Malick HB Jallow has said that there is absolutely nothing wrong with President Barrow making a decision to discontinue prosecutions against police officers and others indicted in connection with the Faraba incident.

The solicitor of the Supreme Court of The Gambia in an opinion piece made available to The Fatu Network on Thursday said the power to discontinue criminal prosecutions is exercised through the DPP and the Attorney General.

“In other words the Attorney General cannot unilaterally discontinue without the recommendation of the DPP and the DPP on the other hand cannot unilaterally discontinue without the approval of the Attorney General. It’s a system of checks and balances,” he argued.

“The Attorney General and Minister of Justice is not an independent organ of state but forms part and parcel of the Executive organ of the state headed by the President. Therefore, the power to discontinue prosecutions is essentially an executive function exercised through the Attorney General and the DPP.”

Jallow said the fact that the power to discontinue prosecutions is an executive function “should be contrasted with the Judiciary (which does not include the Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Justice)which is an independent organ of state, at par with the Executive and Legislature.”

He said: “There is therefore absolutely nothing wrong with President Barrow making a decision to discontinue prosecutions against the police officers and others indicted in connection with the Faraba incident and ultimately consummating such a decision through the Attorney General and the DPP.

“This is not in conflict with independence of the judiciary or judicial independence. Indeed I am of the strong conviction that at this crucial and fragile stage of our recovery as a country, we should utilize the facility of forgiveness and reconciliation whenever appropriate and feasible. If a discontinuance of a case is precipitated by a victims informed choice to forgive and reconcile, then this should be applauded and not frowned upon. Discontinuance of prosecutions should however not be a bar to the consummation of necessary institutional reform to ensure that Faraba does not repeat itself.”

The April 10/11 Memorial Foundation has described as ill-advised a statement from the Office of the President announcing the scrapping of the murder case of five police officers.

The foundation in a statement on Thursday said it “would like to express its profound concern and disquiet over the President’s ill-advised press release announcing the halting of the Faraba Banta murder trial of police officers.”

The statement read: “We are further concerned that it was necessary for the Minister of Justice to have to clarify and correct the press release, clarifying it as an “unfortunate choice of words.”

“We fear that the original position contained in the President’s Office statement is at odds with the rule of law and sends a terrible signal both to all victims of crimes carried out by the state, and to society at large, especially in the context of the start of the TRRC.

“Nearly 19 years ago, on 10th and 11th April 2000, 16 Gambian students were murdered, and many more injured, disabled and traumatised, by members of the PIU and other security forces opening fire with assault weapons. In the aftermath of the massacre, the Jammeh regime refused to take responsibility for the crimes it committed against defenceless citizens. A Commission of Inquiry was set up and at the conclusion of the investigation, the commission issued a report. To this day, the full report has never been published by The Gambia government. Even though the report named the members of the security forces who were responsible for the atrocities, no one was ever prosecuted for the murder of the students. Instead, in order to cover up these events, the President introduced legislation which gave immunity from prosecution to those responsible under the guise of The Indemnity Act.

“Nineteen years later, victims of the student massacre are still waiting for justice and have been asked by the government to place trust in the newly constituted Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission to deliver this to them. The call for justice in this context is to simply follow the law and not make new laws to allow criminals to go free, or to issue pre-conviction presidential “pardons” in the name of reconciliation.

“We are greatly concerned with the glaring parallels between the handling of the April 10/11, 2000 massacre by the Jammeh regime and the events that unravelled following shootings by the Police at Faraba Banta in 2018. It seems that no lessons were learned from the April 10/11 Inquiry. Armed police were again sent to a situation of protest, which resulted, again, in young people being maimed and murdered by those whose role should have been to protect them. Two key findings of the Faraba Commission of Inquiry were that there was “no proper coordination of the operation by the police on 18th June 2018” but that “the police intervention unit personnel who fired at the villagers did so without lawful command.”

“It is worrying and un-nerving that PIU officers armed with assault weapons are still being dispatched to peaceful protests, clad in riot gear and brandishing AK47’s, rather than being trained in mediation non-lethal means of crowd control. There is a real fear that April 10-11, Kanilai and Faraba are bound to happen again if the past failures are not strongly addressed.

“We would have hoped that that the government would learn from the failures of the Jammeh regime and seize the opportunity to distinguish itself from that regime by handling this case in a manner different than the way Jammeh handled the massacre of April 10/11, 2000.

