By Lamin Njie, Editor in Chief

Fate and luck work in funny ways. If you doubt this then enter Sergeant Kaddy Jarju.

When police chief Mamour Jobe asked that he wanted to see then-Corporal Kaddy Jarju at his office in Banjul, the policewoman thought she was in trouble. Not knowing she was walking right to her success.

“Initially when I was told I was on the internet, I was not happy, I felt scared. I thought maybe I did something wrong,” Kaddy, 34, tells The Fatu Network as she on Thursday received D250,000 in money given to her by Gambians after her traffic heroics.

Newly promoted police sergeant, Kaddy Jarju, has since last week Thursday been drawing admiration from Gambians after a photo of her emerged online showing her directing traffic as the rain lashed her.

“It was raining heavily that day. The traffic was congested and cars were not moving. Everywhere was blocked. So I knew it was my job, no one would come and do it. I then took off my shoes, rolled my trousers to my knee and then got into the water to do my job,” the mother-of-three tells The Fatu Network.

Kaddy performed the heroic act at the busy Westfield. A passing Gambian took a photo of her without her ever knowing it.

“I all of a sudden saw myself online. I don’t use the internet and this happened on Thursday. I only knew about it on Saturday,” she says.

She adds: “It was Neneh Bojang, police officer at police headquarters in Banjul who called me and asked if I was the one in traffic on Thursday. She told me she saw Whats-On Gambia share my photo.

“I asked her if all was well, she said ‘yes, it’s okay’.

“I then said to her ‘okay, no problem’.”

Kaddy then got another call but this time the man she works under.

“Then later Commissioner King Colley also called me and said, ‘Kaddy’ I said ‘yes’. He then asked ‘where are you?’ I told him I was home. He then told me, ‘come on Monday and we would go and answer to IG,” she says.

On Monday July 20, Kaddy dressed herself in her normal traffic uniform and went to the Police Mobile Traffic Unit in Kanifing to see her boss.

“My commissioner (King Colley) took his car and drove me to Banjul,” Kaddy says.

“We went straight to police headquarters and directly to the Inspector General’s office. IG then told me he has promoted me to the rank of sergeant.”

Kaddy is struggling to come to terms with all that has happened to her in the past days. She even made it to BBC. At home, everyone is proud of Kaddy.

“My neighbours feel very happy and on Monday when I was promoted, we threw a small dinner in the house,” she says.

Kaddy is glad be a member of the nation’s police force.

“I love my country and this is why I chose Gambia Police Force,” she tells The Fatu Network.

A gofundme set up for Kaddy by The Fatu Network CEO Fatu Camara generated D250,000 and was presented to her on Thursday.

“My first decision is to buy a compound,” she says happily of her plans with the money.

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow was not interested on Wednesday when journalist Peter Gomez politely asked him to keep his mask on, as the president presided over the state funeral of fallen football icon Alhagie Momodou Njie Biri Biri.

Thousands of Gambians including the president gathered at the Arch in Banjul for the official send-off ceremony of Biri Biri who died at a hospital in Dakar last Sunday.

Peter Gomez who officiated the event throughout pleaded with those gathered at the event to wear their face mask throughout, as the country continued to look out-of-sorts over the coronavirus pandemic.

“If you are wearing a face mask, please keep it on. If you have a face mask but you’re not wearing it, you’re actually holding it in your hand, please put it on and leave it on for the rest of the ceremony,” Mr Gomez at one point said during the event.

The prolific radio journalist insisted elsewhere: “The situation of Covid-19 in our country is scary, some of us have just returned from countries where we have seen what Covid-19 has done. Those are stronger countries than ours in every respect and for this disease to do to them what it was able to do, we pray to God that it doesn’t happen here.”

The president who had his mask on quickly removed it as soon as he stepped forward to the podium to give his speech.

“Ah President, if I had it my way, you [would] wear your mask, if I had it my way I mean,” Mr Gomez said as the president removed his face mask.

The president simply laughed into the microphones before proceeding to deliver his tribute.

The ministry of health has said community transmission of coronavirus is a challenge that requires ‘stringent’ lockdown measures to stop the virus from further spreading.

The ministry on Wednesday released its situation report No. 103 where it confirmed the discovery of 14 new cases – most of them are employees of Medicare Clinic.

