By New York Times

Five years ago, the president of Gambia crowned 18-year-old Fatou Jallow the winner of the nation’s top beauty pageant with a lecture to her and other contestants: Do not rush to marry, he said, but use the pageant’s scholarship prize to fulfill your dreams.

But the president, Yahya Jammeh, soon began summoning the pageant winner to Gambia’s Statehouse, and eventually asked her to marry him. She said no.

“I thought it was a joke,’’ Ms. Jallow said. “I was very naïve. I didn’t know how brutal he was.”

When he summoned her yet again, for what she thought was a Ramadan event, she said he raped her.

“Reality hit me that this is my new identity,’’ she said. “I’m just this girl the president will call and pick up and rape. Everything I wanted to be, every potential and reason why I even went into this competition, all of that was shoved into the dumpster.”

During his 22 years in office, Mr. Jammeh ruled by terrorizing the tiny West African nation of two million. People he deemed enemies were tortured and killed. Protesters and journalists were jailed and beaten, many never to be heard from again. His death squad was accused of gunning down dozens of migrants trying to sail to Europe, according to a survivor of the massacre. He subjected AIDS patients to what he said was an experimental miracle cure — an herbal body rub and a banana. Some died.

Mr. Jammeh, 54, has never been called to account for any of it. West African leaders allowed him to flee to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after he lost an election, the results of which he had refused to accept for six weeks. He took with him two Rolls-Royces and a Mercedes-Benz, and has turned up on social media being feted with a birthday cake and sipping champagne.

Now human rights advocates are collecting firsthand accounts of abuses so that he can be brought to trial. Ms. Jallow, known in Gambia as “Toufah,” shared her story in an interview. She is the first to publicly accuse the president of sexual assault, just as Gambia is in the process of reckoning with the terrible legacy of the Jammeh regime.

“This is one layer of atrocities in many,” said Reed Brody, a lawyer with Human Rights Watch who is leading a push for criminal prosecution of Mr. Jammeh, as he did for the Chadian dictator Hissène Habré, who was convicted in 2016 of crimes against humanity. “The bigger picture is, is this guy going to get away with this, or can they hold him to account for all the bad things he did?”

Gambia’s current President, Adama Barrow, has set up a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission to create a record of atrocities. Those testifying have included government soldiers accused of beatings and murders, as well as victims of abuse.

“At the end we hope to nurture national reconciliation and healing,” said Baba Galleh Jallow, the commission’s executive secretary and no relation to Ms. Jallow, “and to ensure that never again shall we have dictatorship and gross human rights violations in this country.”

Mr. Jammeh did not respond to efforts to reach him through government officials in Equatorial Guinea or supporters in Gambia, where he still has a following. One refused to solicit his response to the allegations, saying it would be “the worst form of disrespect” to put such a question to “a figure like him.”

Gambia’s reconciliation process has put a special focus on women who endured beatings or sexual violence by Mr. Jammeh’s security officers, or who were impoverished after their husbands were locked up. Last year a series of women-only listening circles brought victims together to share privately their traumatic experiences and encourage them to speak out.

Ms. Jallow, now 23, received asylum in Canada in 2015, and she is scheduled to testify before the commission during hearings on sexual violence later this year.

“Part of what he did was to break me and shut me down,” Ms. Jallow said in an interview. “I want him to hear me loud and clear. He can’t bury it.”

Five years ago, when Mr. Jammeh first summoned Ms. Jallow to the presidential palace, she was a teen and unaware of the scale of the accusations against the president.

“In order to know information like that, you had to be connected to the internet,’’ she said. “I didn’t even have a phone for most of my high school years. I was not very politically savvy as a teenager.”

Mr. Jammeh had told her he wanted to talk about her beauty pageant project — a drama program for students on eliminating poverty. Then he offered her a job as one of his protocol officers, who performed secretarial work at the statehouse. She was only 18, she told him, and did not feel qualified to work in a president’s office.

Later, reports emerged in the Gambian diaspora media that Mr. Jammeh had been using his “protocol girls” for sexual favors.

