By Xinhua

The Libyan Coast Guard on Saturday intercepted 128 migrants off the country’s western coast, authorities said.

“The Coast and Ports Guard handed over to the Tripoli reception center 128 illegal immigrants, who were on rubber boats (at sea),” the Anti-Illegal Immigration Department said.

The migrants are African, Asian and Arab nationals, the department said, adding that humanitarian assistance has been provided to them.

Following the 2011 fall of former leader Muammar Gaddafi’s government, Libya has been plagued by a state of insecurity and chaos that prompts thousands of irregular migrants to attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea towards Europe.

According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 8,400 irregular migrants have been intercepted and returned to Libya in 2020.

Thousands of irregular migrants, who were either intercepted at sea or arrested by authorities, remain detained in overcrowded reception centers in Libya, despite repeated international calls to close those centers.

Banjul mayor Rohey Lowe has accepted an invitation to be part of speakers choosen to address the ‘Africana First Ladies Shared Forum United Nation General Assembly 75 Session Side Event” slated for September 21, 2020 at 12.30 (GMT) via ZOOM.

Themed ‘UNGA75 and Gender roles in shaping peace together’, the summit comes at a critical time as the world grapples with the deadly coronavirus pandemic.

“For the African woman it is a period of tolerance and perseverance when most of our men folks have lost jobs and earnings and we women have to be resilient in our quest to find workable solutions to sustain peace through dialogue and mutual understanding,” Mayor Lowe said in a post on her official Facebook page.

She added: “Addressing the forum will afford us the opportunity to bring these issues to the front and highlight the need for action on ways to build and promote global peace and implement the SDG 16 and targets from global to grassroots communities.

“The Forum will again highlight emerging trends and policies that can significantly impact the implementation of SDG 16 and Targets in addressing world peace. I therefore look forward to this very important global forum and hope that as we discuss the issues solutions will emerge for a better world of peace and people living in harmony.”

The TRRC has announced its public hearings would return on October 12 – while warning the exercise may stretch into first quarter of 2021.

The probe’s Dr Baba Galleh Jallow said in an update: “For the remaining period of its mandate, the Commission is scheduled to hold institutional hearings on the NIA and the Judiciary among other public institutions, the 2005 murder of at least 56 West African nationals, including 44 Ghanaians, enforced disappearances, and the April 2016 incident during which several people were arrested and tortured resulting in at least one death.

“The Commission also hopes to hear testimony from other Junglers and victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The Commission’s initial plan was to conclude its public hearings in October 2020. However, as a result of two suspensions of public hearing due to the Covid-19 situation, that is clearly not possible. As things stand, hearings may continue into the first quarter of 2021.”

A Gambian man has reportedly died after getting brutally beaten by two men, according to reports.

Videos and photos shared with The Fatu Network by some Gambians living in Italy shows a man being reprimanded in Mandinka by a group of Gambians for being behind the killing of Lamin Saidy.

Photos seen by The Fatu Network show police escorting a man after being arrested.

The foreign ministry advised The Fatu Network to reach out to it during the course of the week over the issue.

Banjul Mayor Rohey Lowe has begun distributing face mask to the people of the capital city barely a month of the launch of her 100,000 face mask initiative.

Mayor Lowe is among the country’s leaders who have assumed a front-row role in the fight against coronavirus.

From coordinating free coronavirus tests for the entire Banjulians to taking part in sensitisation campaigns, making calls for a lockdown to mobilising PPEs, the Mayor has been very active in the nation’s coronavirus fightback.

She two days ago handed over 36,000 facemasks to the councillors of Banjul City Council for onward distribution in their various wards.

The allocations of the face masks are as follows: Campama Ward- 7000 facemasks; Crab Island Ward- 4000 face masks; Box Bar Ward- 2500 face masks; New Town East Ward- 5000 face masks; New Town West Ward- 5000 face masks; Soldier Town Ward- 2500 face masks; Portuguese Town Ward- 2500 face masks; Jollof Town Ward- 3000 face masks; Halfdie Ward- 2500 facemasks; Nominated Councillors- 100 face masks each; Hamza Barracks- 1500 face masks; Prison resident- 150 face masks; Ndangan- 100 face masks.

By Lamin Njie

Two Senegalese soldiers serving with ECOMIG have been deported back to Senegal after they failed to abide by the mission’s Standing Operating Procedures.

Police last Wednesday swooped on a birthday party in Bijilo where they arrested 22 people including two Senegalese soldiers who said they form part of an ECOMIG contingent.

