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APRC cuts cake, reads quran to celebrate 25th anniversary of July 22nd coup

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By Lamin Njie

Opposition APRC Monday held a cake cutting ceremony to mark the 25th anniversary of the July 22, 1994 military coup which brought former president Yahya Jammeh to power.

Twenty-five years ago today, The Gambia experienced its first change of government through the barrel of gun. On July 22, 1994, disgruntled young army officers of the Gambia National Army now re-baptized Gambia Armed Forces took control of the affairs of The Gambia and the 22 years quasi-military rule that followed is a history that many Gambians relate to variously.

But on Monday, Jammeh’s party, APRC, held a cake cutting ceremony and a quran recitation in Tallinding attended by tens of people.

“For us, we believe that from July 1994 up to July 1996 to date, massive transformation took place in the socio-political life of The Gambia,” APRC interim leader Fabakary Tombong Jatta told Gambian Talents Promotion at the quran recitation event.

He added: “So we are here to thank God, that we were able to witness those successes and also pray to Allah to bring those glorious days back again [and] to give former president Yahya Jammeh and his family long life, peace and prosperity and for him to return to The Gambia.”

Jammeh’s dollars for Deyda’s life: Ex-jungler bares how he and three others were given dollars after they killed journalist Deyda Hydara

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By Lamin Njie

A former member of former president Yahya Jammeh’s elite killing crew has detailed how he and three others were given dollars after a killing mission that involved a journalist.

On December 16, 2004, Gambians woke up to the horrifying news of the brutal assassination of a journalist. That journalist turned out to be Deyda Hydara, the former editor of The Point newspaper – and since his death, a lot of questions have been raised including who really killed him.

On Monday, a former jungler who took orders from former president Yahya Jammeh offered the most dependable answer so far by telling the TRRC it was the former president who ordered for his killing.

“We were summoned for a normal patrol and on the road Tumbul told us we were going for the magic pen,” Malick Jatta who said he was part of a team of four people who shot and killed the journalist in an operation that was carried out at night told the TRRC during a chilling tell-all.

“[It was] myself, Sana Manjang, Tumbul [Tamba] and [Alieu] Jeng. Tumbul Tamba was driving the taxi. We drove on the Kairaba Avenue to the Traffic Light.

“When he [Tumbul Tamba] parked at Traffic Light, it was where (sic) he was talking to the former president and why I know he was talking to the former president was due to the fact that he was mentioning, ‘yes sir, your excellency.’”

Jatta and his fellow junglers later left Traffic Light for Bakau only for them to return to Traffic Light again and then drove to Westfield. From Westfield, the killers drove towards Banjul only for them to take a turn to the right, about 800 meters from Westfield.

Jatta, now 43, said: “There was a vehicle in front of us. Initially we did not know he (Tumbul Tamba) was running after a vehicle (sic).

“When he was opposite the vehicle, as he was trying to [go] past the vehicle, he shouted, ‘gentlemen, the driver is the idiot.’ He (Tumbul Tamba) was shouting, ‘shoot, shoot.’ We all released shots.”

The killers later drove back to where they picked the taxi, boarded their official vehicles and then drove to Kanilai. The following day, envelopes loaded with dollars got doled out.

Jatta said: “We went to Kanilai. The following day, Tumbul came to see us. He met me at the school.

“He came with an envelope containing some dollars and he said to us, ‘this is a token of appreciation the big man – big man applies the president.’

“When I changed it, it was a long time I cannot remember but I believe I scored more than D50,000.”

14-year-old girl was not kidnapped but rather spent night with her boyfriend, police say

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By Lamin Njie

Police in The Gambia Monday rubbished claims a 14-year-old girl was kidnapped and held in an empty container.

Reports last week emerged on social media of at least three teenagers disappearing without trace, one of them as young as 14 years old.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie in a statement on Monday said “the office of the Inspector General of Police has noted with concern information going round social media platforms about missing persons including adults and minors.”

Njie added: “Although most of these reports on social media platforms were never formally filed with the police, exhaustive investigations have however, been conducted in many of the reported cases.

“The report about a 14 year old girl (name withheld) at Kanifing, allegedly kidnapped and held in an empty cargo container with other children proves to be untrue. She confessed visiting her boyfriend in Lamin Village where she spent the night returning home at 4pm the following day. The boyfriend, 18 years old adult has been arrested and he is helping with investigations.

“Similarly, another report about 19 year old Fatoumatta Manneh at kotu, allegedly abducted and held in a dark unidentified room at an unknown location with other girls is equally unfounded. She confessed picking up a job as house maid at Kotu South where she stayed without her parent’s knowledge. She further admits sending text messages to her family about her false abduction.

“The case of a 15 year old boy (name withheld) gone missing in Banjul was as well investigated. It was found that he left home to Senegal where he intends to enroll in a Quranic School without knowledge of his parents. He has been found and reunited with his Family.

“The Inspector General’s Office wish to assure the public that it will not relent in its efforts to protect life and properties of individuals as enshrined in section 178(1) and (2) of the constitution of the Gambia.

“In this regard the general public is urged to report all cases and cooperate with the Police in the fight against all forms of crimes.”

