By Adama Makasuba

A 52-year-old man of Sintet village has detailed how villagers were kidnapped and forced to inhale smoke coming from leaves that were being burnt by witch hunters.

The TRRC today took its witch hunt investigations to Sibanor, in Foni Bintang.

In 2009, former President Yahya Jammeh stunned the world after launching a so-called witch hunt by hiring a band of witch doctors believed to be from Guinea Conakry guarded by armed soldiers and police that targeted poor farming communities and public offices.

Ali Jallow today told TRRC officials while testifying that, “we were strapped in the hospital and they asked us let no one move away, and they put some leaves on the stove and set them alight on the stove. I saw how the smoke was disturbing people and some people were using their shirts to clear the smokes away, but I managed to escape.”

He added: “They (witch hunters) captured very huge number of the village almost half of the village number because they were storming homes and houses and capturing people randomly. I saw man who came to the home of the Imam and broke his house door and said where are the witch children and another man came to me and called me old man and passed and got into my brother’s house and went inside and met his wife having a bath.”

Mr. Jallow said while the witch doctors were entering homes, they were with personnel of the police intervention unit armed with AK47 rifles.

He added the men were dressed like magicians and ‘magicians are known to be from Guinea Conakry adding ‘they took the captured ones to Kanilai and my father and my elder brother’s wife and another boy in my family were taken away by them.’

By Lamin Njie

UDP’s deputy leader Aji Yam Secka has spoken for the first time about what led to her estrangement with President Adama Barrow.

President Barrow and top officials of UDP have had a topsy-turvy relationship since last year. The estrangement has led to a number of events including the sensational sacking of all UDP members in cabinet in March this year.

UDP’s No. 2 has now revealed that her personal friendship with President Barrow had broken down after comments she made at a UDP rally in Banjullinding.

Aji Yam Secka in an exclusive interview with Paradise TV said: “I stood by him for the three years and he told us he will leave after three years and go back to his business. For me, he’s angry with me. I didn’t know what he wanted. I went to a UDP rally in Banjullinding and said we should reciprocate Ousainou Darboe. That we should allow Ousainou Darboe to be president even for five years because he sacrificed a lot and that if we want proper reform, for rule of law to be instituted, we should allow Darboe be president.

“They had recorded me. The likes of Alkali Conteh and Lamin Cham recorded it, and after that if I want to see President Barrow, I can’t. He was in Fajara at this time. I had been seeing him without an appointment. I didn’t know what happened.

“One day, the [UDP] executive invited Alkali Conteh to a meeting. At the meeting, Alkali said UDP was not marketing Adama Barrow’s agenda, that we don’t like Adama Barrow. And then he said what pained him was that there was someone who was advocating for someone else’s leadership when Adama Barrow has not started yet. He was referring to me because I was the one who said we should reciprocate Ousainou Darboe. I told him he was a bad person.

“When Adama Barrow moved to Banjul, for three months I could not see him. They blocked me. I called Lamin Cham and asked him what was the problem. He spoke with Adama Barrow and then I went there. When I went there, Adama Barrow told me I did something wrong. He said I had said that we should return Ousainou Darboe’s favour. He asked why I said that, that everyone is angry at me. He said a casette was brought to him.”

By Lamin Njie

GDC national women mobiliser has dimissed reports of the defection of a staggering 400 members.

Reports abounded on social media today that 400 members of opposition GDC led by Kaddijatou Jallow have defected to President Barrow’s camp. Kaddijatou Jallow was the party’s No. 3 woman.

GDC’s Aja Remeh Jagne said today the reports are false as she challenged the Barrow camp to provide a video and list of the 400 women who left GDC to join their camp.

“This is not true. It is only Kaddijatou Jallow who joined Barrow’s camp and that does not shake the GDC in any way,” she said.

She added: “Additionally, I want to inform the general public that the said Kaddijatou Jallow, was sacked from the GDC 6 months ago due to her alleged corrupt attitude and unfaithful behaviour.

“We have evidence of her telling some women to join her so that they can go to Adama Barrow and get some money from him.

“The GDC does not want to harbor such greedy members. What we want is to have members who are loyal to the party and are interested in the Gambia’s development.

“We do not encourage any indiscipline, greediness or corrupt behavior at GDC. So those who are not honest and genuine cannot move with us.”