Advocates with Human Rights Watch and Trial International, a group that supports crime victims, took testimony from two former protocol officers who said that sex with the president had been part of the job. One woman, who did not want to be identified because she is afraid of retribution from Mr. Jammeh’s supporters, said in her testimony that when she was 23, she was given cash and gifts for having sex with him, and that he told her that if she refused he would cut off the financial support he was giving her family.

One former government official who was close to Mr. Jammeh said in an interview that several women working in the protocol office had complained to him that the president had touched them inappropriately or demanded sex. He said that in 2015 he told Mr. Jammeh to stop, and that Mr. Jammeh threatened his life and sent security officers to his house. He also said that he had seen Ms. Jallow at the statehouse at night.

The official, who asked not to be named publicly because he still fears for his life, fled the country.

Ms. Jallow said that after her first encounter with the president, he arranged for the national water company to install plumbing in her family’s house, which did not have running water. New furniture arrived. Sick relatives were shuttled to doctors.

The president summoned her for more meetings at the statehouse. There was speculation in the media that she was “dating” Mr. Jammeh, who was married.

During another meeting at Gambia’s statehouse, she said, as she and the president reviewed the budget for her project, Mr. Jammeh asked her to marry him. She said she explained that she wanted to study before marriage.

“He told me to think about it, that probably I didn’t understand what this means and needed time to process it,” she said.

Ms. Jallow was soon summoned to the presidential palace for what she thought was a beauty pageant event with other contestants to help kick off Ramadan. She was told to wear her crown. She put on a traditional Muslim gown with a head scarf and got into the car that was sent for her.

When they arrived, the driver passed the garden where the Ramadan program was getting underway, she said. He dropped her off at the president’s residence, where she was told to wait as a security guard took her phone and bag.

A few minutes later Mr. Jammeh arrived, dressed in baggy slacks and a T-shirt, the clothing men wear under traditional robes.

“My guts literally fell down,” to see him in his undergarments, Ms. Jallow said.

She said that he greeted her sharply, saying, “You know a woman has never rejected me.”

He took her by the hand and led her into an adjacent room, which had a bed in it, she said. He shoved her into a chair, she said, and began to lecture her about how disrespectful she was. He started ripping off her abaya. She began crying.

He lifted the gown and pulled a syringe from his pocket and injected her arm, Ms. Jallow said. He was sweaty, she remembers, and he pushed her to her knees and rubbed his genitals in her face.

She said the president then pushed her facedown onto the bed and sodomized her, and she blacked out. When she awoke, she said she found her leggings on the floor and Mr. Jammeh sitting in a chair in the corner.

“I literally stumbled out of there,” she said, and into the same car that had brought her.

Ms. Jallow said she was too scared to tell her parents, or anyone, what had happened.

About five days later, Ms. Jallow said, she put on a veil — only her eyes were showing — and took money from her mother to go to the market to buy groceries. Instead, she fled across the border into Senegal and on to Dakar, the capital.

With help from a relative in England, Ms. Jallow contacted aid organizations in Dakar. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees there would not confirm details, but said Ms. Jallow was immediately referred to seek asylum and resettlement in Canada.

Ms. Jallow said she knows that telling her story publicly could bring shame to her and her family. It had kept her from speaking out for years. She only recently told her mother what happened to her.

“Mr. Jammeh needs to pay for what he did in his lifetime sooner or later,” said Ms. Jallow’s mother, Awa Saho.

Ms. Jallow is in therapy. She has studied at a university to become a social worker, inspired by those who helped her in Canada. To pay for her education, she is working as a customer care agent for a phone company in Toronto. She volunteers at a women’s shelter once a month.

“I’m not afraid to speak,” she said. “In the end the silence is as uncomfortable and more damaging than the consequences of speaking.”

By Momodou Justice Darboe

President Adama Barrow has said in 2017 that Gambia’s former President Yaya Jammeh has stolen an estimated 4 billion dalasis from public funds. But according to the Organised Crimes Reporting Project, President Yaya Jammeh has orchestrated the embezzlement of nearly $1 billion of public funds and illegal timber revenue during his 22-year-rule. The former President is accused of looting the treasury in a long-running conspiracy that crippled the country.