Sabally Reiterates His Opposition to the Transformation of GTTI into a University, Calls for Revival of Cultural Institutions

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Former Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs Momodou Sabally has further emphasised his criticism of plans to transform The Gambia Technical Training Institute, GTTI, into a university of Science and Technology as recently announced by government.

Speaking to graduating students and the audience including the National Assembly Member for the area, the Chief and other local authorities,  assembled at Somita Senior Secondary School on Sunday July 21, 2019, Sabally harped on the need for government to get its priorities right; and to focus on improving the quality of basic and secondary education rather than dispersing scarce resources on the creation of a new university while our only University, UTG remains underfunded and ill-equipped. His remarks dovetailed into the school principal‘s report which highlighted that the school’s laboratories have not been equipped yet.

Sabally further advised the graduates to proceed to tertiary institutions and to get further training, and implored them to“Seek the means to improve your talents and skills on a continuous basis, and develop the habit of life-long learning. Education is your golden key to the gates of bliss and fortune in this Information Age that is gradually cementing the blocks of the knowledge economy that the world is running on.”

In a graduation speech a few days earlier at Jiboroh Upper Basic School, Sabally addressed students on the topic of discipline and asserted that in order for our societies to effectively combat the problem of indiscipline, “government needs to lead the process of reviving our cultural institutions like circumcision rites so that we can rebuild what we lost in terms of our sacred, sanctifying and edifying cultural practices.”

“Whatever I have achieved in life today, by the grace of Allah, could not have been attained without the disciplinary regime I went through with my teachers during the early period of my education. But all this disciplinary regime at school was based on the foundation of our cultural institutions of discipline – rites of passage: Circumcision and it’s myriad processes of instilling discipline.

“Alas, we have thrown away these cultural institutions in pursuit of our so called modern civilisation and now look at where we stand!

As young people I implore you to obey your school rules, respect your teachers and remain focused on your education. Life is not easy, has never been easy. Therefore discipline is your insurance against the inevitable turbulences you have to go through to make it in life.”

In other commencement speeches he delivered during the past two weeks, Sabally spoke to graduates of New Covenant School on the importance of formal education on July 19, in Faji Kunda and also dwelled on the importance of the education of the girl child when he addressed the community of Kerr Auldi in the Central River Region on July 13, 2019.

Identity Crisis

With Gambia as a former British colony, it was virtually natural for Gambians to emigrate to Britain during the colonial period and after our independence. There was a sense of familiarity and we understood their ways a bit after dealing with them during the colonial days. The connection was already there. The United States and Scandinavia followed after independence too. Today, you will find large numbers of Gambians in all these places that have settled for decades and have families there. In rare cases, you will find third generation Gambians in some of these places, but it’s mostly first and second generations, since we started emigrating in significant numbers.

Given this backdrop, one would assume that by now, we would have had solid and cohesive Gambian communities in most of the places we have chosen to emigrate to in substantial numbers. But that’s not the case, judging by how fragmented we are regardless of our population in a particular area. The fragmentation is born out of the unhealthy and unnecessary competition that exist among us, in my opinion. Instead of collaborating to help and support one another, we unnecessarily compete on all fronts for individual achievements. We are too busy trying to outshine each other on the individual level, that we are oblivious about the big picture of community and the strength it can bring.

The number of Gambians in London and other major cities in England is pretty considerable given The Gambia’s population, but I am not aware of a Gambian Community Center in any of those cities set up by Gambians to help orientate and integrate new arrivals by assisting them with training, job search, or educational opportunities. The same could be said for major cities here in the United States with a noteworthy Gambian presence too, such as Atlanta, Maryland, Raleigh, Seattle and New York. On the other hand, I am aware of such Community Centers established by other immigrants in cities, such as the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota. They provide educational programs for Somali students of all ages, develop talent, and provide a comprehensive workforce and technical training to build job skills. They also do immigration advocacy when community members get caught by the “Immigration Net.” I am also aware of an Ethiopian Community and Cultural Center right here in Oakland and many other cities, including London, that does the same things.

There is strength in numbers, and a united community will benefit all. But for us (Gambians), an individual is first and community last. We are consumed by the “teyki competition” to see the big picture of community. The more we can isolate ourselves from the community the better, and we are now proud and virtually brag about our kids not liking our food or understanding and speaking our languages. What you now hear is “hai, kee morm daygut Olof deh” or “kee morm like-gut sunge laka yee, hamga hamut bopam.” Our kids don’t like our food so we buy them Chinese food? The Chinese kids that were born in the west do eat Chinese food (their food), but our kids who were born in the west don’t eat our food? This is neither cute nor wise, and we need to snap out of it and refuse to enable this pattern of robbing our own kids of their identity.

Here in San Francisco, every time there is a Chinese parade or cultural event, the performances are filled with third and fourth generation young Chinese kids, they are the ones inside those big dragons in the parades and they are the ones beating the drums. They have been taught the Chinese culture and they are carrying on the traditions with pride, despite never even been to China, for many of them. The same could be said about other immigrant communities too, such as the Japanese and Mexican communities. Regardless of where one is in this global world, it is important to be able to know and accept your identity because it is an integral part of humanity, and food and language play a big role in that. Lots of other people go to Gambia to learn about our languages and enjoy our food as part of their human experience, yet some of us are denying our children the opportunity to lean our own languages and appreciate our food. What an irony!