By Sainey Darboe

APRC bigwig Ousman Rambo Jatta yesterday accused TRRC lead counsel Essa Faal of inveigling witnesses to lie against erstwhile president Yahya Jammeh in furtherance of his own vaulting political ambitions.

In a screed delivered at an APRC party event in Abuko yesterday, he fumed: “Essa Faal who the hell do you think you are?Essa Faal if you want to join the political field then come through the front door.In The Gambia there is no back door to the presidency.Because you are at TRRC doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want and make people lie against the former president,but we will wait for you till 2021.

“People like him are not technocrats, but hypocrites.President Adama Barrow thinks those people are his technocrats, but even rats possess better habits than them”.

Attributing president Barrow’s nascent regime to an accompanying decline in all objective metrics of development, the Bakau firebrand charged: “The economy is in worse shape than it was three years ago under the APRC. Under Jammeh when people think of stealing they know they would either wind up in jail or get sacked from their positions. But now they say the president is slumbering and they take whatever they want”. (GunjurOnline)

By Adama Makasuba

Chief of Lower Badibu has vowed he will sack any village head that is bent on frowning at Barrow administration development projects brought to their communities because of their dislike of President Barrow.

Faa Balla Kinteh issued the threat while speaking at a meeting presided over by President Adama Barrow in Saaba as Mr Barrow continued his Kartong-to-Koina tour.

“I am going to the Alkali (village heads) and I even told my Alkali (village heads) that if President Barrow wants to construct a hospital in Saaba for example but you try to undermine it because you fear people will say President Barrow has done a great job… President Barrow can be very lenient in terms of sacking people but we are going to remove that particular Alkali because he doesn’t want development,” Chief Faa Balla Kinteh said.

Mr Kinteh rejected assertions chiefs shouldn’t take part in politics adding ‘why are chiefs given voter’s card to vote and why if government development comes to the governors, they pass that development project on through the chiefs?’

He said: “God chooses who would be a leader and He has chosen Adama Barrow as the president of this country, then you must accept that and Gambian chiefs are behind President Adama Barrow entirely.”

By Lamin Njie

APRC national women mobiliser Isatou Jifanga Jarju today unloaded on UDP leader Ousainou Darboe accusing the respected politician of being the creator of all the problems in The Gambia currently.

APRC today held a massive rally in Abuko attended by thousands of supporters, as the party presses ahead without their beloved ‘supreme’ leader former President Yahya Jammeh.

Isatou Jifanga Jarju speaking at the event could not hide her antipathy towards Ousainou Darboe as she stunningly accused the UDP leader of being the root of all the problems in the country at the moment.

Mrs Jarju said: “Our youth mobiliser spoke about Lawyer Darboe, that he is thanking him on the basis that he said he (Lawyer Darboe) had said it’s Yahya Jammeh who built this country. But he said this out of confusion. Because when he was in government, Lawyer Darboe never thanked and praised President Jammeh.

“If Lawyer Darboe and UDP were in power today, Fabakary Tombong Jatta would not have had the time to organise this rally. He would be going every time to the police and prison to ensure APRC supporters are freed. What I want to tell APRC supporters is that between Ousainou Numukunda Darboe and Adama Barrow, Adama Barrow is better than Ousainou Numukunda Darboe.

“Ousainou Numukunda Darboe is like a dumpsite fire. When one sees it, you think there is no fire but if you put your foot in it the whole body gets burnt except the bones. All the problems in The Gambia are caused by Ousainou Numukunda Darboe. Gambians are begining to realise it.

“When Yahya Jammeh jailed him, they said Yahya Jammeh is evil. They all came together and said it’s Yahya Jammeh they are removing. But the truth has come out. Gambians are saying Yahya Jammeh should have left him to die in jail because now Adama Barrow who took pride in him calling him dad is the one he is destroying now. So Ousainou Darboe sees nothing other than himself.”

GDC national president MC Cham Jnr has lashed back at Musa Drammeh after the lands minister likened his party to scattered groundnut.

Musa Drammeh is part of dozens of top government officials who are travelling with President Adama Barrow on his nationwide tour. Mr Drammeh reportedly said the party ws like ‘scattered groundnut’.