“The April 10/11 Memorial Foundation was reassured when prosecutions were started against those who opened fire on the 18th of June in Faraba, just as we hope that those who did so in 2000 will also be held to account. We believe, without prejudging the results of any prosecution, that the only way that events like these will stop is if the security forces are legally held to account, both collectively and individually when such events occur. Only this will force those in government and those in command to rethink their strategies and practices when policing demonstrations. When those in authority understand that they can be held accountable to society for the results of their actions, or inactions, by a court of law, they will exercise more caution. The government must understand that these are crimes against society at large, and not just families and communities immediately affected by these tragedies.

“We therefore must register our concerns and disappointment about what appears to be the President’s instructions to the Attorney General to “immediately withdraw all the charges against PIU Officers” BEFORE the criminal justice process has run its course. By his utterance, we believe the President has undermined the rule of law and put the Attorney General and the Judiciary in an untenable position. We do not make this statement lightly.”

By Lamin Njie

A former member of the Gambia Armed Forces has paid tribute to his fallen comrades by saying he is reminded of the moment they dressed up, held hands, prayed and then moved on State House.

Bai Lowe on Wednesday joined tens of Gambians to pay tribute to three people who were killed during an assault on State House four years ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Lamin Sanneh, Captain Njaga Jagne and Sergeant Alagie Jaja Nyass were part of a group of dissidents who launched on attack on State House on December, 30 2014. Their attempt to gain control of the compound was met with fire and fury by men of the Gambia Armed Forces under the command of former army general Musa Savage.

The Gambia government in 2017 instituted an investigation into their death and their bodies were exhumed from a mass grave in Foni.

On Wednesday, families, friends and other mourners gathered at the Ministry of Justice in Banjul for the official hand-over of the bodies.

Bai Lowe, who is a survivor of the coup commented on social media network Facebook: “I can’t say much my hearth is heavy because my mind reminds me of when we dressed holds our hands together prayed and headed towards the State House (sic).”

By Mammy Saidkhan

Anita Hawkins has said that women in The Gambia and the United States face similar challenges.

The top US businesswoman  and a philanthropist stated this on Tuesday after a meeting with the First Lady of The Gambia Fatoumatta Bah Barrow. The meeting forms part of her engagements aimed at helping Gambian women who were victimized.

According to Anita, she felt inspired to help Gambian women after her meeting with the First Lady.

Anita said: “I’m totally inspired, am always inspired, I never imagine that a young girl from Gary, Indiana, I never imagine myself touching lives, that is so far from my mind, being a teen mom.”

She added: “You have women that are here in Gambia that are fighting so hard, that are struggling, that have so much passion and so much drive to make it and of course they have the same issues that we have in the United States, they are battling with abuse, teenage pregnancy.”

Meanwhile Anita on Wednesday held talks with officials of the Network Against Gender Based Violence in Kanifing.

“The challenges that you have here it’s difficult but at the same time, they are here and working hard every single day. So you still see the passion and the drive and the focus of what they want to see happen in the community and there is a community of women and children who are affected and I have learned so much today,” she said.

She added; “I hope that sometimes soon that those things are enforce, that is not a challenge and the only thing these organizations have to worry about is funding and making sure that they have the space, because the knowledge is there, getting every thing they need but again less challenges.”

Fallu Sowe, the Program Manager of Network Against Gender Based Violence highlighted that child marriage is still an issue and in 2016 the government of the Gambia  enacted a law abolishing child marriage.

He added the previous national study that was conducted on the issue of child marry has showed that 41 percent of Gambian women went through child marry.

Haddy Mboge Barrow founder of Network Against Gender Based Violence says that she will continue to work for women and girls in this country until the status core is change.

“I have the passion to do this because of my story, am from a village where the community believe in values and culture, so if these cultures maybe hindrance to the development of the young children especially the girls in particular which is child marriage, FGMC,” said Mboge.

She added; “The network is doing a lot of create work, we are reaching the alkalols, they are the gatekeepers, we are reaching the young girls themselves, so that they understand that, there is a law that protects them, they can say ‘no.’

By State House Media

His Excellency, President Adama Barrow today received in audience members of The Gambia Christian Council who expressed delight at the efforts being made by the government to safeguard the dignity and protect the fundamental democratic rights of the Gambian people.

‘‘We do appreciate the attempts being made by your government to facilitate the dignity of all within our borders and empowering our beloved people to decide on matters that affect them’’, said the Chairman of the Gambia Christian Council, Most Rev. James Allen Yam Odico, who led the delegation to the State House in Banjul.