The documents analysed by OCCRP show a web of fraud that far exceeds the figure offered by President Barrow.

According to OCCPR, Jammeh and his associates looted or misappropriated at least $975 million. The organisation says Jammeh and his associates stole $363.9 million from Gamtel/Gamcel, $325.5 million in illicit timber revenue, more than $100 million in foreign aid and soft loans from Taiwain, $71.2 million from the Central Bank of The Gambia, $60 million from the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation and $55.2 million from Gampetroleum.

Jammeh is also accused of plundering major accounts such as The International Gateway Account of $363 million through secret contracts, $43 million from the State Aircraft Fund to purchase a luxury jet,buses and vehicles. He is also accused of stealing $466,000 from the State Security Account for entertainment,travel, payments to his favorite wife Zeinab and other expenses.

Jammeh and his associates have also been accused by OCCRP of embezzling $35,706 from a fake Office of the First Lady Account and $4.5 million from National Youth Development Fund which is funded by revenue from a 10 percent fee on fish caught by trawlers in Gambian waters.

So, what is the Gambia government doing to recover some of these monies that were suspected of been sent to foreign shell companies about which little is known?

“Tracking and recovery is a very sensitive matter. People have the ability to move assets around the world. We are cooperating with several governments. Let’s remember that asset recovery efforts outside Gambia are not unfortunately within our control. They are in foreign territories. They are subjected to foreign laws and we can only rely on the goodwill and support of those countries where these assets are,” the Gambia’s minister of justice recently told the press.

Meanwhile, Jammeh’s manipulation of the Central bank may have violated several of Gambia’s laws, including the Government Budget and Management Accountability Act of 2004, the Social Security Act of 2010 and the Public Finance Act of 2004. His assets have been forfeited to the state but is yet to be charged of any crimes.

By Momodou Justice Darboe

It is almost six months to the planned protests against President Adama Barrow’s ambition to stay in office till 2021 but the much-hyped demonstrations has already caused quite a stir in President Barrow’s camp.

A group calling itself Operation Three Years Jotna is poised to spearhead protest(s) to ensure President Barrow make good on his promise of relinquising power come December 2019. They insists President Barrow must step aside in December as he earlier promised.

But the Gambia government is not taking lightly threats of protest rallies to force the President out of office at the end of this year. The government has already acquired a vehicle that is earmaked to spray hot-water on would-be demostrators in December, according to the interior ministry. Other members of the Barrow inner circle were making reference to the bloody April 2000 student protests that led to the massacre of 14 unarmed students.

Proving to be an issue of delicate national issue, many are of the view that threats against Gambians in the exercise of their constitutionally-guaranteed rights is not the way-forward in dealing with the planned December rallies.

President Barrow however insists that he’s mandated to serve five years and no threats would deter him from completing his mandate.

“The mandate given to me is a constitutional one. Whether you like it or not, I will stay in office till 2021,” President Barrow maintained during a mass political rally in Brikama of-late.

But to Dr. Ismaila Ceesay,a lecturer of Political Science at the University of The Gambia, a better approach such as convening a national conference to iron out the difference caused by the coalition agreement should be taken and now.

He said: “There must be a national dialogue as soon as possible before December. Why because..yes the constitution says five years but we have to be careful how we approach this three years and five years thing because we dont want to have a political vacuum. There is no President. There is no provision. The only provision is if President Barrow resigns voluntarily, the vice president continues the residue of the term. That’s what the constitution says. So, that’s an option.

“But to avert a situation where people are coming out and the government is forced to respond with force. To avert that situation, a national crisis, constitutional crisis, a power vacuum, I think it is apt for the country to have a national dialogue; a national consultation on this issue. It shouldn’t be left to the politicians alone. Let all stakeholders come; religious leaders, the academia,Diaspora, civil society, media, politicians and political parties to sit on one table as a country and define a path for this country which is in national interest.”