Irrespective of where you find yourself, you should still value and appreciate your identity. And if we deny that to our children, we would have done them a huge disservice. Knowing and accepting their identity will strengthen them so they too can appreciate Gambia and be able to give back, as we embark on this arduous journey of trying to build Gambia.

 

Beleaguered Melville Roberts: Gov’t takes ‘concrete’ decision

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By Lamin Njie

The Gambia government has taken a ‘concrete’ decision in the case of suspended Melville Robertson Roberts.

“The senior management of the ministry plus all the relevant authorities in government met this week and discussed on the matter and a concrete decision has been taken,” a spokesperson of the foreign ministry Saikou Ceesay told The Fatu Network Friday.

That decision will be communicated to him in due course, he added. Ceesay however would not share what the decision is.

Melville Robertson Roberts is a deputy permanent secretary at the ministry of foreign affairs but was abruptly suspended following shocking allegations of rape and sexual assault made against him by at least five women. The allegations which emerged late last month have since precipitated an investigation.

Mr Robertson Roberts has failed to return to the country three weeks since the ministry of foreign affairs issued an ultimatum demanding that he returns to the country.

Police officer who killed Kebba Secka arrested and charged with murder

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By Lamin Njie

A first class police constable has confessed to stabbing a university student, police have said.

Police in The Gambia said they have charged Lamin Trawally with murder over the death of 25-year-old Kebba Secka.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie in a statement late Thursday explained: “On Tuesday 9th July 2019, between 22:00hrs and 23:00hrs, the Office of the Inspector General of Police recieved information that an incident of stabbing occurred around Palma Rima Junction in which 25 year old Kebba Secka was stabbed with a knife by an unidentified person resulting to his untimely death.

“Police Officers were immediately dispatched to the scene leading to the initial arrest and subsequent release of four suspects when investigators established they are not culpable for the crime. After taking appropriate actions, the Police eventually moved the body to Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital for autopsy.

“Following an exhaustive investigation; the suspect has been identified as First Class Constable Lamin Trawally an officer of the Gambia Police Force. Lamin Trawally admits he and his colleague attempted to search the deceased which led to a scuffle.

“He confessed that during the scuffle with the group of boys found smoking cannabis on Tuesday 7th July 2019, he fought and stabbed the deceased with a knife and fled.

“The suspect has been arrested and charged with murder contrary to section 187 of the criminal code laws of the Gambia. He is currently under custody awaiting trial.

“The Inspector General’s office appreciates the  diligence and professionalism of our officers who carried out the investigations. Meanwhile, the general public is assured that the due process of the law will be applied accordingly.”

El Chapo’s sad end! Drug lord is sentenced to life behind bars plus another 30 years

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El Chapo has been sentenced to life imprisonment plus 30 years after a dramatic sentencing hearing in Brooklyn where he pleaded for mercy and complained about the conditions inside his New York City cell.

The 62-year-old broke his silence to make a statement, his first throughout his months-long legal saga.

Speaking through a translator, he complained that he was ‘tortured 24 hours-a-day’ in his solitary confinement cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he has been since January 2017.

He also complained that he was denied a fair trial, that the judge failed to investigate claims of prosecutorial misconduct and said the United States is ‘no better than any corrupt country’.

Guzman, wearing a gray suit, purple tie and purple shirt, began by blowing a kiss to his wife, Emma Coronel Aispuro, and thanked her and his legal team for their support.

He had grown his moustache back for the hearing which was surrounded by armed guards and caused such a media scrum that journalists slept outside the courthouse to ensure they got a spot.

The only other relatives who attended the hearing were his cancer-stricken oldest daughter, Rosa Isela Guzmán, and his niece, Daniela. It is unclear which visas they were allowed into the country on.

His mother was denied a humanitarian visa to attend.

Among his complaints was that he has not been allowed contact with his wife – a strict condition that has been imposed since before the trial began and will remain in place.

Witnesses during the trial said she helped him escape Mexican prison in 2015 by acting as a liaison between him and his associates. She was also accused of smuggling a cell phone into court during the trial to communicate with him.

His 30-year-old wife, sporting a new hairstyle and at least $75,000 worth of jewelry, watched from the packed gallery. It was likely the last time they will ever see each other since she has been banned from visiting him.

The drug lord’s statement did little to sway U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan who said the ‘overwhelming evil’ in the case was ‘so severe’ that he should be punished to the full extent of the law.

He was jailed for life on drug trafficking offenses and given an additional 30 for firearms offenses.  His attorneys have already vowed to appeal.

During the hearing, a woman who survived a hit that he ordered spoke to try to seal his fate.

She said: ‘I am a miracle of God, because Mr. Guzman tried to kill me.

‘I paid a high price — I lost my family, my friends, I became a shadow without a name.

‘I had everything and I lost everything, even my identity.’

In his statement, read by a translator, he complained about the conditions in the Manhattan facilty where he awaited trial and about the rules imposed on him.

‘I’ve been forced to drink unsanitary water. I’ve been denied access to fresh air and sunlight. The only sunlight I have in my cell comes through in the air vent.

