By Lamin Njie

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has said his party is slated to meet with local authorities in Central River Region and Upper River Region.

“The purporse of our visit is to call on the local government authorities in these regions and the governors as well as the regional disaster management agency,” Mr Darboe told journalists in front of his house on Sunday as a strong UDP delegation prepared to leave for the two regions.

He added: “It’s a common knowledge that in the past few weeks, there have been natural calamities in these regions and we thought that we should go out there to reach out to the people, to sympathise with them and to console them and offer token assistance which I’m sure will not meet all their needs but then it could contribute towards satisfying some of their needs.

“We are not going to the victims directly because doing so will be reducing the authorities that are responsible for management of disasters in these regions and we will be reducing them to a position of nonentities and they are the ones who are really bu statute authorised to manage funds raised for disaster victims. We may not be able to cover all of them but certainly our assistance will reach all of them.”

Nine permanent secretaries in the civil service have been redeployed, government spokesperson Ebrima Sankareh has said.

In a statement on Friday, Mr Sankareh said the government was acting on what he calls ‘executive advisory’ and that it was “consistent with its (government’s) philosophy to foster growth and promote rapid and efficient delivery of resources within all sectors of governance.”

The list of the redeployed Permanent Secretaries and their portfolio are as follows:

Lamin Camara, Permanent Secretary (PS) Agriculture redeployed to Ministry of Petroleum & Energy;

Mod K. Ceesay, PS Ministry of Trade & Employment redeployed to the Ministry of Transport, Works & Infrastructure;

Ndey Marie Njie, PS Ministry of Youth & Sports redeployed to the Ministry of Defence under the purview of the Presidency. Ms. Ndey Njie replaces Dr. Cherno Omar Barry who moves to the Human Rights Commission on Secondment.

Mariama Ndure Njie, PS Ministry of Transport moved to the Ministry of Youth & Sports;

Lamin Camara, PS Ministry of Petroleum & Energy moved to the Ministry of Agriculture;

Pateh Jah, PS Ministry of Environment, Climate Change & Natural Resources moves to the Trade & Employment ministry.

Saikou Sanyang, PS Ministry of Lands & Regional Government, moved to The Ministry of Environment & Natural Resources; and

Assan Jallow, PS Ministry of Agriculture, moved to the Ministry of Lands & Regional Government.

The Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) has continued to engage more Gambians living in the diaspora as part of efforts to build a new Constitution for The Gambia that will stand the test of time. The latest engagements target Gambians resident in the United States. Gambians in the diaspora, who are generally regarded as the eight region, are crucial stakeholders in the ongoing national dialogue on constitutional reform, hence the need to consult with them.

#CRCTeamUS commenced its external consultations with Gambians in Seattle, Minneapolis, Washington DC, Raleigh and Atlanta with impressive meetings turnout. Another meeting will be held in New York on 6th July, 2019.

Addressing the Seattle consultation, the Gambian Ambassador to the United States, H.E Dawda Fadera, said the CRC consultation with Gambians in America is an important exercise as it provides a great opportunity for them to contribute towards the constitutional building process.

Ambassador Fadera further told participants at various meetings in the United States that: “The authorities for the first time have assured the inclusion of Gambian diaspora to participate in the building process of the Constitution which is indeed commendable. The diaspora have the experience, the expertise and the exposure to significantly contribute towards the Constitutional review process.”

The Chairman of the CRC, Justice Cherno Sulayman Jallow QC (JSC), reminded Gambians at various US meetings of the power and the mandate of the CRC which he said are clearly outlined in the Constitutional Review Commission Act, 2017.

Justice Jallow commended Gambians living in the Diaspora for their dedication, passion and commitment in the Constitution building process, saying that ‘everybody sees the process as a national endeavour and this has been helping the CRC.’

He reminded the Gambian diasporans that the CRC started its public consultations in The Gambia where the CRC consulted 106 communities throughout the country in four months.