The council called on the Head of State, on behalf of the entire Christian community, to extend seasonal greetings as well as offer prayers for him and the country at large on the occasions of the Holy Christmas and the advent of the New Year. While assuring the President that they would continue to stand by his government in strengthening coexistence, religious freedom, and human rights, the Chair said the council was aware and would like to truly appreciate the efforts of the government to cater for the needs of the Christians community.

In his welcoming remarks, President Barrow acknowledged the various contributions of the Christian community in the development of the country, stressing that his government is committed to promoting religious tolerance and secularism in the country. He called for the preservation of the admirable mutual respect, trust and unity among different religious groups.

The President commended the council for its stance during the political impasse in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential elections. He described the visit of the council as a vote of confidence in his government while stating that religious leaders have a paramount role to play in upholding peace and unity in the country.

By Lamin Njie

The Gambia government on Wednesday handed over the remains of three people who were killed while trying to topple the government of former President Yahya Jammeh four years ago.

Lieutenant Colonel Lamin Sanneh, Captain Njaga Jagne and Sergeant Alagie Jaja Nyass were part of a group of dissidents who launched on attack on State House on December, 30 2014. Their attempt to gain control of the compound was frustrated by men of the Gambia Armed Forces under the command of former army general Musa Savage.

The Gambia government in 2017 instituted an investigation into their death and their bodies were exhumed from a mass grave in Foni.

On Wednesday, families, friends and other mourners gathered at the Ministry of Justice in Banjul for the official hand-over of the bodies.

Speaking at the event, the Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou said the ceremony “takes place in the context of the Gambia government transitional justice process [and] serves as a demonstration of our belief in upholding human dignity and the principles of basic human decency.”

“Every individual irrespective of their circumstances ought to be afforded a decent and befitting burial. Only through this can we restore their human dignity and provide closure for their families, friends and loved ones,” Mr Tambadou said.

By Lamin Njie

The chairman of the Faraba Banta Inquiry has said that he thought the press release issued by the Office of President with regard to the murder case of five police officers was a hoax.

“Like you, yesterday I saw a press release. I was equally surprised. In fact, I thought it was a hoax to start with because of the way and manner in which it was drafted. It was a bit funny. Because I know even if prosecutions are being withdrawn, there is a legal process which is followed through the Ministry of Justice. So I saw it, I don’t understand it to be honest with you,” Emmanuel Joof exclusively told The Fatu Network.

Faraba Banta last year made headlines following violent clashes that caused the death of three people. President Barrow visiting the community said he would set up a commission of inquiry into the June 18 incident whose recommendations he vowed to implement to the letter.

But on Tuesday, President Adama Barrow announced the scrapping of a murder case against five police others, a volte-face that caught many people by surprise. The statement from the Office of the President also announced that the civilians standing trial for their role(s) in the unfortunate Faraba Banta incident in June 2018 will be handed respite. The move has been receiving strong condemnation.

Mr Joof said: “I was the chairman of the Faraba Banta Commission. We were given a specific mandate and we delivered on time and we responded to the mandate, the questions that we were supposed to find. That came up in the form of a comprehensive report which we handed over to His Excellency. And of course thereafter the government came up with a white paper upholding the recommendations, they even went far.

“We are all in for reconciliation, I think we are all in to build a better Gambia but you cannot build a society based on impunity. We cannot build a society where rule of law is not followed. We all have to follow rule of law. There are processes, that’s why we have the judiciary. They are processes, there are procedures that we need to follow even in the process of reconciliation. So what I will tell you is that I just saw it. There was no legal ground for saying why those prosecutions were withdrawn.”

By Lamin Njie

The Ministry of Justice on Wednesday said that the exercise of prosecutorial discretion is vested exclusively in the Attorney General which he executes mainly through the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and the Inspector General of Police.

President Adama Barrow on Tuesday ordered for the immediate withdrawal of murder charges against five police officers who were incriminated in the death of three people in Faraba Banta.

The decision followed an appeal from the community of Faraba for the discontinuance of the prosecution of the officers of the Police Intervention Unit as well as the civilians standing trial for their role(s) in the unfortunate Faraba Banta incident in June 2018, a statement from the Office of the President said.

The move quickly prompted furore in which a number of Gambians have slammed the president and have called for the resignation of the Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou.

The Justice Ministry in a statement on Wednesday said it considered the presidency press release “as an unfortunate choice of words.”