MC Cham Jnr responded to Mr Drammeh and in a statement said: “The Local Government minister Musa Drammeh has used Barrow’s Nationwide tour as a political platform to launch an attack on the GDC, describing it as a bunch of scattered groundnuts.

“It is interesting when such failed politicians who graduated from Barrow’s failed political school tries to criticize the GDC without any genuine reason. The GDC party which is just 3 years old has become a big threat and a torn in the flesh of Adama Barrow’s Government.

“The GDC party’s rapid growth and admiration countrywide have been a serious threat to the Barrow Government. The GDC has proven that politics is deception should be history in the Gambia. The party is more concern about the welfare of Gambians especially the youth, women and the needy people. Gambians have seen the number of people joining the GDC almost every month since 2016.

“The Local Government minister Musa Drammeh himself knew that his Ministry is the most backward Ministry in Barrow’s Government and it has failed woefully thanks to Musa Drammeh’s lack of foresight and vision.

“It is interesting that the Barrow Government’s Local Government ministry under Musa Drammeh has been threatening Alkalos and Chiefs to support the government or risk being fired. Is this not an embarrassment under any democratic rule?

“The Government minister is one of the worst ministers Barrow will ever appoint under his rule. Barrow himself knows that he has little support from Gambians and that is why he rented a crowd to accompany him on his Nationwide tour. If Barrow is sure of his support, let him resign at the end of the 3 years and call for election. The GDC party will sweep the polls hands down and there is no doubt about it.”

By Momodou Justice Darboe

The police are conducting an identification display of several electronic materials being recently recovered during the routine police patrols as well as criminal investigations in the Greater Banjul Area.

The Anti-crime Unit of the police lately confiscated several flat-screen TV sets, laptops, computers, car batteries, mobile phones among other electronic items from people suspected of breaking into the houses of their victims.

The police is now contemplating legal action against some of the people arrested in connection with the alleged burglaries and thieveries and are, therefore, calling on the affected people to come forward and help in the identification of the stolen properties to enable them build cases against the suspects.

“This will help in identifying their properties as well as enable the police establish cases against the suspects and to return the items to their rightful owners,’’ the police said on its official Facebook page.

On Thursday, at least 16 suspected thieves and burglars were paraded before TV cameras during one of the regular crime updates by the police at the Anti-crimes Unit Headquarters in Bijilo.

By Adama Makasuba

National Assembly Member for Upper Nuimi has reacted to his sacking by United Democratic Party.

UDP on 14 November expelled a staggering eight respected members, all of them national assembly members. They were accused by the party of conducting themselves in a way that ran counter to party principles.

Omar Darboe speaking for the first time since his sacking insisted he was not sacked by UDP based on the interest of the country.

“If it was [The] Gambia’s interest, they wouldn’t have problem with President Adama Barrow,” Mr Darboe said in Chilla at a meeting presided over by President Barrow who is currently on a nationwide tour.

The Nuimi lawmaker added: “I will not joke with Barrow. If anyone has the interest of The Gambia, you will not have a problem with President Adama Barrow.

“They were trying to use me as a tool to fight against President Barrow but I will not allow them to use me because they were pretending to be good people to President Barrow and make us bad people against him.

“Unstoppable fight… You fought Yahya Jammeh and said you don’t like him. We helped you fight him until he left. Then you bring your own son and people but you still say you don’t like that person. Who do you like now?”

By Momodou Justice Darboe

The governor of Central River Region said he was deeply embarrassed by the actions of the youths of his region in attempting to obstruct the motorcade of President Adama Barrow over claims of lack of vehicles, food and other welfare issues as the President continues his country-wide tour.

There were embarrassing scenes on Thursday at Laminkoto/Janjanbureh ferry crossing when scores of youths attempted to barricade the President’s motorcade from moving from the ferry-crossing and governor Abba Sanyang of CRR lamented that the development was a collective shame for the people of his region but that the lion’s share of the embarrassment was his.

Amateur footages of the development surfaced on some social media platforms on Thursday and early Friday morning and governor Sanyang could be heard telling the youths that President Barrow did not deserve such treatment from them, considering his station.
He told the infuriated throngs of youth that the governor’s office has always maintained the lines of communication open and has always given them the opportunity to speak up and out.

The youth, some of whom could be heard threatening to abandon the President on his tour, were among some of the people mobilized by regional authorities in CRR to welcome the President on his visit to their region.