‘In order to sleep, I have to clog my ears with toilet paper because of the air from the air duct.

‘My wife has not been allowed to this day to visit me, I have not been allowed to hug my daughters.

‘I have been physically, psychologically, mentally tortured 24 hours a day,’ he said.

He also complained that he was not given a fair trial and that he should never have been brought to the US.

‘My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial when the whole world was watching.

‘When I was extradited to the United States, I expected to have a fair trial, but what happened was exactly the opposite,’ he said.

He did, however, reserve praise for the guards at the Metropolitan Correctional Facility who his lawyer said had treated him ‘humanely’.

He also wanted to thank the US Marshals who brought him to the trial and guarded him throughout.

After the hearing, El Chapo’s lawyers vowed to appeal the sentence.

‘All we ask for is a fair trial, I’m not here to say that the gentleman was a saint, we just want a fair trial,’ Jeffrey Lichtman, the head of his legal team, said.

Of the $12.6billion forfeiture, Lichtman said it was a sham.

‘It’s a fiction. It’s part of the show trial that we’re here for. They’ve been looking for his assets for how long, decades?’

He was asked about the supermax prison where he is likely to be sent, and said that while the world may not hear from El Chapo again, the ‘stink’ from the verdict persists. (DailyMail)

Tortured Saidykhan explains how Ngorr Secka was unsympathetic to him only for the ex-NIA boss to also fall on Jammeh’s wrong side

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By Lamin Njie

Former Independent newspaper editor Musa Saidykhan has explained how a former director of the National Intelligence Agency was unsympathetic to him only for him to be also arrested.

US-based Saidykhan was arrested in March 2006 and detained at the NIA where he met Ngorr Secka who at some point served as director of the agency.

Testifying before the TRRC, Saidykhan who is at the top of the pile in terms of Gambian journalists who were brutally tortured at the NIA during Jammeh’s rule said he met Secka at the NIA after he and fellow journalist Madi Ceesay were bought there from Banjul Police Station.

“The only guy who was not sympathetic to us at the time was Ngorr Secka,” Saidykhan told the TRRC.

“Because he came, he was nicely dressed. He was asking us to brew China green tea or ataya for him and all of a sudden, he came and asked in the middle of our conversation why we were there.

“When he was told we were journalists, he started apportioning blame on us, blaming us for setting the country on fire.

“That we didn’t know the country we were about to set on fire was our own country but we didn’t respond. And then few days later, the same Ngorr Secka was arrested and then he also was brought to the NIA.”

‘Back Way:’ 122 Gambian women entered Italy in 2017, Immigration says

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The number of Gambian women who entered Italy in 2017 totalled 122, the Gambia Immigration Department has said.

The department’s deputy director Hulay Jallow speaking at a summit of stakeholders on the risks of irregular migration in The Gambia on Tuesday said 5,808 Gambians arrived in Italy in 2017.

“Between January and June 2017, 4, 920 arrived in Italy via boat, while those that arrived in the whole year total to 5, 808, including 4, 249 male, and 122 female. However, 1, 437 were children of which 1, 417 are unaccompanied minors,” Jallow told participants at the summit held at Ocean Bay Hotel in Bakau.

The journalism awards conundrum

There are no favours.

And boy, Baa Tambadou isn’t perfect. He’s a sinner that refuses to repent for his sins against divine right of freedom of expression. He has defended false news in court and reminded us some few months afterwards that the law is still here, alive and threatening.
False news flies in the teeth of the sacred human rights principle of equality before the law.

Lemme explain in simpler terms! When a government lies with the purposeful ruthlessness and alarming frequency that it does, that’s called protection of national security, public health and decency. When a journalist or politician or activist lies against the government, that’s called conduct conducive to breach of peace.

Now, my friend, even in a banana democracy, whose lies should be protected? The one paid by taxpayers to tell nothing but the truth or the one paying taxes so he could have the ‘liberty to know, utter and argue freely according to [his] conscience [not according to what is true] above all other liberties’.

False news is unjust. No justice minister should defend it. The government – any government – lies and he that lies cannot be the police of truth.

So boy, Baa is a damn sinner! But oh boy, wasn’t Mandela a saint who sinned against women, farmers et cetera! Yet, on the day of judgement, on earth for his peace prize and in heavens for his worldly deeds, the merchants of justice adjudged him on the basis that his bad and good deeds were put on a pendulum and it swung in favour of the latter. Apply similar rules in the context of press freedom champion award and Baa will pass with flying colours. He might have a firm stance that false news is ‘necessary in our democracy’, but he conceded on the unconstitutionality of sedition, criminal defamation and false publication on the internet.

Above and over any other consideration, through Baa’s office, the government has commenced implementation of Ecowas Court decisions on crimes committed against various journalists by paying up an estimated US$250,000 of compensation.

Notwithstanding this being a burden inherited from the misrule of the former government, Attorney General Tambadou, with due prominence and sheer commitment, carried that heavy cross onto his government’s financially leaned shoulders. The implementation of the ruling of the Ecowas court means so much to the GPU and anyone who cares about freedom of press and safety of journalists. By paying up, the Gambia is now a leader among its peers on the sub-regional stage. The last time I checked, there were more than THIRTY decisions of the Ecowas court that have not been complied with by Ecowas members, including well-established, well-nurtured democracies.