“A Constitution is far too fundamental to be representative of only eleven minds. The best we can do is to ensure proper representation in the making of the new Constitution, to be inclusive, and to create appropriate platforms for Gambians to participate and take ownership of the process,” the CRC Chairman emphasized.

He said it is important to have a face-to-face dialogue with Gambians in the diaspora ‘because living outside The Gambia does not make you less Gambian than Gambians living in The Gambia’.

Meanwhile, #CRCTeamEurope has returned home after a successful completion of its European tour which took the team to five European countries, namely United Kingdom (London), France (Paris), Germany (Berlin), Sweden (Stockholm) and Spain (Ginora).

The external public consultations, according to the CRC Chairman, Justice Cherno Sulayman Jallow, are meant to seek the views and aspirations of Gambians living outside of The Gambia ahead of the drafting of a new Constitution for The Gambia.

By the CRC Communications Department

By Lamin Njie

The interim leader of opposition APRC suggested Friday the party has not engaged former president Yahya Jammeh on rape allegations that have been made against him.

Fabakary Tombong Jatta said ‘you go to discuss with somebody on things that matter’, in response to a question by The Fatu Network on whether the party discussed the issue with Jammeh.

Former president Yahya Jammeh is enmeshed in a disturbing sexual assault scandal after Canada-based Fatou Jallow claimed that the former leader raped her. The 23-year-old said Jammeh raped her while Muslim leaders gathered at State House to welcome Ramadan. The alleged incident allegedly happened in 2015.

On Friday, APRC held a press conference in Tallinding, with the party’s interim leader speaking on the issue for the first time.

“You see, you go to discuss with somebody on things that matter,” Mr Jatta told journalists.

“We as a party, have been under smear campaign from January. We were not discussing those things with Yahya Jammeh.”

Jammeh has come under massive condemnation since news of him first emerged two weeks ago that he was sexually assaulting women, with Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou saluting “the courage of Ms Jallow for speaking up and sharing her story with the world.” Tambadou said Ms Jallow exposed “yet another serious allegation of reprehensible conduct by former President Jammeh who abused his position as head of state to the detriment of many Gambians including the sexual assault of Ms Jallow, a young and brave girl.”

At least 80 migrants are feared dead after a boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia.

Four people were rescued from the inflatable vessel – which sank in waters near the town of Zarzis – but one died later in hospital, reports said.

The three Malians who were rescued said that they had set out from Zuwara in Libya.

The country is a main departure point for migrants hoping to reach Europe.

One of the rescued migrants told Reuters that the boat had taken three hours to sink as it filled with water.

The four who were rescued survived by holding onto some wood that they had extracted from the boat.

“We, four people, sat on the wood,” the man said. “The waves are hitting us. We had two days of that – sitting on that piece of wood.”

“There were a lot of dead people,” he added.

Libya has been torn by violence and division since long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.

Thousands of migrants, many from sub-Saharan Africa, are being held in detention camps in the country.

On Wednesday at least 53 migrants were killed when a detention centre in Tripoli was hit by an air strike.

In May at least 65 people drowned when their boat set off from Libya and sunk off the Tunisian coast. (BBC)

By Lamin Njie

Two men are helping the police with their investigations after a fight that left their mother and violent mentally ill brother dead.

On Tuesday July 2, the people of Funtang village in Foni Kansala woke up to the news of a deadly brawl involving the Badjie family. Modou Badjie who is believed to be suffering from severe mental illness reportedly hit his mother and brother with a pestle during a surprise attack. This led to his brother, 42-year-old Ebrima Badjie intervening and hitting the 35-year-old with an object on his head.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie confirmed the incident telling The Fatu Network: “Modou Badjie found his mother Saffiatou Bojang busy sorting out groundnut seeds with his brother Yaya Badjie. He was carrying a pestle which he used to hit the unsuspecting mother and brother.

“Then another brother Ebrima Badjie came to their aid, who hit the suspect on the head. He (Ebrima) was in turn attacked by the suspected lunatic. Ebrima Badjie also sustained injury around the cheek as the suspected lunatic hit him too. The police evacuated all victims to the hospital.

