By Lamin Njie

The Gambia government has reacted to the killing of a Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi national, went missing after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Turkey on October 2. It later emerged that the 59-year-old Washington Post journalist was murdered – apparently by an elite killing squad that flew to Turkey from Saudi Arabia.

Countries have since been damning in their reaction to the brutal slaughter of the journalist with most pointing a finger of blame at the man who runs Saudi Arabia, crown prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The Gambia government in a play-safe statement on Wednesday described Mr Khashoggi’s murder as ‘vicious.’

“The vicious murder, dismemberment and mysterious disposal of the body of the Saudi journalist the late Mr Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul on 2nd October 2018, is a crime vehemently condemned by all countries including The Gambia and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement by the foreign affairs ministry said.

“This reprehensible act is unacceptable.”

The Gambia government says it also ‘greatly’ appreciates that Saudi Arabia has taken action with regard to Mr Khashoggi’s death.

“The government of The Gambia wishes to commend the Saudi authorities for the measures taken so far and expresses its solidarity with the kingdom on its principled stance on this matter,” the statement said.

By Lamin Njie

The Gambia government will work out compensation packages for the families of three people who were killed during a protest in Faraba, according to a report by President Adama Barrow.

The Gambia Government White Paper on the Report of the Faraba Commission of Inquiry on Wednesday said it will compensate the families of Bakary Kujabi, Ismaila Bah and Amadou Jawo.

Faraba Banta, a West Coast Region settlement, made headlines in June 2018 after violent clashes between villagers and police. Three unarmed protesters were fatally shot by police even as scores sustained injuries.

“The families of those who died, and those who sustained serious injuries are to be compensated by the state,” the report by President Barrow said.

“Those who lost their properties as a result of the vandalism and arson are to be compensated by the state.”

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow has suspended officials of the National Environment Agency and Geology Department who were implicated in the Faraba Banta tragedy.

The suspension of the officials is contained in a report by President Barrow on Wednesday where he outlined a string of measures being taken in respect of the Faraba Banta incident. Faraba was thrust to national focus on 18 June 2018 when villagers there protested against the granting of a licence to a private company to win sand in Faraba. Armed police officers who were drafted to the scene clashed with the protesters leading to the death of three protesters.

The President, announcing the suspension of NEA and Geology Department officials on Wednesday, said: “Those persons at the NEA and GD directly responsible for the failure to follow established guidelines in the issuance of the mining licence to Julakay Ltd have been suspended without pay for six calendar months with immediate effect.”

Julakay Ltd

President Barrow also said in the Gambia Government White Paper on the Report of the Faraba Banta Commission of Inquiry that Julakay Ltd will not be ‘issued any other licence’.

“The licence issued to Julakay Ltd for sand mining in Faraba Banta has since expired in July 2018 and shall not be renewed; nor shall Julakay Ltd be issued with any licence for the conduct of any other sand mining activities in Faraba Banta until further notice,” the President said.

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow has sacked the Alkalo of Faraba Banta as part of measures aimed at addressing ‘the longstanding acrimonious’ relationship between different parties in the village.

The President’s action is contained in a government white paper that was shared with journalists on Wednesday. The report catalogs a string of action relative to Faraba village’s June 18 tragedy. Men of the Police Intervention Unit clashed with protesters at a mining site in Faraba leading to the death of three protesters. The protesters were shot dead at close range, a coroner’s inquest said.

President Adama Barrow wading into the hodgepodge days after the incident set up a commission in a bid to finding the truth. The probe has since submitted a report to the President.

“The government is particularly concerned about the commission’s finding that the village of Faraba Banta is currently a divided community. Based on the finding and a totality of the commission’s findings, it is established that all the concerned parties contributed to this unhealthy atmosphere in Faraba Banta village as they have each failed to conduct themselves in a responsible manner,” the President said in the white paper read Wednesday to journalists by Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou.

“Consequently, the government has taken the following measures to address the longstanding acrimonious relationship between the different parties and prevent a recurrence at Faraba Banta village: The Alkalo of Faraba Banta Village, Mr Noha Kujabi has been removed as the Alkalo of the village in accordance with Sections 144 and 145 of the Local Government Act, CAP.33:01, VOL.5, Laws of The Gambia. A new Alkalo of the village will be appointed soon in accordance with Section 59 of the 1997 Constitution and Section 142 of the Local Government Act.”

Meanwhile President Adama Barrow has ordered for the dissolution of the village development committee of Faraba Banta. The President in the white paper also says the council of elders at Faraba Banta village “has been dissolved and a new council of elders will be established in Faraba Banta soon.”

By Lamin Njie

President Adama Barrow has ordered for the continuation of prosecution against five paramilitary officers who are accused of fatally shooting three people in Faraba.