Granted, there has not been any government-initiated reform of any piece of anti-speech legislation, but at least criminal defamation, false publication on the internet and part of sedition is no longer enforceable against journalists and citizens. Contrary to what was written by some veteran elsewhere, there was no Freedom of Information Bill on the Justice Minister’s desk until two weeks ago when we drafted and submitted it for his ministry’s consideration. He received us warmly, promised to work with us towards the enactment of the law and even contracted the proposed timeline. On this subject and on the broader issues of media and freedom of expression law reforms, the line of dialogue remains open.

Lest we forget that the setting up of the TR et cetera Commission was in no small measure influenced by the need to seek justice for the murder of Deyda Hydara, the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh and the torture and brutalisation of many other media professionals.

Lest we also forget that the constitutional building process was in no small measure influenced by the need to provide broad constitutional guarantees for fundamental human rights and freedoms. This therefore provides an opportunity to ‘entrench the future’ we want for journalism through broad constitutional protection for issues of freedom of expression, freedom of the media and freedom of information. In all these, from public consultations and constituting the commissions, the media through the GPU was involved beyond by way of mere consultation. The GPU has been asked to nominate representatives who were endorsed. The GPU also took part in selecting members of the various commissions, including the National Human Rights Commission.

So boy, you see, Baa is a sinner who has done so much for press freedom. It is not only laws that matter. Life doesn’t stop or begin there. Impunity matters. Inclusion matters. Recognisation of the role and work of the press matters. There are good, hard-working people in government. They may not out-rightly concede on our every demand. But we can reward and recognise exceptional efforts even as we jaw-jaw. We know how much it cost to war-war. We’ve been there, bruised and battered, and only few people heard our cries. So, in case one missed it, in our rebranding efforts, the GPU is transitioning from a ‘resistance movement to a proactive organisation’ with appropriate programmes, policies and approaches to effectively engage with public policy and influence it in favour of press freedom. So guys, diplomacy is as much at work at the GPU as KMC is at work in Kanifing Municipality.

And don’t get it twisted. The 2019 journalism awards wasn’t about Baa Tambadou. It wasn’t about the Fatous from Mars either. If you’d forgotten – or you were not around, it all began with a humble start, some four rains ago. Appai and his many Alagie Martins were around. All we wanted to do was to quietly promote journalism in a country where the role and work of the press was policitised, misrepresented and underplayed. There were not many friends then. There were few Facebook comments and shares and even fewer tweets and retweets. Welcome to New Gambia! To all friends of the media, new and old, defend press freedom and support journalism for the good of our country. A humble plea, though, I hope won’t hurt: don’t bring your partisan politics here. Unity was what saw us through those difficult waters. So, bring your needles that would tie us stronger, against looming storms, not your razors that would tear us apart and weaken us.

For the benefit of those who didn’t care to read the many dispatches on the award, and are speaking from Venus, here’s how the journalism awards works. The competition, which has been a flagship event of World Press Freedom Day commemorations is prided as the highest and most prestigious journalism award in the country. It is open to all Gambian journalists working in print, radio, television and online. If you trust your journalism, you shouldn’t be afraid to compete. There are more than 20 awards up for grabs, covering wide range of fields of reporting – politics, sports, business, health, environment, investigative, human rights, tourism, agriculture, courts, women and children. Individual journalists, not media organisations, submit stories they believe can win them awards.

For purposes coordination, the awards events are organised by an adhoc committee that operates independent of the GPU Executive. The mandate of this committee is to fundraise and coordinate the organisation of the award events. It comprises media professionals from different media outlets. The committee works closely with the secretariat and that’s headed by me. I am represented by a GPU programme officer in Haddija Jawara.

Then, the judges! We have such a nice thing called Journalism Award Jury. This comprises eminent media professionals with no loyalty or allegiance to any journalists or media house. The chairperson of the jury is Agnes Thomasi, who heads the Dakar-based West Africa Democracy Radio. That lady – if you could even imagine that she would show favour or affection in this work, then you do not know her. And if you do not know her, well, that’s your problem. You’re supposed to know before you comment on her work, no? And, on the panel, there are many such others with enviable track record of professionalism, including Gambia’s own Esau Williams of the BBC; Aisha Dabo, a highly qualified media and communication professional based in Dakar; and Hasoum Ceesay, a former editor now director of National Council for Arts and Culture. To promote a bit of diversity, we brought in a non-media personnel, Abdoulie Kurang, a young but exposed and experienced lecturer at the University of The Gambia. These are the professionals who, without any fear or favour, affection or ill-will, determined who gets an award.

The competition has an Honorary Award component. Previously called GPU President’s Award, the Press Freedom Champion awards goes to individuals and institutions who have contributed significantly to the freedom and development of the media industry. Here, the president and his executive members have the discretion to determine who gets awarded.
Mustapha K. Darboe? Well, if you know the media landscape well, you’d know that whether he’s working for Kerr Fatou or Kerr Waaru, he’d put up a strong challenge. He had dominated the awards before he became GPU vice president and when he was at The Standard Newspaper. His hunger is so far unmatched! I am more concerned about the fact that only four women got shortlisted and only one got awarded. I hope Mustapha were a woman – perhaps it’ll do everyone good if he changed his gender as he’s of no use to menfolk.