Dr. Ceesay further explained: ” If after this dialogue it emerge that the national interest is for us to leave Barrow to serve his term for five years, then we’ll accept that but that he must not run after that five years because that will be against the spirit of the MOU and the spirit of our democracy that we fought for.

“So there must be some dialogue. There must be some give and take. I think it is very dangerous for Barrow himself to come out and say whether you like, I’m going for five years. That was not the language they[Coalition partners] were using”.

Be as it may, the planned end of year march of resistance against Barrow can bring the country to the brink if not well managed, says analysts.

By Lamin Njie

The Basse Magistrates Court on Monday transferred the case of 23 people who are facing three charges including arson to the high court.

Magistrate Omar Jabang transferred the case after the prosecution last week applied that the case be transferred from the Basse Magistrates Court to the Special Criminal Division of the High Court.

Three weeks ago, the nation woke up to the news of an outbreak of another caste-related clashes in the Upper River Region this time in Koina in which houses were set ablaze and properties vandalised. Scores were also injured during the violence. The police later rounded up and detained nearly two dozen people suspected of involvement in the rampage. The suspects, numbering 23, have been accused by the police of inciting violence, arson and assault.

On Monday, the Basse Magistrates Court granted the prayer of the prosecution and transferred the case to the high court. It also remanded the accused persons in prison until such a time the case would come up at the high court.

Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations has slammed a senior adviser to President Adama Barrow over recent comments he made regarding the April 10 and April 11, 2000 student protest.

Henry Gomez reportedly said students who took part in the deadly protest 19 years ago were used by external forces.

The human rights group said in a statement Monday: “Whilst the Gambians and victims of all kinds are coming to terms with current revelations unfolding before the TRRC, Hon. Henry Gomez is preoccupied in politicizing and distorting facts regarding the victims of April 10 & 11, 2000 student demonstration thereby traumatizing victims of this incident that have been fighting for justice for nearly two decades.

“His unacceptable comments suggesting that students were used by external forces during the April 10 & 11, 2000 student demonstration was inconsistent with the facts established by the Commission that was later setup to probe the incident. Thus, his suggestion that the April 10 & 11 students were used by external forces is unfounded.

“Like many, the Victims Center is dismayed by this frivolous statement from Hon Gomez, and as a result, the Center cannot let it go without expressing its repugnance to such irresponsible remarks. It is totally unacceptable and deserves absolute condemnation in the strongest terms. As a Presidential Adviser, he ought to speak responsibly and work for unity and a cohesive society.

“Hon. Gomez’s statement is unpatriotic and we expect the Gambia Government not to condone such statements and must publicly reject and condemn same. Citing brutality meted on victims and distorting well established facts surrounding the April 10 &11, 2000 student demonstrations are clear indications of his lack of empathy and respect for the dignity of victims of such an unfortunate incident.

“It is worth noting that Hon. Henry Gomez was not acting in the best interest of the country, but rather propelling personal interest. These irresponsible remarks of his must not be allowed to be a tool to distract our collective pursuit of justice and accountability for the victims of human rights violations in the Gambia; instead it should serve as a source of strength and bring victims together to fight for redress.

“The Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations will continue to work with relevant partners to facilitate justice to victims, through national, regional and international mechanisms to ensure that peace continues to prevail in the country.

“We therefore call on Hon. Gomez to urgently withdraw his statement and apologize to the victims of April 10 & 11, 2000 student demonstration. We also call on the Government through the Attorney General’s Chambers and the Ministry of Justice to clarify their position on his statement.

“Finally, we advise Hon. Gomez to respect the promotion and protection of fundamental human rights as enshrined and entrenched in the Constitution of The Gambia.”

By Lamin Njie

Six serving members of the Gambia Armed Forces have been arrested, the spokesman of the army has said.

Reports on Saturday emerged of some serving members of the army abandoning their posts and fleeing the country.

Army spokesman Major Lamin K Sanyang confirmed on Sunday that six soldiers have been arrested.

“I can confirm that six soldiers have been arrested and are currently with the military police,” Sanyang told The Fatu Network without giving detail.

The six soldiers were arrested at different times beginning last week, Sanyang added.