But they have bitterly complained that they were being treated in a care-free manner and the resultant exasperation and frustrations led them to take the decision of trying to obstruct the President’s cavalcade and prevent him from entering deeper into CRR North.

And the governor of CRR admits that he was utterly disappointed in and embarrassed by the youths.

“President Barrow is such an important person that he shouldn’t be obstructed. It is not the President that you embarrassed but me. I invited you with the sole aim of making the President feel at home here[CRR] but not otherwise.

“We did not receive any money in CRR for food. Nobody give us anything. It’s not only Barrow who needs you but you also need him so that you can talk to him about your challenges. I understand your problems, regarding vehicle and food but you cannot vent these frustrations on the President.’’

Governor Sanyang added: ‘’ I was at your lodgings yesterday and you informed me that you’ve all eaten well. So, don’t accuse me. I know your problem is vehicle and I’ll take care of that. I know this is youthful exuberance but please don’t allow this to happen again. My doors are always open.’’

But the youths however admitted that they’d earlier intended to meet the governor over the locomotion problem and related issues but that lack of organization among them resulted in their actions. They then apologized to the governor for any inconvenience that their action may cause.

By Adama Makasuba

President Adama Barrow has vowed not to mind his critics as he branded them detractors who are all out to deflect his attention from his development programmes.

President Barrow spoke at a meeting in Upper Niumi as his 20-day nationwide continued.

“I will not listen to them because they want to distract me so that I will stop my works and be arguing and responding to them until 2021. When 2021 comes, the issue of accountability is between you (citizens) and I because you are the people who voted me in office,” Mr Barrow said.

He added: “We are here for real work but there are people who want to blow flame into your eyes, going around saying, ‘don’t mind the works done by President Barrow.’ You have shown me that you are not interested in listening to those people going around talking petty.”

President Barrow while hinting at possibility of him seeking re-election in 2021 said he would love to meet Gambians in 2021 and be able to enumerate his achievements.

“If I am coming back in 2021, I want to tell you (Gambians), ‘I built the Hakalang road, I want to be able to say I built OIC conference centre and highway, [that] I developed Basse…’,” he said.

By Lamin Njie

State House senior communication officer Nfally Fadera has been appointed head of brands and communication at the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation national secretariat.

Mr Fadera was among candidates who applied for the role, a source close to the State House official told The Fatu Network today. He will be leaving his role at State House.

Mr Fadera has confirmed his appointment telling The Fatu Network: “I can confirm the appointment. While I will miss my incredible team at the OP, I look forward to my new challenge with great excitement and hope for what the OIC can do for us a country.

“My ultimate mission will be to renew confidence and ensure popular ownership of the organization. An OIC of the people, and for the people of some sort.”

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation national office has since August this year been looking for a new head of brands and communication following the resignation of Nyang Njie.

The OIC national secretariat is the body entrusted with the responsibility of coordinating the 2022 OIC summit in The Gambia. It’s also tasked with mobilising funds in order for the necessary structures to be put in place.

The Gambia Press Union has said it has been informed of the alleged assault of journalists covering President Adama Barrow’s nationwide tour.

Reports abounded Thursday evening of the assault of three journalists travelling with President Barrow on his two weeks tour of the country.

It has now been revealed the journalists involved are Sally Jobe of Kerr Fatou, Ebrahim Jambang of Gambian Talents Promotion and Landing Ceesay of Paradise FM.

GPU in a statement said it has been informed the three journalists “have been physically and verbally assaulted by the supposed members of the delegation or supporters of President Barrow”.

“The incident happened Thursday afternoon at Janjanbureh-Lamin Koto ferry crossing point when the journalists began to film a protest by some members of the entourage who were not happy with certain logistical arrangement.

“It was at that point that the perpetrators advanced towards the journalists hauling insults and eventually physically assaulted them. Landing said he was hit on his chest. A phone in Sally’s possession has been broken after it was smashed as she was taking video of a man who was insulting her parents,” the union said.

The union’s president, Sheriff Bojang Jnr, who himself came under fire in March this year for assaulting a journalist spoke on the issue saying he had reached out to the director of press and public relations at the Office of the President, and the spokesperson of the government “to express our concerns to them”.