The little birds in yellow? Oh My Word, I was equally shocked when I saw it while entering the hall. But so was Sheriff Bojang Jr. Not that it was wrong but it is quite ridiculous how Gambians see colours through the narrow prism of partisan politics, rather than fashion. The ushers operate under the award committee. The choice of colour of the dress was and has always been that of the ushers who might not be as sensible to the sensibilities of the political environment as I am. These are young women with no political allegiance. All they wanted was to look good in a colour of their choice. They were in yellow and that makes the GPU a UDP group. But the coordinator of the award who organised the ushers was in green but that doesn’t make the GPU an APRC group. You see, boy, don’t bring your partisan politics here.

Now, it is already midnight in Brikama and Niumi and in the words of the storytellers of yore, ntaling konkorondangkos.

The writer, Saikou Jammeh, is Secretary General of the Gambia Press Union

Germany deports 20 Senegalese

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Germany has deported over a dozen Senegalese asylum seekers back to Senegal.

Twenty Senegalese arrived in Dakar on Tuesday, as the world’s second most popular migration destination began a fresh deportation exercise.

Senegalese news outlet Leral.net reported the 20 Senegalese who were deported were living in Germany illegally. Others have committed various offenses, the online paper added.

 

Rape: R Kelly denied bail, faces 195 years in jail

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By DailyMail

R Kelly will not be released from prison ahead of his federal court trials a judge ruled on Tuesday.

This comes after federal prosecutors revealed that they are in possession of three tapes which show the singer raping a girl, 14, and then subjecting her to ‘sadomasochistic abuse.’

Assistant U.S. Attorney Angel Krull then made a point of stating: ‘There is no question that it is the defendant on these videos.’

Kelly is seen in close-up and two of the tapes were filmed in rooms that are distinctly similar to ones in the singer’s former home.

Prosecutors also said that the victim’s age is said fifteen times on one of the rape tapes.

The singer’s lawyer Steve Greenberg responded by presenting his client as a broke family man with an aversion to flying, and even confirmed that the singer is in fact ‘illiterate’ in his failed bid to convince the court that Kelly was not a flight risk.

‘Unlike his most famous song – I Believe I Can Fly – Mr. Kelly doesn’t like to fly,’ declared Greenberg at one point in the proceedings,

That dated, and arguably false, statement failed to convince Judge Leinenweber however, who denied the singer’s request for bond and then arraigned him on the indictment filed in Illinois last week.

Kelly entered a plea of not guilty. He faces 195 years in prison if convicted on the Illinois charges.

Things got off to a difficult start for Kelly on Tuesday, as prosecutors from the Northern District of Illinois confirmed that the minor female who was believed to be on the rape tape that resulted in Kelly’s 2008 Cook County trial is now cooperating with authorities.

That young woman has now gone on the record prosecutors said on Tuesday, and there are five witnesses to corroborate her story.

She did not testify at that 2008 trial, and the refusal of both her and her family to speak with authorities was viewed as the reason for Kelly’s acquittal on child porn charges.

The tape from that trial is not one of the three that prosecutors have in their possession.

A lawyer for that victim did not respond to a request for comment.

‘He is an extreme danger to the community, especially to minor girls,’ argued Krull on Tuesday.

She was also prepared with an argument against an electronic monitor as well, stating that this would not restrict the singer from continuing to commit the crimes he stands accused of in that state.

‘The defendant can entice girls to his own doorstep,’ Krull told the judge.

‘He doesn’t have to leave his home to do that.’

Greenberg dismissed this later, stating: ‘There’s no evidence that he’s a risk to minors at all at this point.’

Africa Cup of Nations: Cameroon coach Seedorf sacked

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The Cameroon Football Federation sacked coach Clarence Seedorf and assistant Patrick Kluivert on Tuesday, the pair paying the price for the defending champions’ last 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Cameroon crashed out 3-2 to Nigeria last Saturday, an exit the federation described as “premature” in its statement.

Former Dutch international Seedorf won just three of nine competitive games after taking over the Indomitable Lions alongside Kluivert last August.

The federation are now hunting for a manager to prepare the national side for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations which they are hosting.

With a haul of four Champions League wins, five national titles and a host of individuals awards, Seedorf, a former AC Milan and Real Madrid midfielder enjoyed a decorated career on the pitch.

But his transition into management has come with a steep learning curve.

Failures with Milan and Chinese club Shenzhen, relegation with Deportivo La Coruna and early elimination with Cameroon have clouded his reputation.

 

Africa Cup of Nations: Guinea sack coach Paul Put, Gambia’s once-upon-a-time football sweetie

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Guinea coach Paul Put was sacked on Tuesday following the team’s last 16 exit at the Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Belgian Put, who was appointed in March 2018, saw Guinea beaten 3-0 by finalists Algeria in the first knockout round having scraped through as one of four third-place teams in the group stage.