By Lamin Njie

General Alagie Martin has been on administrative leave since May, the spokesman of the Gambia Armed Forces has confirmed.

“He reported back [from normal leave] around May 13 but he has been asked to proceed on administrative leave,” army spokesman Lamin K Sanyang told The Fatu Network Sunday.

Martin is fighting for his career as a military officer following his appearance at the TRRC last week. The high-ranking officer is one of most senior Gambian army officers to have so far been accused of serious human rights violations.

He told the TRRC he oversaw the brutal torture of then vice chairman of the AFPRC junta Sana Sabally and a raft of other political prisoners most of them soldiers. The incidents happened at various times in the mid-90s and early 2000s when Martin was only a sergeant.

By Lamin Njie

UDP leader Ousainou Darboe has said that The Gambia should be run by people who are not reliant on government positions for a good life.

Darboe stated this on Saturday while addressing thousands of supporters at a party rally in Brufut.

Mr Darboe said: “We can create millionaires like other countries have done but we must have a society that is discipline, a society that is free from corruption.

“We have to fight corruption at all levels and we should not live by lip service. We should live by examples. We should be modest in our living and be content with what we have.

“The country should be run by people who can live through their own means, through their own hard work, not through a position. What we are seeing now is that people are earning a good living through their position.”

The Democratic Union of Gambia Activists, DUGA, has said that President Adama Barrow’s government has been the greatest purveyor of violence against the Gambian masses.

The advocacy organisation stated this in a statement it issued on Thursday in relation to what it calls the ‘inflammatory’ speeches given at the recent Barrow Fans Club meeting.

The group said: “We, the Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (DUGA), express our utmost consternation at the inflammatory speeches given at the recent Barrow Fans Club rally in Brikama on June 15, 2019.

“Since taking office, Barrow and his government’s response to protests and plans to protest have exhibited this government’s propensity to silence dissent, than to strengthen our democratic rights that are enshrined in the Constitution of The Gambia.

“We recall the incidents with Occupy Westfield and Dafa Dooy protests, when the state machinery and its enforcer, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), refused to issue permits to protest based on their unfounded fear that they may incite violence in their speeches. After a few days of delay tactics from the state and the principled defiance from the organizers, the permits were issued.

“These two peaceful events came to pass without any violence or arrests. However, the whole world witnessed on social media how the brutish Police Intervention Unit (PIU), with guns drawn, interrupted and forcefully dispersed the legally gathered Occupy Westfield protest. It is quite telling that all the threats of bodily harm and intent to murder and kill have been one-sided, and have always come from the government officials, those entrusted with protecting the rights of Gambians. The whole world watched and listened in total dismay at the venomous political rhetoric, the barrage of threats, and intimidating remarks at President Barrow’s rallies, and he condoned all the statements made on his behalf with congratulatory handshakes and warm embraces.

“We therefore pose the rhetorical questions: Does the Barrow administration and its fan clubs apply for permits subjected to the same rules and regulations set by the IGP’s office, or are public gatherings only allowed when praise-singing the President? Will the IGP deliver a statement to condemn the threats of bodily harm to Gambians who express their democratic right to protest?

“We have always maintained that the Barrow State machinery, a stark continuation of the Jammeh terror machinery, skillfully shrouded in “sheep’s clothing”, has been the greatest purveyor of violence against the Gambian masses. This is not a mere accusation, we can cite a few examples in Kanilai, Busumbala and Faraba Banta. In our view and the recurring evidence, the Barrow administration poses the greatest threat to national security. The June 15, 2019, Barrow Fans

“Club rally proves our assertion beyond any shadow of a doubt. Following Barrow’s inauguration, we raised the alarm on the reckless and unbecoming behavior of the regime and its parasitic enablers during Jammeh, and post Jammeh, as a blatant threat to our national interest.

“We categorically make our position clear, we take the side of our beloved Gambia for genuine national development, and will defend the rights of its citizens to exercise its constitutionally guaranteed rights.

“A proud democratic and tolerant future is possible but we must be willing to stand up, defend, and protect our rights.”