In the report, the health ministry said “over 85% of the new cases have had no recent travel history and no known contact with an imported COVID-19 case – this is indicative of the existence of pervasive community transmission”.

And touting community transmission as a challenge, the ministry suggested the “imposition of stringent lockdown measures in both Western 1 and 2 regions in order to curb the spread of the virus”.

Former President Yahya Jammeh has told his supporters in a 22nd July anniversary message the ‘great’ APRC will always prevail.

Wednesday marked 26 years since the former strongman fronted a military coup that ended late former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s 30-plus years rule.

Jammeh himself got his rule ended in December 2016 when a group of opposition parties laid a ballot box ambush for him and dramatically demolished him. He had by this time ruled for 22 years.

The former president greeted his supporters on Wednesday as they marked this year’s anniversary of his coup.

He said in a statement from his faraway Equatorial Guinea exile base: “On the occasion of the 26th anniversary of the July 22nd revolution, I have the greatest pleasure, gratitude and pride of being your leader.

“I convey my heartiest congratulations and fervent prayers to all the patriotic and Allah-fearing development-oriented nationalist APRC, and our genuine supporters both at home and abroad, in their entirety, with profound gratitude to the Almighty Allah for the blessings, protection and successes he has bestowed upon all of us. As always, we celebrate with pride and dignity and strength, our tremendous achievements in the socio-economic development of our beloved country.

“The unity, courage, determination, strength, and above all, our absolute faith in the Almighty Allah. We achieved always, whatever was thought to be unachievable in our national development objectives. Therefore let’s all remain eternally united, focused, loyal, honest, peaceful, resolved and with continuous devotion to the worship of and faith in the Almighty Allah, Inshaallah, we shall achieve all the greatest and noble development objectives we have for our country and beyond.

“May the Almighty Allah guard, protect, guide and shower his infinite bounties, blessings and mercies on all of us, always, in this world and grant us all perfect health, peace, prosperity and happiness forever, and grant us all the highest janna in the hereafter. ameen!

“With the strongest unity of purpose, patriotism, brotherhood, of man, love and respect for each other, the great APRC party, Inshaallah, shally always prevail.

“With strong eternal faith in, and fear of the Almighty Allah only, i salute you all!”

Ten out of 14 people who newly tested positive for coronavirus are all employees of Medicare Clinic, according to the ministry of health on Wednesday.

Fourteen new people tested positive for the disease bringing to 146 the total number of COVID-19 cases ever confirmed in the country.

“Over 85% of the new cases have had no recent travel history and no known contact with an imported COVID-19 case – this is indicative of the existence of pervasive community transmission,” the health ministry said.

Ten out of the 14 are all employees of leading clinic Medicare Clinic, among them cleaners and receptionists.

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow on Wednesday posthumously awarded Alhagie Momodou Njie Biri Biri Insignia of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia CRG, the nation’s highest award.

Biri Biri died last Sunday at a hospital in Dakar after a long illness.

On Wednesday thousands attended a state funeral held for a man largely described as the country’s greatest footballer of all time.

“It is unfortunate that Biri did not live long enough to receive our national award. It would have been our wish to do this while he was still with us,” President Barrow said at the event while awarding Biri the top award.

The president added: “But whatever Allah destines, no one can avert. In recognition of his selfless service to The Gambia and humanity in general, coupled with his untiring efforts in development of football in the country, Alhagie Momodou Njie alias Biri Biri is awarded Insignia of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Republic of The Gambia CRG Posthumous.”

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow said ‘you can say you’ve never seen a lion but to say you have never heard of its name would be a lie’, as he insisted Alhagie Momodou Njie Biri Biri is a lion who made ‘every’ effort to fly the flag of the nation high.

Thousands of Gambians on Wednesday converged at the Arch in Banjul for the official sending off of Biri Biri who died at a Dakar hospital on Sunday 19 July aged 72.

President Barrow who presided over the event described Biri Biri as a ‘lion’ who toiled hard to fly the nation’s flag high.

“Biri was a lion on the pitch and off the pitch,” the president said of the fallen legend.

The president had earlier on said of Biri in a prepared speech: “As death is inevitable, we cannot but celebrate the fulfilling life Alhagie Biri Biri lived.

“He sacrificed for his country and made every effort to fly the Gambian flag high in the footballing world.”