“Modou Badjie, the suspected lunatic is confirmed dead while the mother Saffiatu Bojang, 65, who was in critical conditions also died later. Ebrima Badjie 42 years old and Yaya Badjie 45 years old, brothers to the assailant are all helping the police in their investigations.”

By Lamin Njie

A police officer at Kairaba Police Station has been thrown into a new cycle of poverty after he was allegedly forcibly evicted from his police-provided house.

Cherno Sanyang and at least nine other police officers are trapped in a livelihood nightmare following an alleged decision by commissioner of police for Kanifing Division, Kalilu Njie, that they should vacate their houses. Kairaba Police Station is home to about ten living quarters but the occupants who are police officers are being evicted and the houses turned into offices.

On Wednesday, Sanyang was the first to be hit by the new move when his house got invaded and his possessions thrown out. The officer who operates a taxi business could not also find his D75,000 cash.

A source said: “The decision came from Commissioner Kalilu Njie. Some of these people have been living in these quarters for more ten years.

“The officer who has been removed from his house has nowhere to go to. He ended up putting his possessions inside a container at the station, and he lodged a complaint at the station that his money was missing.

“He (Commissioner Njie) has asked another officer to leave. The houses are being turned into offices and the residents are complaining of the noise coming from these offices.”

The Fatu Network visited Kairaba Police Police on Friday but Commissioner Kalilu Njie declined to comment on the issue. He asked that The Fatu Network contact the spokesman of Gambia Police Force. The spokesman of the force Lamin Njie was contacted but he could not immediately comment on the issue – but he promised to ‘find out’.

By Lamin Njie

Chief of Defense Staff Masanneh Kinteh went into a shocking tantrum on Tuesday after a QTV reporter asked him about soldiers who have been arrested.

At least six serving members of the Gambia Armed Forces have been arrested in recent weeks amid reports they abandoned their posts. Other reports said the soldiers were arrested in connection with a suspected plot against CDS Kinteh.

On Tuesday, the top general presided over the decoration of 25 newly promoted middle-ranking officers and went on to speak to journalists shortly after the event.

“Why did you ask that question,” General Kinteh replied curtly when QTV reporter Babucarr Sey asked him about the arrested soldiers. He then started walking away as the journalist followed him and insisted on him answering the question.

“You want to know why they are arrested?” Kinteh asked back to which the reporter replied, ‘yes’. The CDS then said: “I think the PRO addressed that issue. Have you spoken to the PRO?”

Responding, Sey told the CDS the PRO (Lamin K Sanyang) did address the issue but ‘not to our satisfaction.’ Sey contended that he was the CDS and he should be in a position to explain why the soldiers were arrested.

CDS Kinteh then said: “The investigations are going on and as soon as we get the details, we’ll let you have it.”

Babucarr Sey told The Fatu Network on Thursday he found CDS Kinteh’s behaviour ‘quite surprising.’

“The PRO spoke about it (arrest of the soldiers) some weeks ago but I was not really satisfied. So when I went to this decoration, I thought it’s good to hear from the horse’s mouth as the man in charge of the army,” Sey said.

He added: “We had an interview contract. I wanted to ask him about the graduation, how he would justify the decoration of soldiers. He said we should stick to that; that we should not go beyond that and that kept me wondering why he would want us to stick to just that.”

By Lamin Njie

Scores of Gambians have marched through Kairaba Avenue to call for an end to sexual violence in the country.

The protesters chanted slogans and carried signs one of which read ‘No Means No’ as they marched from Africell to Westfield on Thursday.

“We just want to show our support, show our utter disgust, show that we condemn rape, [and] show that we will stand against it,” national assembly member for Banjul South Fatoumatta Njie who took part in the protest told The Fatu Network.

The #IAmToufah protest comes amid sexual violence allegations against former president Yahya Jammeh.