By Lamin Njie

GDC leader Mamma Kandeh on Thursday began a tour of communities in the Central River Region that have been heavily damaged by a powerful windstorm.

URR and CRR were hit by a powerful windstorm on Tuesday in which tens of houses have been destroyed.

“We were supposed to embark on a nationwide tour for two weeks but unfortunately there was this rain with a big wind and has caused a lot of damage in CRR and URR and many people are displaced, some injured, three people have also died in URR,” Kandeh speaking to The Fatu Network on Friday said.

Mr Kandeh who spoke on the phone from Pacharr, Central River Region added: “We are visiting all the affected areas, village by village.

“We are handing over the small token we have to the Alkalos of the victims. This is what we are doing right now and it’s based on the number of compounds affected.”

The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr Mamadou Tangara, and National Peace Hut Women of Liberia on Thursday June 20th, 2019 received the 2019 United Nations Population Award in a ceremony held at the UN Headquarters in New York.

The Deputy Secretary – General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, on behalf of the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, conferred the award on Dr. Tangara which consists of gold medal, a diploma and a monetary prize.

Deputy – Secretary General Mohammed said the UN recognised Dr. Tangara’s leadership in conflict prevention and his understanding of the importance of the grassroots non-violent youth movement in the political uncertainty in the aftermath of the  Gambia’s 2016 presidential election.

She commended Minister Tangara for efforts made in preventing humanitarian catastrophe during the 2016 political crisis.

The citation on the award reads: “In recognition of your courage and your leadership, through the use of diplomacy, both in global and national arenas, which helped prevent conflict in your country, The Gambia.”

She said Foreign Minister Tangara and the National Peace Hut Women of Liberia were selected for their dedication to peace and sustainable development, for providing safe havens in the midst of conflict and for rebuilding societies and communities.

In his acceptance speech, Minister Tangara paid glowing tribute to the entire UN team, his late Father and mother and the people of The Gambia. He took the opportunity to commend H.E President Adama Barrow for giving him another chance to serve The Gambia. He urged individuals, groups and civil society organisations around the world to refocus and redouble their efforts in the face of political uncertainty, prevent conflict through preventive methods of diplomacy. He emphasised the need for all to adopt preventive diplomacy in a bid to empower the vulnerable and marginalised in societies.

The General Assembly resolution of 1981 of the United Nations established the UN Population Award. The award is presented annually to an individual and an institution in recognition of outstanding contributions to increasing the awareness of population questions or to their solutions.

By Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad

By Momodou Justice Darboe

President Barrow Youth for National Development, BYND, Thursday briefed the media about a donation of 228 motor bicycles to the organisation by unspecified donors.

The intervention is aimed at helping the group in the implementation of over 150 youth-related and poverty eradication projects across the country.

BYND also briefed the media on the donation of two borehole drilling machines to the group as part of sustained efforts in responding to the needs of youth through skills acquisition and other productive ventures.

During the briefing, the media also learned about a donation of 50 milling machines to BYND and according to Kebba Lang Fofana, the machines would be distributed to some needy communities in the country soon.

Mr Fofana, who is the Secretary General of BYND, explained:” We have 228 motor bicycles as gifts from generous donors which will be distributed to the youths of this country in order to complement the national development efforts of the government.

“In addition to that we’ve received two borehole drilling machines and currently over 30 youths have been identified, trained by well-qualified Gambian borehole drillers in borehole drilling; from drilling component itself to the electrical component to pipe-laying and distribution component. These youth, once qualified, will be certified and eventually they will be empowered with required materials to become entrepreneurs of this country,” he added.

BYND secretary disclosed that his group has sufficient equipment to drill and install 50 boreholes of 10,000-litre capacity.

Responding to the question as to whether the motorbikes are not part of efforts in promoting President Barrow’s political ambitions, Mr. Fofana said:” People are entitled to their opinions and if people say this may be part of greater efforts for Barrow to return to the State House, you’ll not be out there to say they are lying or they are saying this or saying that. The most important thing here is Barrow Youth for National Development and Barrow as an individual are two different things. We are an organisation that is apolitical.”