“They both expressed regret over the incident and also apologised on behalf of the presidency,” he added, according to the union’s statement.

The GPU says it is calling on the authorities to swiftly act to investigate the matter.

By Lamin Njie

The TRRC today ended its public hearings in Jambur with dozens of natives giving harrowing accounts of what they went through in the hands of ritualists who stormed Jambur in 2009 in their hunt for witches.

Women, as old as 90 years, detailed how they were stripped and bathed by young boys. They also explained how the witch-doctors forced them to drink disgusting liquids which has since caused the death of many victims. Those alive have health complications.

Dozens of men were also not spared as they were also arrested and taken to Kololi where they were also forced to drink a bitter liquid.

Next week, the TRRC will take its public hearings to Sibanor in Foni Bintang Karanai.

Former President Jammeh’s 2009 witch-hunt exercise began in Foni with hundreds of people reported to have been kidnapped, beaten and forced to drink concoctions. Many have since succumbed.

The exercise was carried in almost all Foni villages and Sintet is said to have been hit hardest by the exercise.

In Batabut Kantora, older natives spend the entire day in the bush in an attempt to evade the ritualists.

Former Budget Director Momodou Sabally has called on Gambian lawmakers to reject a proposed 34 million dalasis increase in the budget allocated to the Office of the President for the fiscal year 2020.

Sabally made this call in an open letter addressed to the Minister of Finance on the proposed budget for 2020.

While admitting that our budget situation is very difficult due to the macroeconomic realities on the ground, the former presidential affairs minister argued that recent policy moves championed by the current Finance Minister is worsening the budget situation and the economy of the country in general

He said: “The increase in the budget of the office of the President by D34 million is wrong. We all know the problem of dealing with that budget head knowing the difficulty of satisfying the political animal in that office. But the wisdom has always been to constrain the presidency ab initio, and then manage the situation as the budget implementation cycle unfolds.

“By expanding expenditure for the presidency, you are simply pampering your boss for political patronage at the expense of the tax payer. The increase in salaries at the office of the President is also waste of resources. We know that the problem at that office is being compounded by further expanding the bureaucracy of an already dysfunctional office instead of taking the tough decision of redeploying or firing all the “squares pages in round wholes.”

While clarifying that his call for deputies to vote down the proposed increase in resources allocated to the presidency was not for political reasons and urging the deputies to treat it as a non-partisan matter, Sabally emphasised “I would surely recommend that the deputies at the Assembly cancel the proposed increase of expenditure under the office of the President to set a perfect example and send a message to the executive that the meagre resources of our tax payers cannot be used for ‘mbumbai’ in these trying times.“

He further admonished the Finance Minister as follows “the executive has for long trodden on the poor tax payers for too long. Now that the tax payers have voted to have something better than what used to obtain in the past, we cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of yesteryears. If the Mandinka saying that ‘sila kotor kataa satay kotor leh to’ is anything g to go by, then you are leading this country back into the doldrums of fiscal obstinacy. We can do better than this so let us strive to make the future better, cleaner and brighter. This is our collective responsibility regardless of our political leanings.”

Some 73 migrants, many suffering from hypothermia and burns, were rescued by a Spanish charity ship late on Wednesday from a packed rubber dinghy that had been drifting off the Libyan coast for nearly 24 hours.

It is the latest rescue by the Open Arms vessel in the Mediterranean, where more than 1,000 migrants on their way from north Africa to Europe are believed have drowned or are missing so far in 2019, according to UN figures.

Open Arms has repeatedly clashed with governments in Italy and Malta in its efforts to save migrants attempting the dangerous crossing, with both countries resisting attempts to land those rescued on their territory.

The migrants taken on board on Wednesday included two children under the age of five.

They looked petrified as they were lifted out of the dinghy, Reuters video footage showed.

The migrants, mostly from Central and Western Africa, were found crammed in a dinghy whose engine had broken down, according to Open Arms spokeswoman Laura Lanuza.
Many were in shock and suffering from hypothermia and second-degree burns from prolonged exposure to saltwater and gasoline, she added.

One young man from Niger was suffering from gunshot wounds which he said were sustained in a Libyan detention center in early November.

Open Arms mission chief Ricardo Gati said that while the rescue took place near the Libyan town of Zawiya, the NGO was seeking to disembark at a European port.