The statement said: “The Office of the Attorney General notes the concerns expressed over the recent press release from the Office of the President about the discontinuation of the prosecution of the Faraba Banta PIU 5 and others, and wishes to inform the general public that the said press release from the Office of the President should only be regarded as conveying the Presidency’s support to a request by the affected families in Faraba Banta to discontinue the criminal cases resulting from the Faraba Banta Commission of Inquiry. The said request by the affected families, which is not unusual in this jurisdiction, was properly addressed to the Attorney General and was made through the Alkalo of the Village.

“The request is still under consideration by the Attorney General, and the Office of the President was only consulted for its views on the request in light of the fact that the Faraba Banta incident on 18 June 2018 was of such national tragedy and importance that it warranted the establishment by His Excellency, the President, of a Commission of Inquiry under Section 200 of the 1997 Constitution.

“In this regard, the Office of the Attorney General affirms that the Office of the President did not, and has never attempted to, interfere with the exercise of this discretion, and therefore considers the recent press release from the Office of the President as an unfortunate choice of words.

“The Office of the Attorney General reassures the general public that the exercise of prosecutorial discretion is vested exclusively in the Attorney General which he executes mainly through the Office of Director of Public Prosecutions and the Inspector General of Police. This discretion is exercised with due consideration to several factors including the public interest, and the wishes of the victims’ families.”

By Lamin Njie

Madi Jobarteh has said that President Adama Barrow must step down come January 19, 2020.

Jobarteh stated this on Tuesday while reacting to a fiat issued by President Barrow where he ordered for the scrapping of a murder case of five police officers.

The polemical political commentator said in a Facebook post: “Barrow has set a very dangerous and irresponsible precedent! He is telling us today that if the Janneh Commission is also ready and after accepting its recommendations he will once again succumb to the demand of any group of people to reverse his decision.

“He is telling us that he will do the same for the TRRC when it is done with its work and submits its report! That would be disaster for the country!

“These institutions were set up with a huge amount of resources with the aim of ensuring accountability. But today Barrow has shown us that he is the biggest obstacle to accountability in The Gambia hence he is not interested in human rights and justice neither is he interested in any system change.

“By this decision Barrow has distinguished himself as the biggest threat to national security and the greatest obstruction to system change!

“It is high time our political party leaders stop talking about the Coalition MoU and stand up to defend the masses from a president who has no regard for the rule of law, justice and national security!

“The trend Barrow is pursuing clearly shows that The Gambia cannot afford more than 3 years with Adama Barrow at the helm! By 19 January 2020 Adama Barrow must step down and hand over the mandate of the people back to citizens!”

By Lamin Njie

Gambians have taken to social media to react to a decision by President Adama Barrow to scrap a murder case involving five police officers.

President Barrow announced Tuesday that he has ordered for the immediate withdrawal of murder charges against five police officers who were incriminated in the death of three people in Faraba Banta.

The president said the ukase was because of an appeal from the community of Faraba “for the discontinuance of the prosecution of the officers of the Police Intervention Unit as well as the civilians standing trial for their role(s) in the unfortunate Faraba Banta incident in June 2018.”

The country director of Westminster Foundation Madi Jobarteh in a Facebook post said the president “has no authority to discontinue any court case in anyway.”

“The power to discontinue a criminal case lies with the Director of Public Prosecution under Section 85 of the Constitution. Hence if the president did enter to stop the trial of PIU officers on the recommendations of the Faraba Commission then his decision constitutes a violation of the Constitution,” Jobarteh said.

Sidi Sanneh commented on Facebook: “It is called obstruction of Justice. This decision must be challenged in court. Ba Tambadou must resign over this.”

Sulayman Ceesay said: “Can he actually do that? I thought this was a law enforcement matter and what the hell is he doing interfering with the judiciary. Somebody has to pay for those loss of lives, it is either the foot soldiers or their bosses who issued them ammunition.

“Anyway let barrow does what he wants but his future commission for him is already all set up nicely to commence the moment he steps down, he will be among the first order of business of any new government.

“Does he think we are going to let law enforcement get away Scot free after spilling the blood of so many innocent gambians? Well, he can think again, somebody will be paying a price as we will not allow reasons or events that bring forth the birth of the TRRC now to ever happen again in Gambia.”

Daniel Jabbi, on his part, said: “Clueless president… He might as well welcome evil Jammeh back and killer jugulars…”

Humbleman Bahpullo said: “No nobody is above the Law, this mean he is empowering other Police Officers to short innocent Civilians.”