Earlier on, Mass Axi Gai who played in the national team with Biri Biri said while him and Biri didn’t start their footballing careers in the same team, fate brought them together in the national team.

“I was a defender with the late Leon Prom and Biri was our strike. We continued playing but I left football before him to continue my professional work at the Ports Authority and he continued with his profession as a footballer,” Gai said.

Biri Biri’s brother Bekai Njie said his brother lived a life of humility.

“He was so humble that all of his chatting sessions are with kids, not his age mates,” the younger Njie said.

The ministry of health has said it has found one person that bolted after testing positive for coronavirus.

“…a hitherto absconded case was found and taken to a treatment center,” the health ministry said on Wednesday.

It comes as the ministry announced the country has registered 20 new cases. It means the country’s total cases of the disease now stands at 132.

The apprehension of the coronavirus man also now means two are yet to be found.

The nation’s coronavirus fatalities have hit five after Case 094 died of the virus.

Case 094 is a 45-year-old Gambian man who got infected locally and self-reported upon manifestation of symptoms, the health ministry said in its situation report No. 101.

His death comes as the ministry said on Wednesday 20 new cases have been registered – the highest reported in a single day.

“Of these, 8 (40%) are healthcare workers – 6 from EFSTH, 1 from Medicare and another from WHO,” the ministry said.

The 20 new cases have now taken the country’s total cases to 132.

Gambia Alliance for National Unity leader Sheikh Tijan Hydara has insisted he has advantage over his political rivals, speaking as he party holds its first rally since its registration last month.

“Experience matters in everything. I was an attorney general and minister of justice. I am well-sounded in administration, and I worked for the African Union. I was a high commissioner and I was a lecturer at the law faculty and I am a lawyer. So I think it is something of an added advantage and I don’t think other political parties have the same experience,” Mr Hydara said on Sunday in Brufut.

Thousands on Sunday attended GANU’s maiden rally in Brufut; Brufut is the hometown of Mr Hydara.

The families of more than 50 Ghanaian and other West African migrants killed in Gambia and Senegal 15 years ago have yet to learn the full truth and obtain justice concerning the massacre, 11 human rights organizations said today.

A press statement by TRIAL International said: “Amid growing evidence that the murders were carried out by Gambian security force members acting on the orders of then-president Yahya Jammeh, the groups called for an international investigation of the massacre.’’

“A credible international investigation is needed if we’re ever going to get to the bottom of the 2005 massacre of West African migrants and create the conditions to bring those responsible to justice,” said Emeline Escafit, legal adviser at TRIAL International.

“Until now, information has come out in dribs and drabs, year after year, from different sources.” On July 22, 2005, Gambia security forces arrested the migrants, who were bound for Europe, after their boat landed in Gambia, on suspicion of involvement in a coup attempt. Over the next 10 days, almost all the migrants, including about 44 Ghanaians, 9 Nigerians, 2 Togolese, and nationals of Cote d’Ivoire and Senegal, were killed in Gambia or taken across the border into Senegal and shot and their bodies dumped in wells. “I have been fighting for 15 years for truth and for justice for my companions who were killed,” said Martin Kyere from Ghana, who jumped into the forest from a moving truck carrying other detained migrants who were killed shortly thereafter.

When Kyere returned to Ghana he began rallying the victims’ families. “African leaders say that migrants should be treated with dignity but for us, honoring their memory means justice, not lies and cover-ups.” While several Gambian soldiers have confessed to the murders and said they acted on Jammeh’s orders, the chain of events leading to the killings is unclear.

There is still no information on exactly where migrants were buried in Senegal nor are all the victims’ identities known, including eight of the nine Nigerians. Gambia returned six bodies to Ghana in 2009, but the families question whether the bodies were those of the murdered migrants.

The groups said that because the crimes took place across two countries – Gambia and Senegal – involve victims from six countries, and a primary suspect, Jammeh, now resides in Equatorial Guinea, an international investigation would be best placed to uncover all the facts. They said that if neither Gambia nor another country like Ghana would conduct a transnational investigation, they should support an independent inquiry that could investigate in all the countries concerned.

UNSUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATIONS

Previous efforts to investigate the massacre have repeatedly been stymied or flawed, the groups said. Following initial campaigning by Kyere and Ghanaian families and rights groups, Ghana attempted to investigate the killings in 2005 and 2006, but was blocked by the then-Jammeh government. In 2008, the United Nations and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) formed a joint investigative team, which produced a report in April 2009.