“We would like a response from a functional government, which leaves Italy or Malta. The closest safe port to us is in Italy,” said Gati. “We’re waiting to see what the response is and how long we have to wait.”

This summer, the NGO was involved in a weeks-long standoff with the Italian government, with nearly 100 migrants crammed on board Open Arms in deteriorating conditions, which ended when an Italian court ordered authorities to open its port.

This time, he warned, time was running short. “Within two to three days, we know the sea will become very rough.” (Reuters)

One Babucarr Sowe has pleaded guilty to a single count of defiling a 17-year-old girl, The Standard reported today.

Sowe met the victim sometime in March, 2019 in Farato Village in West Coast Region and expressed loving her which she accepted, police prosecutors told the Brikama Magistrates Court. Soon after, a relationship developed and the victim got pregnant as was confirmed by Brikama Health Centre, the prosecutors added.

The accused was arrested by the police, cautioned, charged and arraigned before Brikama Magistrates’ Court where he pleaded guilty to the charge of defilement contrary to section 5(1) of the Sexual Offences Act 2013, according to The Standard.

Bubacarr Sowe has been remanded as he awaits his sentencing.

By Lamin Njie

Yankuba Touray has special protection by the constitution but this protection cannot solve his problem, a top lawyer on constitutional matters has said.

Former army captain Yankuba Touray in June this year shocked the nation after he invited to the TRRC only to get there and refuse to testify. He claimed he enjoys special protection by the constitution.

UK and US educated lawyer Lamin J Darbo in an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network said Mr Touray was right in claiming he has immunity ‘but that immunity cannot solve his problem’.

Darbo said: “Yankuba Touray was a subject of potential prosecution. You cannot bring him to the TRRC and force him to testify because he runs the danger of incriminating himself or of lying to the TRRC or of being charged with contempt of the TRRC. So he was in a very difficult situation.

“But on the issue of immunity, he does have immunity but that immunity cannot solve his problem. We have to careful here. The immunity that he is claiming, if you look at the constitutional text, that immunity really cannot avail him of anything.

“I wouldn’t say he didn’t advise him properly because people look at these constitutional provisions differently. That’s why we have the courts to disentangle the arguments and decide what is wrong and what is right. Most of the times, the courts have it correct. Sometimes the courts can misinterpret.

“But really the immunity part, I wouldn’t bother with that. That cannot succeed. He cannot say I am protected from coming to the TRRC, based on the immunity. There are other principles, constitutional principles. Those are far more powerful arguments. That is, ‘I don’t want to incriminate myself’.

“The TRRC is a fact-finding commission. It shouldn’t put people in a situation where they would do one of three things; lie to them, incriminate themselves or act contemptuously to the TRRC.”

By Lamin Njie

Dr Ismaila Ceesay has said if President Adama Barrow appoints him adviser he will accept as it is about the country, as he responded to critics regarding his new role as policy adviser to Kanifing Municipality mayor Talib Bensouda.

Mayor Bensouda on Wednesday announced the appointment of Dr Ceesay as his new policy adviser but the move has generated criticism in some quarters with some people arguing Dr Ceesay was being tapped for a role he has no idea about.

Dr Ceesay responded to critics Wednesday evening telling The Fatu Network: “Talib is doing a fine job at KMC and this is a time when we should put politics aside and our personal interests and look at the greater interest of the country. You have a young man who has a vision for this country, who wants to do a good job for KMC and wants to tap my expertise. I think I will do injustice to this country if I should refuse to help because of my political ambitions or because politics.

“Now, if it’s something I wouldn’t be able to do because I lack the competence or capacity or expertise I would turn it down. I took it out of the good faith that with the guy’s doing a good job and having a clear vision for KMC, my expertise in the area of policy and in terms of development will help him work for KMC.

“Today if Adama Barrow appoints me to advise him, I will advise him. It’s for the country. I am not helping Adama Barrow, I am helping The Gambia. So obviosuly, if it’s Adama Barrow, if it’s Rohey Lowe… Anybody I know has the heart to do some good work for the country and you demand my expertise I will gladly help you.

“And I told Talib it’s voluntary. I am not going to be paid a dime. It’s not a full time job. It’s a voluntary job. Whenever he needs my advice, I advise him. When I think he implementing a development project, I will advise him.”