Also briefing the press, Seedy Lamin Bah, Programme Officer of BYND, enthused that:” As part of our development efforts to contribute to national development,we are tasked with the responsibility of helping community development and in order to do our work in the communities, we need operational tools. So, receiving these items will help us to access areas that we want to go when we go on the ground.”

By Momodou Justice Darboe

Staff of Banjul Breweries on Thursday took to the street to bring in home on the Gambian authorities their growing fears and apprehension over prospects of losing their jobs.

The staff believe that if the government insists on the 75% hike in tax levied on the company, many of them risk losing their livelihoods.

Negotiations between the company and government have stalled and the company staff are worried that sooner rather than later, many of them would be sent packing if the government did not reverse its decision of not revisiting the tax increase.

Consequently, they converged on the busy Westfield intersection in Serekunda to take part in a march that was aimed at drawing the attention of government and the general public to prospects of huge job loss at the brewery.

“Our sister company has already closed. Presently, they are dismantling their materials in Niger. That is facing us, too. So, we have fears of our people too because they [Banjul Breweries] have laid off 18 staff already. So, we came out today to showcase our concerns to the Gambian people so that they can know what is happening within The Gambia. I think government should advocate increasing employment not reducing it. If Banjul Breweries closes down, so many people will suffer. Even government will lose revenue,” Alhagie Ceesay, one of the organisers of the march, told reporters.

He added:” We need the tax to come down because it is too high for us. 50 years [tax] was 10% and within 3 years, they [government] increased it to 65% making it 75%. If you observe, Banjul Breweries has so far the highest alcoholic tax in the world.”

Asked as to the state of negotiations between the brewery and government, Mr Ceesay lamented: “Even the negotiation is broken because we don’t have information from neither trade nor finance. We also wrote to the National Assembly. We wrote to all these institutions about the situation but nothing has come out of it.National Assembly have been sitting from Monday to date but we’ve not heard anything about our issue.”

Atleast 150 members of staff were believed to have taken part in Thursday’s march.

By Lamin Njie

One of The Gambia’s most senior army officers to have so far been accused of serious human rights violations on Thursday couldn’t discern Allah was the same as God.

Brigadier general Alagie Martin is accused of masterminding the torture of political prisoners in the early days of former president Yahya Jammeh’s regime.

On Thursday, Martin appeared before the TRRC during which he was relentlessly questioned and when the investigation’s led counsel at one point asked him whether it was ‘Oga before God’ the top army officer replied: “No sir, it’s God before Oga.”

Martin then said: “I mean, I mean, Allah before God.”

The general then added after the audience burst into laughter: “Yes. Yes. Oga before God.”

TRRC counsel was referring to how Martin worked for former president Yahya Jammeh.

Martin is the most senior Gambian army officer of all time to have been accused of torture and other human rights abuses.

He piloted the brutal torture of then vice chairman of the AFPRC junta Sana Sabally and a raft of other political prisoners most of them soldiers. The incidents happened at various times in the mid-90s and early 2000s when Martin was only a sergeant.

By Lamin Njie

The United States government has said The Gambia is not making significant efforts to fight the scourge of human trafficking.

The US Department of State has released the 2019 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, an annual publication by the US government documenting the efforts of the governments of 187 countries and territories to combat human trafficking.

A statement by the US government through its embassy in Banjul on Thursday said the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report “found that the Government of The Gambia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.”

“Consequently, in this year’s TIP Report, The Gambia was ranked Tier 3,” the statement added.

The TIP report arranges countries into three tiers based on their efforts to fight trafficking, and a country in Tier 3 is placed under special scrutiny and risks US sanctions.

Still on The Gambia, the US government said while the country “did take some steps to address trafficking, the report details many deficiencies and a lack of significant effort.”

The US government statement added: “The government partnered with an NGO to prevent forced begging in Quranic schools and doubled the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons (NAATIP) budget for 2019.  However, the government did not complete any trafficking prosecutions for the second consecutive year, did not investigate reported cases of child sex tourism, identified and assisted the fewest number of trafficking victims in five years, failed to protect trafficking victims from intimidation, and decreased efforts to raise public awareness about human trafficking.