Ousman B Jallow commented: “This is bad. Those officers should face the full force of the law. The innocent killed civilians deserve justice.”

By Mammy Saidykhan

Anita Hawkins on Tuesday met with officials of Women’s Bureau where she pledged to support Gambian women.

The US bussinesswoman visited the Women’s Bureau in Banjul as part of her plans to support victims of domestic violence and abuse in The Gambia.

“Sitting here today at the women’s bureau has given me motivation of things to do and get executed when I get home. I would love to send a container for women that have gone through domestic abuse, women that are in prison, women that are lacking of whether it is toiletries, beauty products, perfumes,” she said.

She added, “I am ready to get home and make sure that I get some things done and executed.”.

Anita advocates for togetherness of women to help empower themselves; “I learned that the women make up 51% of the country’s population it is important that women come together as one, we come together to be empowered.”

She added that, “They always say women rule the world regardless of color, what background, but I’ve come to learn that the women here work really hard.”

The top model further added; “When I say be empowered the women here in Gambia are at another level than what we have in The United States but being here in Gambia to see the hard work and dedication that you all give I am empowered right now.”

“I have not set up a partnership as of yet but that is something I am working on, I have let them know of the things that I have going on in The United States with my Organisation – Find One Reason to Smile –  and what we do is that we going and reinventing those smiles on women that have been abuse, sexual abuse, trafficking,” Anita noted.

Some of these women are just everyday women that are in need of assistance and in the states, we have all different programs that are not here. So if I can give assistance in any way possible, i will get back home and get those things done, she added.

Anita also said “Am going back home, am going to make sure I put somethings on social media to help Gambian women in the best way I can, it is important to give back and help those that are in need.”

Mrs Anita will use the rest of her visit to meet with various institutions, women and children groups. She also plans to visit the SOS Children’s Village in Bakoteh where she will interact with children of the orphanage.

President Adama Barrow has ordered for the immediate withdrawal of murder charges against five police officers who were incriminated in the death of three people in Faraba Banta.

The President ordered the withdrawal on Tuesday after appeal from the community of Faraba for the discontinuance of the prosecution of the officers of the Police Intervention Unit as well as the civilians standing trial for their role(s) in the unfortunate Faraba Banta incident in June 2018, a statement from the Office of the President on Tuesday said.

Faraba Banta was the epicenter of violent clashes last year where police shot and killed three villagers. Five police officers have been standing trial over the killings.

But according a presidency statement signed by director of press and public relations Amie Bojang Sissoho, “the Community, through the Alkalo of the village, Mr. Omar Kujabi, wrote a letter to the President, accompanied by a sworn affidavit requesting, among other things, for the withdrawal of criminal charges in the matter ‘‘to promote true reconciliation’’, peace, and stability in the village.”

The statement said further: “Additionally, the community stated that they were satisfied and appreciative of the responsible leadership demonstrated and acts of compassion that His Excellency, President Adama Barrow and his government had undertaken after the incident, such as the visit by the President to the community in the immediate aftermath of the incident, the setting up of a commission of inquiry and appointment of a coroner as well as his decision to act on the recommendations of the investigative commission, among other gestures.

“Based on the foregoing, the president has accordingly accepted to respect and grant the wishes of the community, particularly families of the victims, to immediately withdraw all the charges against the PIU officers and civilian perpetrators concerned.

“By the same token, His Excellency, the President has also accepted to lift the suspension meted out on the Director of Geology Department and the Executive Director of National Environment Agency.”

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow has said that it is only an idiot who will kill a lion and offer it to vultures.

The President stated this while meeting with citizens of Kombo South at State House at the weekend.

The President said: “They’re saying there is a lot of talk. But look at those talking, how many people are talking. If you count them, if you profile them even what kind of people are talking? That’s when you will know the people talking. Gambians are not talking. Imbeciles are the ones who’re always talking. But those who know government, know how government business is done, do not talk. Those people are keeping quiet and will not talk.

“But one thing I will tell people for it to be clear to Gambians, we fought here until Gambia pulled herself. But if you are a hunter, you go to the bush fight with a lion and kill it… It’s only an idiot who will kill a lion and offer it to vultures to eat. To kill a lion and give it to vultures to eat it? That will never happen. If they think it will be easy, it will not be that easy. Yesterday those people who were afraid and we were bold are today the people asking us to be afraid and for them to be bold is that possible?”