ECOMIG has broken its silence on the issue by confirming two of its soldiers were indeed arrested for violating the curfew and the action it took against them.

The force in a statement signed by its public relations officer Commander Andy La-Anyane said: “The attention of the ECOWAS Mission in the Gambia (ECOMIG) has been drawn to the numerous reports in both traditional and social media concerning the arrest of two of its personnel by the Police Intervention Unit of The Gambia for violating curfew regulations imposed in The Gambia by His Excellency President Adama Barrow. It would be recalled that in August 2020, the Government of The Gambia imposed a night-to-dawn curfew as part of efforts to minimize the spread of the Corona Virus pandemic. Unfortunately, two of our personnel serving at the State House were on 16 September 2020 arrested by The Gambian Intervention Police having violated the stipulated COVID-19 protocols by breaking the curfew.

“ECOMIG states unequivocally that it condemns this act by its personnel. Aside its mandate, ECOMIG has Standing Operating Procedures which guides the conduct of every personnel. In addition to strict disciplinary measures instituted, all ECOMIG troops are constantly advised to abide by all the laws of The Gambia which includes regulations like curfew and other COVID 19 protocols amongst others. It is therefore inappropriate for any of ECOMIG personnel to go contrary to these regulations.

“In order to send a strong message to all ECOMIG personnel and to ensure that no personnel goes against any of these regulations, the two Senegalese soldiers involved have been immediately repatriated to their country. Further disciplinary action is expected to be taken against them upon their arrival back home.

“ECOMIG wishes to assure the good people of The Gambia that it will at all times respect all laws of the country and would not shield any of its personnel who violates them. We will also continue to work closely with the security agencies to ensure a safe and secure environment to enable the citizens go about their normal activities in peace.”

A group of concerned youths has written an open letter to MPs asking them to put national interest above political party or individual interest.

Already, some MPs have made it categorically clear they’re not going to back the draft constitution if certain changes are not made to it, stoking fears the 116 million dalasis document could be voted down.

A group of concerned Gambian youths in a letter on Friday signed by youth leader Baboucarr Nyang asked the MPs to set to one side political party or individual interest and rally round the national interest.

“As concerned and patriotic youths, cognizant of the far reaching and devastating implications of the rejection of the Bill, we urge you to vote ‘YES’ in support of the draft during the second and third reading as a ‘NO’ vote would be tantamount to an endorsement of the 1997 Constitution and betrayal of the trust as sovereign citizens of The Gambia,” the youths said in their letter.

The youths insisted elsewhere in their letter: “As our representatives, you passed the Constitutional Review Commission Act, 2017, setting in motion an inclusive and participatory constitutional building process. The Constitutional Review Commission, pursuant to its mandate and after extensive consultations with the stakeholders and a cross section of the citizenry produced a people-centered constitution.

“It is not a matter of contestation that the draft constitution is a representation of the will, wishes, and aspirations of the Gambian people, the people at whose behest you serve.

“We wish you remind you that the current coalition government used constitutional and electoral as key messages during the 2016 presidential campaigns and it is noted the majority of the National Assembly members were part of the coalition of parties that came together to form government thereafter. It is your solemn responsibility as OUR elected representatives and servants of the people to be guided by the dictates of conscience and national interest.”

Their three demands are for the MPs to: put national interest above political party and individual interest; support the constitutional and electoral processes until their logical conclusion i.e. usher in the Third Republic of the Gambia we envisaged in 2016; [and] approve the Constitution of The Republic of The Gambia (Promulgation) Bill, 2020.

By Lamin Njie

There are many ways a man could cheat death. Samsudeen Sarr certainly found one when a group of senior Gambian army officers including him came to death’s mercy way back in 1994.

Former Gambian army captain Samsudeen Sarr was in the aftermath of the July 1994 coup arrested alongside other senior officers and kept at Mile 2. He feigned madness because he thought they could get killed.

“I did it because I was afraid of the second return of the torturers,” the former army captain who later became the deputy commander of the Gambian army tells The Fatu Network.

In 1994, a group of lieutenants hooked former President Jawara from power after a bloodless coup. They were led by Yahya Jammeh. One of things that remains etched in the coup’s folklore was the rounding up of senior members of the army.

Sam Sarr was one of the senior officers at the time that got arrested – and he spent 10 months at Mile 2 where he faked mental illness.