“Human trafficking represents a threat to international peace and security.  It undermines the rule of law, robs millions of their dignity and freedom, enriches transnational criminals and terrorists, and threatens public safety and national security everywhere.  The message could not be more clear: addressing human trafficking at home takes willingness to challenge misperceptions of what human trafficking is or is not and unwavering determination at all levels of governance.

“Neither the United States nor The Gambia are immune from the continued scourge of human exploitation.  It is our sincere desire to partner with the government and the people of The Gambia to ensure that trafficking victims are cared for, and the government of The Gambia uses its rule of law mechanisms to fully enforce Gambian law and bring perpetrators of such exploitation of human beings to justice.

“Through the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP) the United States recently provided a $750,000 (GMD 37.1 Million) grant to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support The Gambia’s national efforts to combat human trafficking in the country and to support Gambian-led progress toward effectively combatting trafficking in persons.

“We encourage the Gambian Government to direct and fund law enforcement and increase efforts to vigorously investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, while following due process.  The government should develop and train government officials on standard procedures to proactively identify trafficking victims and to provide trafficking victims with adequate social services.”

By Lamin Njie

The most senior Gambian army officer so far accused of serious human rights abuses on Thursday told the TRRC he was acting on orders.

Brigadier general Alagie Martin is accused of masterminding the torture of political prisoners in the early days of former president Yahya Jammeh’s regime. He piloted the brutal torture of then vice chairman of the AFPRC junta Sana Sabally and a raft of other political prisoners most of them soldiers. The incidents happened at various times in the mid-90s and early 2000s when Martin was only a sergeant.

On Thursday, Martin appeared before the TRRC telling the investigation he indeed ‘beat not tortured’ Sana Sabally and other political detainees. Sana Sabally was arrested in January 1995 after being accused of plotting to overthrow Jammeh.

The top general told the investigation: “He (Sana Sabally) was beaten, but-stroked, slapped, all those things have been done to him because he refused to talk.”

Martin’s behaviour drew laughter out of the audience at various points including when he was asked by the commission’s counsel Essa Faal about whether beating someone amounted to torture.

“Well, he was beaten mercilessly. I can say that,” Martin told Faal.

When Faal told him if he was satisfied to call it ‘beaten’ but would not call it ‘torture,’ the top general shook his head and said: “No. No. It’s not torture.”

Martin was a close protection officer to former president Yahya Jammeh. He was also once the commander of the state guard battalion.

The Gambia government on Wednesday issued a statement expressing concern over the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and on Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia.

Two oil tankers last week came under attack in the Gulf of Oman and on Monday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed to have launched a drone attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia.

The Government of the Republic of The Gambia in a statement on Wednesday said it was expressing ‘grave’ concern over the recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and on Abha International Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“The Government of the Republic of The Gambia condemns in no uncertain terms these dastardly acts that threaten lives, property and world peace; and, calls on the International Community to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“By the same token, the Gambia Government reaffirms its solidarity with the people and government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab coalition partners,” the statement issued by the foreign affairs ministry said.

By Lamin Njie

Gambian lawmakers on Wednesday approved a request by the Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou for three top former officials of the Janneh Commission to be paid their outstanding salary of D600,000.

Surahata Janneh, Abioseh George and Bai Mass Saine in 2017 led a painstaking investigation into the financial activities of public enterprises, bodies and offices as regards their dealings with former President Yahya Jammeh. The three former commissioners were receiving D100,000 in honoraria each every month. But the officials in a letter written to the minister of justice on June 10, 2019 said three months after the submission of their report to President Adama Barrow, they were yet to receive payments for February and March.

“We have armed you with all the correspondence and documents you require to obtain approval for our payments. As far as you know, there is no resistance from the National Assembly with respect to our honoraria,” the officials told the justice minister in their letter.

They added: “However, you seem to have discomfort appearing before the National Assembly to justify payment for work done. This reluctance on your part is rather unjust.”

On Wednesday, the Minister of Justice appeared before the National Assembly where he secured an approval for D200,000 to be paid to each of the three commissioners.