In collaboration with other international researchers, researchers at the University of Bergen have, discovered that glucagon producing cells in the pancreas, can change identity and adapt so that they do the job for their neighbouring damaged or missing insulin cells.

“We are possibly facing the start of a totally new form of treatment for diabetes, where the body can produce its own insulin, with some start-up help,” says Researcher Luiza Ghila at the Raeder Research Lab, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen.

The researchers discovered that only about 2 per cent the neighbouring cells in the pancreas could change identity.

For the first time in history, researchers were able to describe the mechanisms behind the process of cell identity is a result of signals from the surrounding cells.

In the study, researchers were able to increase the number of insulin producing cells to 5 per cent, by using a drug that influenced the inter-cell signalling process.

“If we gain more knowledge about the mechanisms behind this cell flexibility, then we could possibly be able to control the process and change more cells’ identities so that more insulin can be produced, ” Ghila explains.

According to the researchers, the cells´ ability to change identity and function, may be a decisive discovery in treating other diseases caused by cell death, such as Alzheimer´s disease and cellular damage due to heart attacks,” says Luiza Ghila. (Vanguard Nigeria)

By Lamin Njie

The family of a former soldier who was killed while trying to remove former President Yahya Jammeh from power on Tuesday paid tribute to his bravery.

Alagie Jaja Nyass was killed alongside three fellow armed exiles during an earning morning attack on State House four years ago.

“Couple of days before the incident happened, Alagie got sick and came to me and told me, ‘ I’m not feeling well.’ I said, ‘okay, you came to a malaria zone, I’m going to do a malaria test on you.’ I did a malaria test and found out he had malaria. I put him on treatment and I said, ‘ok you have to take your treatment and be at home’. But then you see I can bet you here none of his comrades knew that he had malaria and that he was on treatment. He put that aside and went all out to fight with them,” Abdou Nyass, a brother to Alagie Nyass, told journalists at a press conference held at Victims Centre on Tuesday.

Alagie Nyass was a sergeant in the Gambian army but retired in 1995 after his return from a military course in Turkey, Abdou Nyass added.

He said: “Alagie as a junior officer won an award that earned him a scholarship to go and study in Turkey. He did commando training in Turkey upon his return he worked couple of months. That was around 1994. But he thought this was not the type of regime he left had left back home. He thought he cannot continue and then he decided to leave. He left the force around 1995.”

According to Abdou, Alagie “got married couple of months before he came to The Gambia.”

“He got married in November. He came for holidays in December and the incident happened in December,” he said.

By Lamin Njie

The mother of former army colonel Lamin Sanneh on Tuesday said her son was working with a vicious person.

Mba Meta Jagne told journalists at a press conference held at the Victims’ Centre in Kololi that his son was destined to be a soldier.

“God helped me to put him in school. He was destined to be a soldier. He went for peacekeeping missions everywhere. He went to seven countries,” Mba Meta said of his son Lamin Sanneh.

Lamin Sanneh is a former lieutenant colonel in the Gambia Armed Forces who fell out with former President Jammeh. He left the country for United States only to come back in December 2014 minded to overthrow Jammeh. The December 30th adventure misfired leading to his agonising death. His remains will finally be handed over to his family four years after his death.

His mother, Mba Meta, said: “He was working with this person who was cruel to people, to Muslims, to Gambians, to people’s relatives. God made Lamin to be working under him and he sacked him. He (Lamin) then went to America with his family. I was the only one he left here.

“When he realised he didn’t leave peace behind him, he left everything there. There’s more money in America than here and the living standard there is far better. He left all that there to come and lay down his life for the country so that all those that Jammeh was killing, dismissing could get respite.

“We all know the job of a soldier entails going to other countries to keep peace there. But when your own country is not peaceful, what you can do is to lay down your life for peace to return to your country. That is what Lamin did.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for peaceful, inclusive and credible elections in Senegal.

Guterres made the call in a report to the Security Council on the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).

Senegalese head to the polls next month to elect a new president, where President Macky Sall is seeking a second term in office.

The UN chief also appealed for peace in other countries in the West African sub-region holding elections in 2019, noting that there has been incremental improvement in the conduct of elections in the region.

“However, the pre-and post-electoral periods have often been characterised by antagonistic contestations and disputes,” he said.

“I call upon authorities and national stakeholders to work together to ensure a level playing field and to create an environment conducive to the holding of peaceful, inclusive and credible elections in 2019 in Benin, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Nigeria and Senegal.”