“Because already we were informed that Edward was doing everything to have us executed. Kanteh told us that. He said it happened in his presence when Jammeh reprimanded him (Edward).

“And then this night, all of a sudden, Singhatey came, he was drunk to… I cannot imagine. I have never seen Singhatey that way. I used to like this guy. He used to speak nice. I used to like him with his brother.

“But that night, I saw a monster. And he almost killed Mamat Cham while I was looking. I was at Cell No. 1,” Sarr tells The Fatu Network.

Edward Singhatey while appearing at the TRRC has however dismissed the incident.

Sam Sarr insists the incident happened.

He says: “When they went out, I could see that the other officers were not even keen in the torturing. Sana Sabally was not keen in torturing, Sadibou was not likewise Yankuba. I didn’t see them do anything bad that night.

“Albert Gomez was part of my platoon. He came and whispered to me and say, ‘sir, this is all a joke, they’re not doing anything to anybody’. And then when they were leaving, I heard Yankuba laughing and saying, ‘hey, Sam Sarr tomorrow, Amphibious we’re coming for you’, and I knew that while some were looking at this as a joke, an accident could happen.

“I was afraid they will come back and an accident will happen, and if one was killed, there was going to be no choice. Everybody else was going to be killed.”

Sam Sarr’s so-called madness lasted six days and it came in the form of covering his head with a towel and refusing to speak to anybody. He would go the whole day without food and at night, he would quietly eat to his full.

A campaign against maternal mortality has gone viral on social media since on Thursday following reports of another woman dying at child birth.

Reports on Thursday emerged of a Brusubi woman dying after giving birth; it comes as the nation reels over the death of a Bakau woman after she reportedly encountered complications during birth and reportedly turned away by EFSTH.

A new campaign dubbed ‘Gambian Women’s Lives Matter’ got underway online on Thursday with users quickly changing their profile picture to either a new or already uploaded photo with the phrase ‘Gambian Women’s Lives Matter’ plastered under.

Activist Madi Jobarteh told The Fatu Network incidences of maternal mortality reflect the gross inadequacy of our healthcare system which is “deliberately underfunded in our national budget by both the Executive and the Legislature”.

“It shows a failure of leadership to manage and deliver healthcare to our people especially women and children. It further validated the protest by resident Gambian doctors in 2018 that our health system is weak, under-resourced and therefore deserves more attention,” he said.

He added: “Facebook campaigns are not enough. Every pregnant Gambian mother or child who die at birth is killed by none other than The Gambia Government and the National Assembly. They are responsible. That’s the bottom line.”

A Gambian women who joined the campaign is calling on Gambian men to do more for their wives than to just stop at getting them pregnant.

She argued: “Dont just get her pregnant and leave the burden on her, you have a vital role to play starting from week one to the last day, be concern[ed], be responsible and most importantly be a good husband.”

The government has tinkered with the emergency health regulation around markets across the country.

Vendors have complained bitterly over the previous decree which allows them to operate for only eight hours.

The government on Thursday has however made changes to the decree allowing up to 13 hours of market time.

“…all markets throughout The Gambia, regardless of the category of goods they sell, shall now open from 6:00am to 6:00pm daily to allow for normal cleansing. Boutiques, food and non-essential vendors and supermarkets shall now resume their normal business hours,” government spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh said in a statement Thursday.

It comes as the market union threatened to stage a sit-down strike which would have seen the country’s markets go without food and other essential items.

A 49-year-old female senior nurse has died of coronavirus – as the nation’s cononavirus deaths rose to 108.

The ministry of health confirmed the nurse’s death in its latest report saying she was admitted at the Sanatorium.

The health ministry is however saying the deceased nurse had a comorbid condition (hypertensive).

It comes as the ministry also revealed that the country’s coronavirus cases have risen to 3,485 following the registration of 12 new cases.

Five African youth are among 17 young advocates recognized by the United Nations for their work helping the world combat challenges and playing a part in the push to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Unveiled on Friday, the young leaders — aged between 18 and 29 years — represent diverse voices of young people from every region of the world, and are credited with inspiring millions of young people around the world to support the SDGs.

The five Africans named in the list of 17 include; Vanessa Nakate (Uganda), Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi (Nigeria), Mariama Djambony Badji (Senegal), Loay Radwan (Egypt) and Satta Sheriff (Liberia).

According to Jayathma Wickramanayake, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, amid unprecedented times, the 2020 Class are a “clear example” of how the youth are leading the way in shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future for all.