“The coach is dismissed. We’re going to talk with him about the terms of his departure. Feguifoot has ended the partnership with Paul Put,” said Antonio Souare, the head of Guinea’s football federation.

Souare added a return of three wins, four draws and five defeats in 12 matches played under Put was “not satisfactory”.

Put, 63, led Burkina Faso to the Cup of Nations final in 2013 before losing 1-0 to Nigeria.

Paul Put was coach of the Gambian national team between 2008 and 2011.

 

SDGs unachievable without gender equality – UN

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UN Deputy Secretary-General, Ms Amina Mohammed, has reaffirmed the importance of gender equality in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speaking at the UN headquarters in New York on Monday, Mohammed stated that the world would miss the goals without women empowerment and equal opportunities for them in decision making.

The UN deputy chief spoke at an informal plenary meeting of the UN General Assembly on `Gender Equality and Women’s Leadership for a Sustainable World’.

“From military ranks to peace tables, and of course in the United Nations itself, more women decision makers means more inclusive solutions that will benefit everyone.

“From driving increased spending on health, education, social protection to enacting laws against discrimination, women leaders certainly have a strong track record as agents of change,” she said.

Mohammed said although gender equality awareness was growing, global progress on it was still far too slow.

She cited recent reports, which indicate that no country was on track to fully achieving Goal 5 of the SDGs on gender equality by 2030.

“Significant gender gaps and biases still remain. We see discriminatory laws, policies and regulations constraining women’s equal opportunities and outcomes.

“Barriers to women’s representation and leadership for many persist everywhere , from structure barriers to gender bias and discrimination and gender based violence and intimidation.

“If we are to achieve our ambitious sustainable development agenda, our world needs more women now, and more younger women even more so,” she added.

Earlier in her opening remarks, the host and President of the General Assembly, Ms Maria Espinosa, described gender equality as a magic formula to attain the SDGs.

Espinosa emphasised the need for more political will and “razor-sharp focus” practical solutions to gender discrimination and imbalance,

“Gender equality is the closest thing we have to a magic formula for  sustainable development, and it is certainly magic in terms of impact.

“But there is nothing magical about how to achieve gender equality. We know what to do to empower women and girls.

“It is there in the 2030 Agenda, it is there in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action , which remains the gold standard for women’s empowerment.

“What we need is greater political will, a razor-sharp focus on the most transformative, practical solutions, and to widen their scale and impact,” she said.

 

Excitement as all Gambian high schools reunion is set for July 19 in Atlanta

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The annual All Gambian High Schools Reunion is set to take place this coming weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The annual event which brings alumni from different Gambian high schools together for the weekend is geared to raise funds to assist their various high schools.

In an encounter with our correspondent, the coordinator for the organizers, Yama Njie said the event is a special one to the group.

“Not only do we come together to celebrate our friendship and unique rivalries,  it is also an event put together to raise funds to assist in projects in our different schools of the yesteryears,” she said.

She added that they work year round to put the event together while maintaining that the response from the Gambian community in the Diaspora has been quite encouraging.

The event kicks off on Friday with a joint collaboration event with the Atlanta Gambian Emergency Relief Association (AGERA ) with a graduation ceremony celebrating all the Gambian that graduated this year.

On Saturday the Fr. Joseph Gough Memeorial inter schools football tournament will be played and the finals slated for Sunday together with an Inter Schools Track and Field championship. The children too are catered for with their own track and field competition. A gala night takes place on Saturday also.

Last year. St Augustine’s and St Joseph’s high schools swept the medals board and capturing the football and rounders trophies.

The Secretary General Alagie Mamour Njie told our reporter last year’s sweep by the SAINTS left a sour taste in their mouths and Gambia High School is out for revenge. He did not stop short of accusing the Blue and Whites for their “win at all cost reputation.”

“Sadly they brought it across the Ocean,” he added

The three day event will also honor the late Honorable Justice Solomon Njie with Eric H Christensen Memorial Award in recognition of his commitment and contribution to Legal Jurisprudence and as a teacher.

Yankuba Touray to spend next three months at Mile 2 after high court dismissed his bail application

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By Momodou Justice Darboe

The High Court in Banjul Monday dismissed the bail application made on behalf of Yankuba Touray who is currently standing trial for murder, remanding him in custody until October 14.

The court also ruled against the constitutional immunity claim that Yankuba Touray insisted upon during his last Monday court appearance.

It would be recalled that Yankuba Touray last week appeared before Justice Ebrima Jaiteh on allegations of causing the death of a former Gambian finance minister in 1995 but he refused to say whether he was guilty of the alleged crime or not, insisting that he was relying on a constitutional immunity purportedly extended to him by the Constitution of The Gambia.

His lawyers, led by Abdoulie Sisokho, also made an application on his behalf for him to be given liberty and granted bail as his case proceeds.

But delivering his rulings on Touray’s constitutional immunity proclamation, his bail application and the attorney general’s application for the matter to be adjourned until after the vacation, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh explained that the constitution of the Gambia has made provisions for granting of bail to any accused person or persons but he clarified that the law books did not make any provision for granting bail to any person or persons allegedly involved in crimes that attract life imprisonment or death.