Fatou Jallow alias Toufah shocked the country two weeks ago when she claimed in a New York Times interview former president Jammeh raped her. Days after her claims, the issue of sexual violence made further headlines when three women accused senior Gambia government official Melville Robertson Roberts of sexually assaulting them.

Dr Ismaila Ceesay who also took part in the protest told The Fatu Network the march is to raise awareness on the issue of sexual violence.

“We have to accept that there is a problem in our society, then we can be able to raise awareness and come up with the proper solutions,” he added.

By Lamin Njie

Dozens of people including Gambians have been killed in an air raid at a detention centre in the Libyan town of Tajoura, health and emergency officials have said.

Senegalese media outlet IGFM reported on Wednesday more than 100 migrants have been killed and more than 200 others wounded during the air raid on Tuesday. The air raid targeted a migrant camp in Tajoura in the eastern suburbs of Tripoli.

Among the victims are Senegalese, Guineans, Gambians and Eritreans, Boubacar Séye the president of Horizon Sans Frontières (Horizon Without Borders) told IGFM.

Al Jazeera also reported on the horrific crime on Wednesday, with the UN Support Mission in Libya telling the news outlet the air raid happened overnight.

The United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) blamed the raid on the forces of Libyan renegade General  Khalifa Haftar, whose self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) has been  fighting to seize Tripoli for the past three months, Al Jazeera reported.

By Lamin Njie

Yankuba Touray has been slapped with a charge of murder, sources at the Ministry of Justice have confirmed to The Fatu Network.

The former AFPRC top-shot was arrested last week following his controversial appearance before the TRRC.

On Monday, the former minister of local government and lands appeared before the high court, where there was no specific mention of the charge Touray would face but a ministry of justice official confirmed to The Fatu Network shortly after Touray’s court appearance a charge of murder is what has been pressed against him.

The Fatu Network could not immediately ascertain whose murder it is that Mr Touray has been charged on but a source said it is in connection with the brutal murder of former Gambian finance minister Ousman Koro Ceesay. He has been remanded at Mile 2 and will appear in court again on Monday, July 8.

By Fatu Network reporter

A senior adviser to President Adama Barrow has called for a thorough investigation into allegations of sexual assault including rape against individuals and public officials.

Mai Ahmad Fatty gave the call on Monday, becoming one of the first top government officials to public react to allegations of sexual assault that have been made against former president Yahya Jammeh and a senior official at the ministry of foreign affairs Melville Robertson Roberts.

Mr Fatty said in a statement on his official Facebook page: “I vehemently condemn rape, sexual abuse and perpetrators of rape. Allegations of sexual abuse or rape against individuals and public officials must be thoroughly investigated, and where proven, swift prosecution must be effected.

“Further, a plethora of serious allegations trending on social media, are being made against Melville Roberts who is a Ministry of Foreign Affairs senior government functionary, and former president Jammeh. These very serious allegations and others must be aggressively pursued, without prejudice to presumption of innocence and due process.

“We assure that there will be prosecution upon evidence, and there will be no hiding place in The Gambia for rape or attempted rape. Rapists belong in prison. We must protect the vulnerable and defend the integrity of their persons.

“I am gravely concerned beyond description. Rape leaves a victim with a life time of trauma and scars, particularly girls and young women. Parliament must legislate longer term sentence with hard labour for proven rapists, and require all such convicts for long term rehabilitation. Rape and sexual abuse victims deserve our care, love and compassion.”

By Lamin Njie

The Ministry of Justice on Monday said rape allegations against Melville Robertson Roberts have been brought to the attention of the Minister of Justice.

Robertson Roberts is at the centre of a massive sexual assault scandal after no fewer than five women accused him of sexual abusing them. The alleged incidents are said to have happened at different times over the past years. One of the women said Mr Robertson Roberts rape her in his house when she went to visit him but the foreign affairs ministry top official has denied the allegations.

On Monday, the ministry of justice said in the statement it has been brought to the attention of the attorney general and Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou that “a number of women have recently made serious allegations of sexual assault including rape committed against them by Mr Melville Robertson Roberts, a senior official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Gambia.”