“Despite being disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, young people around the world continue to demonstrate immense resilience, resourcefulness and leadership in finding innovative solutions to recover better and achieve the SDGs”, she said.

Vanessa Nakate

23-year-old Vanessa Nakate, a climate activist, grabbed headlines earlier this year for being erroneously cropped out of a photo by a media agency after joint press conference in Davos alongside fellow activists including Greta Thunberg, Loukina Tille, Luisa Neubauer and Isabelle Axelsson.

She first came to the limelight in January 2019 for her solitary strike in her country against inaction on the climate crisis. She staged a solo protest outside Uganda’s Parliament for months, thereby drawing the country’s attention to climate crisis and eventually inspiring other youth to join in calls for action. Nakate founded the Youth for Future Africa and the likewise Africa-based Rise Up Movement.[6]

Satta Fatumata

Satta Fatumata Sheriff is a Child Rights Advocate, first elected female Speaker of the Liberian Children’s Parliament and Executive Director of Youth in Action for Peace and Empowerment (YAPE) a children and youth driven Nongovernmental Organization founded to advocate for Liberian Children, girls and other vulnerable groups in society.

Worth noting, Fatumata started her activism aged just 9 years old.

Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi

Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi is the founder of Stand to End Rape (STER), aimed at raising awareness on sexual abuse in Nigeria. The West African country has been dogged by sexual abuse for some time, prompting protests in Abuja and other cities earlier this year.

The multi-award winning gender equality advocate boasts of six years experience in deploying effective solutions to challenge systemic social barriers that promote violence against women and girls and utilising social and behaviour change communication to improve SGBV knowledge, attitudes and practices in order to achieve Gender Equality.

Osowobi’s initiative seeks to improve awareness of violence against women and provide support to victims of sexual assault.

Mariama Djambony Badji

22-year-old Mariama Djambony Badji is co-founder and CEO of DNA SARL, a construction company that offers living environments using natural and local materials. As a civil engineer and passionate about the environment, she’s currently working on the construction of safe, comfortable and eco-friendly housing.

Since 2015, she has been volunteering with Africa Feliz Senegal, a non-profit association that aims to fight against poverty and irregular emigration through skills training for young people and women.

Loay Radwan

21-year-old environmental engineer Loay Radwan is the CEO & Cofounder at G-Beetle, a rising startup in the AgriTech Field, which aims to rationalize the usage of water in irrigation. The invention will help farmers monitor among other things crop temperature and soil water content. This is essential in measuring the efficiency of irrigation systems and the knowledge of what parts of the farms require more attention. (CGTN Africa)

UDP leader has reacted to President Adama Barrow’s declaration his government is determined to have general elections held in 2021, as scheduled saying: ‘We don’t expect him to say anything other than that’.

President Barrow had on Thursday assured that his government would ensure elections are held despite the coronavirus crisis insisting, “my conviction is that, whatever our position or belief may be, we should always concede to the national interest, and forego selfishness”.

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe reacting to the president’s declaration said: “We do not expect him to say anything other than that. After all in 1982, elections were held in this country under a state of public emergency, although the state of emergency may be different but there was a state of public emergency which had affected freedom of assembly and so forth. We didn’t expect anything different.”

The UDP leader also reviewed the president’s SONA address saying: “It appears to be more of a speech or deliberations on the COVID-19. I think that is all. The whole speech is about that. It’s a sermon on coronavirus.

“The speech is not different from the previous ones and I’m sure when you look at the last budget, you see that it’s not very different from it and I’m sure in December when the minister presents his budget, it’s not going to be very different from this.”

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow has emphasised that The Gambia’s partnership with ‘development partners’ is based purely on mutual respect as he barely reacted to the debate on people of different sexual orientations

“I would like to draw the curtain on recent debates about the rights of people with different sexual orientations. Let me emphasise that our partnership with our development partners is based purely on mutual respect for the advancement of our people,” the president said on Thursday while speaking to MPs about his government’s development plans.

Gambians have in the past weeks debated strongly against homosexuality after a gay rights post in May by the European Union mission in the country.

The National Human Rights Commission also didn’t help matters when it asked the government in a report to ensure that the rights of all Gambians regardless of their sexual orientations are protected. The commission placed special emphasis on Gambian gays.

Homosexuality lifestyle is criminal under Gambian laws – and the debate has seen the Gambia government issuing a statement in May saying it has no plans to decriminalise homosexuality.