According to Justice Jaiteh, murder, under the laws of the land, is a serious crime that can attract death. He said that in view of the severity of the charge of murder against Yankuba Touray, the court has concluded that he should not be granted bail.

Touching on Touray’s constitutional immunity plea and his lawyers’ application for the matter to be referred to the Supreme Court for interpretation, Justice Ebrima Jaiteh made reference to earlier submissions by the attorney General and minister of Justice that Touray’s claim to constitutional immunity was both vague and broad and will, therefore, pose a challenge to the jurisdiction of the high court to preside over the his case. Justice Jaiteh held that Yankuba’s claim to constitutional immunity was open to conjecture as he made no reference to any specific constitutional provision to substantiate his claim. He said Touray’s mere claim to constitutional immunity was not sufficient for the referral of matter to the Supreme Court for interpretation.

On the application made by Touray’s lawyers for the matter to be heard on daily-basis as opposed to the application made by the attorney general and minister of justice for the case be stood down until after the vacation, Justice Jaiteh ruled that in the interest of fair trial, the prosecution needed time to put their house in order. He posited that he was not of the belief that an adjournment will affect the progress of the case. He, therefore, adjourned the case to October 14th for continuation.

Meanwhile, scores converged at the Arch 22 today to show solidarity to Yankuba Touray. People could be seen waving and shouting words of encouragement as the prisons van, conveying him drove past through the crowds.

Breaking: Senegal: Ousmane Tanor Dieng dies at 72

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The secretary general of the Socialist Party in Senegal Ousmane Tanor Dieng has died aged 72. Senegalese local media reported Dieng died Monday morning in Bordeaux, France.

Dieng was battling ill-health since the beginning of this year, precipitating his disappearance from the political scene during Senegal’s presidential elections held in February.

He was leader of PS for close to two decades after succeeding former Senegal president Abdou Diouf. His family said he was suffering from fatigue.

On the Impending GTTI Fiasco: Letter the Minister of Higher Education

Honourable Minister and my dear respected kotor,

I salute you with great reverence and with good reasons for that respect: You have always been a great source of inspiration for us throughout the nineties and beyond, as one of the brightest stars in our academic firmament. Indeed I have never met a public official so eloquent and imbued with brilliance like you.

That respect remains to this day. And it is because of the high esteem in which I have always held you that this epistle, which should have been penned much earlier, got delayed. Indeed it is very difficult to criticise public officials on policy matters in our little town called Gambia. This is due to the fact that our people prefer to hush down issues and make gossip mills out of important matters rather than coming out boldly to challenge the relevant authorities.

We used Yahya Jammeh’s heavy hand as an excuse for this but the same attitude remains, by and large, post-Jammeh. And that is why I developed a new descriptor hashtag #HushHushNation as I still ride on my foundational one #CantCageMe.

It is sad to note that whenever I publish open letters to serving public officials, some people assume that I have personal problems with those officials despite the obvious fact that the matters I raise are issues of genuine public concern. Therefore I am very careful and I do not rush to issue critiques of public officials; I became extra cautious on this one because of the respect and admiration I have for you.

However, the matter at hand is so critical and so urgent that if I do not write this letter, I would not be able to sleep peacefully. The subject is education, a matter I deeply care about in this country.

When I first heard that The Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) virtually our only vocational training institute worth its name was going to be transformed into a university alongside the Management Development Institute (MDI), I thought it was some kind of a joke or a case of newspapers misreporting a matter too complex. Alas, I was wrong and I knew that to be the case when I read yet another news report announcing Cabinet approval for what I have now labelled the worst decision in our educational history.

Honourable Minister, I believe that you may disagree outwardly but in the inner recess of your heart, you would firmly agree with me that our only public university, the UTG is not in good shape at all. The students of this university do not have adequate classroom and sanitary facilities. UTG still lacks the right numbers of professors and lecturers to be able to fully and effectively carry out its mandate.

Funding for the UTG is inadequate and the leadership at that university is certainly suboptimal, to be euphemistic about a very serious and critical situation. Most times I have said that the energy, and brilliance, exhibited by the students of the UTG far outpaces the leadership at that university and something should be done about that to help us duly harness the brimming potential of our dynamic young minds.

After two decades of operation our only public university does not have a proper library, talk less of modern laboratories. Recently one of the programmes in that university (UTG) in the area of science could not pass the test of accreditation from relevant authorities but desperate efforts had to be mounted to make sure that programme is given a pass.

Why then do you think that it is prudent to create a new university of science and technology and in the process rob us of the only vocational training institute we can boast of as a nation in dire need of skilled technicians in every field?

Honourable Minister, I am sure you have seen my comment on Facebook on this matter but it is important that I repeat it here for emphasis as I conclude part one of of this epistle: A country that doesn’t have a single solid high school level physics lab has no business trying to set up a so called university of science and technology…stop misleading our President!

‘Jeurejeuff kotor Badara’, you have served us well from the previous government as a very effective permanent secretary at the Ministry of Basic Education. You continue you serve us well as Minister of Higher Education and we appreciate your service. But this move on GTTI is not a wise one. Let the conversation continue in part 2, inshaa Allah.

Your Faithfully
Momodou Sabally
Former Secretary General and Head of the Civil Service, author.

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