“The Attorney General takes seriously these allegations and hereby assures the complainants and the general public that the allegations will be treated with the seriousness they deserve and will be referred to The Gambia Police Force for immediate and urgent criminal investigations,” the statement said.

“The complainants are hereby requested to contact The Gambia Police Force or the Ministry of Justice on (+220)2223616/7674795 or [email protected]/[email protected], and extend full cooperation to the police in the conduct of these investigations,” the statement added.

Sexual assault accusations against Mr Robertson Roberts come days after 23-year-old Fatou Jallow shocked the nation by claiming former president Yahya Jammeh raped her.

By Lamin Njie

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has said that President Adama Barrow’s party is one of the two new political parties that have been registered by the Independent Electoral Commission.

Mr Darboe stated this during a wide-ranging interview with Paradise TV in wolof which aired on Sunday.

The former vice president said: “All what they are saying about the Barrow Youth Movement [and] the Barrow fans club, it is a political party in the offing. It is a political party that has not been registered yet, but they are engaged in active politics.

“It was just yesterday that we heard from the IEC Chairman who told us that they are about to announce the registration of two new parties. I can tell you that one of those parties is called NDP. That is Adama Barrow’s political party.

“I have clear proof about what I am telling you. I will not tell you something that I am not sure of. I have the manifesto of their new party. The party’s name is NDP. They haven’t said anything that the other existing political parties haven’t said in their manifestos.”

Former diplomat and economist Ebou Momar Taal has died. Mr Taal died about an hour ago in Dakar aged 82.

Ebou Momar Taal is a retired career diplomat, economist, linguist, historian and Islamologue.

He was born on the 8th January, 1937 at Basse, according to a blog post found online. Taal racked up many years of work experience in the diplomatic service of The Gambia as permanent secretary at the ministry of external affairs/foreign affairs, working in both the Jawara and Jammeh governments. He was also ambassador to several countries and international organisations. He is father to the current president of the Gambia Bar Association, Salieu Taal.

Tributes started pouring in as soon as news of Mr Taal’s death emerged, with Tijan Masanneh Ceesay commenting on Facebook: “Ebou Momar Taal was the definition and decency of Gambian diplomacy.”

Sandigie Njie said: “He was a Muslim, humble and very open minded who loved family,passionate with sharing and getting work done and socialise with every age cohort.”

Editor’s note: This story is developing…

By Lamin Njie

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reached out to relevant authorities within the government for advice in the case of one of its officials, a spokesperson of the ministry has told The Fatu Network.

Melville Robertson Roberts, a deputy permanent secretary at the foreign ministry, is battling to clear his name following shocking accusations of sexual misconduct against him. At least five women have accused Mr Robertson Roberts of sexually abusing them. Mr Robertson Roberts who is currently in England has denied the accusations.

Reports of Mr Robertson Roberts sexually assaulting women first emerged on Saturday after a woman from Tallinding accused him of raping her. The woman, who The Fatu Network will not name since it is not yet clear whether she wants her name in media publications, posted screenshots of her past conversation with Mr Robertson Roberts on the social media network Facebook. Her move was quickly greeted by a slew of similar accusations from other women.

But Mr Robertson Roberts in an interview with Kerr Fatou chief executive officer Fatou Touray denied raping her but admitted he got intimate with her the first day they met.

On Sunday, the communication officer at the ministry of foreign affairs Saikou Ceesay told The Fatu Network the ministry is aware of Mr Robertson Roberts’s case.

“The ministry has taken note of stories on the social media against Mr Robertson. As at now, we have taken up the matter with the constituted relevant authorities for advice and for line of action,” Mr Ceesay added.

Allegations against Mr Robertson Roberts has generated shock and revulsion in The Gambia, particularly among Gambian women and it is coming few days after 23-year-old Fatou Jallow accused former president Yahya Jammeh of raping her.

The Fatu Network contacted Mr Robertson Roberts immediately the reports emerged but he is yet to respond to a request for comment.