/web/medien-afrika/einzeltitel/detail/-/content/hounded-african-journalists-in-exile

Cabinet has agreed to a plea by minister of health Dr Ahmadou Lamin Samateh for an increment in allowance to doctors and PhD holders who work at the ministry of health central level.

The president and his ministers on Thursday discussed and adopted a paper presented by the Hon Minister of Health for the increment of allowances to medical hierarchy, Doctors and PhD holders within the Ministry of Health, according to State House.

Cabinet was informed that over the past years, the Ministry of Health has been finding it difficult to attract highly qualified medical doctors from hospitals to work at the central mainstream ministry because of the sharp difference in salary and take home between medical doctors at the central Ministry of Health and those of their counterparts in the hospitals, State House said in a statement after the meeting.

The difference in incentive packages offered by the different arms of the same Ministry is a source of disincentive to strike the right balance in terms of moving the relevant high caliber staff around to serve where they are considered needed from time to time, State House said.

As part of efforts to bring in efficiency and synergy in the incentive packages within the Health sector, Cabinet approved the proposal to increase the allowances payable to medical doctors and PhD holders at the central level of the Ministry of Health to be comparable to their colleagues in the hospitals and other government agencies, State House’s statement added.

President Adama Barrow and his ministers on Thursday met over the Elections Bill and asked the attorney general Dawda Jallow to table it at the National Assembly.

The Gambia will hold a presidential election in December this year and there have been efforts to replace the country’s current electoral law.

And according to State House on Thursday, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice presented a paper on the Elections Bill at a meeting of cabinet. The paper was discussed and approved by Cabinet.

“The paper details the general conduct of elections in The Gambia to engender and enhance an electoral process which is free, fair and credible.

“The Elections Bill will regulate the conduct of future elections in The Gambia. Following an exhaustive discussion, Cabinet directed the Attorney General to present the Elections Bill to the National Assembly for enactment into law,” State House said in a statement.

The ministry of health has urged members of the public to call 1025 and report to health authorities those who appeared on a list of coronavirus patients who have refused to respect treatment protocols.

The ministry on Thursday published the names of over 100 people who have all gone into hiding even as they tested positive for COVID-19.

The ministry in calling on Gambians to report them said: “We remind the public that the country is facing an alarming upsurge in positive cases, coupled with the growing false sense of security and laxity. We urge each individual to remain vigilant and ensure that social distancing measures are observed at all times as much as possible. It is imperative to remember that in fighting disease threats, only a deep commitment to collective responsibility can yield a decisive difference.

“We advise the general public to call 1025 should they know the whereabouts of any individual on this list, as in collaboration with The Ministry of Justice, charges would be proffered against those apprehended. Anyone mentioned in this missive should call 1025 and follow subsequent instructions in order to avoid conviction.”

President Adama Barrow and his ministers of Thursday met over a report by a taskforce on 38 women who returned to the country from Lebanon last year.

Cabinet met on Thursday as part of its weekly convergence with the president presiding.

According to a statement by statement, a report of the taskforce established by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice into the circumstances surrounding the trafficking of 38 Gambian women returnees from Lebanon was also discussed.

“It would be recalled that between 2014 and 2020, a number of women were recruited to work in Lebanon under contract terms. Upon arrival in Lebanon, the women were asked to sign contracts which were written in Arabic, a language they could not read or understand and have no idea of the conditions of work. Their passports, identity cards and mobile phones were seized by their employers and some were also abused.

“In September 2020, 38 Gambian women in Lebanon returned to The Gambia through a support from a Swedish based NGO called Action for Humanity. The returnees claimed they were trafficked to Lebanon. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice requested the National Human Rights Commission to lead investigation in…,” the statement said.