The UN wrote that the report concluded that the Gambian government was not “directly or indirectly complicit” in the deaths and disappearances, blaming it on “rogue” elements in Gambia’s security services “acting on their own.” The joint report has never been made public, however, despite repeated requests by the victims and by five UN human rights monitors . The Gambian and Ghanaian governments have said that they do not have copies.

A 2018 report by Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International, based on interviews with 30 former Jammeh-era officials –including 11 directly involved in the incident– cast serious doubt on the UN/ECOWAS conclusion, however. Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International found that the migrants were detained by Jammeh’s closest associates in the army, the navy, and the police, and then summarily executed by the so-called “Junglers,” a unit of Gambian soldiers operating under Jammeh’s orders.

The Gambian government also destroyed key evidence before the UN/ECOWAS team arrived. TRIAL International is a non-governmental organization fighting impunity for international crimes and supporting victims in their quest for justice. TRIAL International takes an innovative approach to the law, paving the way to justice for survivors of unspeakable sufferings. The organization provides legal assistance, litigates cases, develops local capacity and pushes the human rights agenda forward. Media Contact Jean-Marie Banderet [email protected] +41 79 192 37 44 www.trialinternational.org @trial In July 2019, three former “Junglers” testified publicly before the Gambia Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that they and 12 other “Junglers” had carried out the killings on Jammeh’s orders.

One of the officers, Omar Jallow, recalled that the operation’s leader told the men that “the order from […] Jammeh is that they are all to be executed.” The groups said that even though the United Nations and ECOWAS had delayed the search for justice for 10 years by wrongly clearing Jammeh in 2009, the fall of Jammeh combined with the new revelations provide the opportunity to move forward.

“The United Nations and ECOWAS can make a real contribution now by releasing their report and working with Gambia, Ghana and Senegal to uncover exactly how this crime was committed so that the victims can have justice at long last,“ said Reed Brody, senior counsel at Human Rights Watch, and an author of the 2018 report. “With Jammeh out of power, getting to the truth is just a matter of political will.”

In a 2009 Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana and Gambia following the UN/ECOWAS report, the two countries “pledged to pursue through all available means the arrests and prosecution of all those involved in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals. “Now that several people have testified as to their role and that of others, political will is needed for arrests and prosecutions”, the groups said.

Families of the Ghanaian victims have called for Ghana to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the killings under its laws against enforced disappearances. The Ghanaian government announced on May 27, 2018 that it had “tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Attorney-General’s Department to study [the matter] and explore the full extent of its legal and diplomatic implications and also advise the government on the way forward.”

The Gambian government has pledged to cooperate with any investigation by Ghana. However, no concrete actions have been taken by the affected countries. “In 2005, about 44 Ghanaians were cruelly murdered in a foreign country,” said William Nyarko, executive director of ACILA, who coordinates the “Jammeh2Justice” campaign in Ghana. “We now know who some of the direct perpetrators of these killings were and that the evidence points to Jammeh as having given the orders. The time has come for the government of Ghana to act.”

In December 2019, Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, responding to growing impatience from victims, members of the Ghanaian Parliament and West African civil society, told the media that he knew in 2005 when he first sought to investigate the case as foreign minister that Jammeh’s government was “complicit” in the killings. He added that following the confessions by the Junglers, the Gambian government should “instigate the trials” of the people who had been named. He said that he had spoken to President Adama Barrow of Gambia, who he said answered “Things are still insecure, please give me time.” The Gambian government has stated that it is awaiting the recommendations of the Truth Commission, expected in 2021, before deciding on which Jammeh-era crimes to prosecute. The commission has announced that, in addition to the Junglers who testified in July 2019, it will hold hearings on the migrants case this year.

The groups urged the Commission to hear the testimony of three Ghanaians who survived the massacre as well as former Gambian officials involved in the incident and the subsequent coverup, and the UN and ECOWAS experts who worked on the report. The groups making the call were the Africa Center for International Law and Accountability (ACILA) , African Network against Extrajudicial Killings and Enforced Disappearances, Amnesty International Ghana, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development, Human Rights Advocacy Centre, Human Rights Watch, Media Foundation for West Africa, POS Foundation, and TRIAL International.