On June 18, 2018, personnel of the armed wing of the Gambia Police Force billeted on protesters in Faraba Banta in Kombo East resulting in the death of three people. Bakary Kujabi, Ismaila Bah and Amadou Jawo all died from gunshot wounds, a coroner’s inquest said. Autopsy reports also said the victims were shot at close range and as a result the bullets penetrated and exited their bodies.

And President Barrow in a white paper on the report of the Faraba Commission of Inquiry dated November 28, 2018 said the PIU personnel who fired at the villagers did so “without lawful command and acted alone.”

“The government accepts these findings in so far as they relate to the causes of death, injuries and destruction of properties in Faraba Banta on 18 June 2018,” the president said in the white paper read by the Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou on Wednesday.

“Accordingly, the government accepts the recommendations of yhe commission in this regard as contained in pages 47 to 52 of the report and has consequently taken measures including the following: that appropriate criminal prosecutions be continued against ASP Musa Fatty, PC Musa Badjie, PC Nuha Colley, First Class Momodou Z Jallow and Superintendent Babucarr Cham for the deaths of Bakary Kujabi, Ismaila Bah and Amadou Jawo all of whom died from gunshot wounds as established by the Coroner.”

Other ‘Perpetrators’

Meanwhile President Barrow has also ordered that criminal prosecutions be initiated against all perpetrators identified by the Faraba Banta probe for the ‘willful destructionn of properties and other related crimes in Faraba Banta.’

“The Gambia Police Force has been directed to conduct criminal investigations into the killings, injuries and destruction of properties for the purpose of prosecuting the alleged perpetrators of the crimes within the shortest possible time,” the president said.

President Adama Barrow will Wednesday leave Banjul for Dakar to participate in the 62nd congress of Liberal International.

Liberal International is an organization of liberal political parties and it wasn’t immediately clear what President Barrow will be doing at the gathering. The two-day event is themed, “Liberalism 4.0: Local Answers for Global Challenges.”

A terse statement by the President’s spokeswoman, Mrs Amie Bojang Sissoho, said the president will attend the congress which will start on November 29 and end on November 30, 2018. The President will depart Banjul International Airport at 6 pm Wednesday.

Former Chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces Baboucarr Jatta has said that not all members of former president Yahya Jammeh’s elite killing crew carried out killings.

Former president Jammeh during his 22-year rule ran a secret killing squad which comprised members of the Gambian army.

Retired army colonel Jatta told The Fatu Network on Tuesday that the group numbered 400 but “not all these jungullars are bad guys.”

Jatta said: “Not all these jungullars are killers. If you create a circumstance where some boys are given extra allowance above others, they will all scramble to join the unit. Once jungullars are created the boys are given extra allowances, the boys will go for it. But are you telling me all those jungullars are killers, they all killed? Because there were 400 of them [but] during my time, there was nothing like jungullars.”

Speaking on his brother Malick who was a member of the group, the former CDS said his brother never told him of his association with the group.

“He has never told me he was a jungullar. But by virtue of things, we knew that so many of them were there, you don’t know what they are doing. Not only Jammeh but other heads of state… They have their own small thing at the back. Even poltical parties, they have their own staunch guys who in turn turn to be bad guys,” he said.

“We did not discuss about it but all I know is that he has been sitting at one place not going to work. All those he recruited came and passed him. They became officers and he was left there. So I’m saying something must have gone wrong in his career.”

By Mammy Saidykhan

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia has commended Kantora Sami Women’s Charitable Association over their collaboration in the country’s fight against drugs.

Kantora Sami Women’s Charitable Association on Sunday held a day’s conference on the dangers of illicit drugs and related crimes. The conference was held in Tallinding.

Speaking at the conference, Lamin Gassama, the director of Intelligence and International Cooperation, applauded the initiative as this is the ‘first’ time they are partnering with a women group in the fight against drug abuse.

“To us, the programme is a landmark and unique direction in our quest to bridle drugs and related crimes from our communities. This is the first time in the annals of the agency that we are collaborating with a women’s group in our prevention [and] drug demand reduction program,” he said.

According to Gassama, there is a strong need to prevent the occurence of drugs and its related activities.

“Sensitizing people on the dangers and ills related to illicit drug trafficking and abuse, providing treatment and rehabilitation as well as harm reduction service to addict and alternative development,” he said.

“This shows clearly that battling drugs is a complex challenge that requires the use of multi skills, strategies and approach if progress is to be taken.”

Political scientist Dr Ismaila Ceesay has said that despite President Adama Barrow has a right to form his own political party he should focus more on moving the country forward.

Dr Ceesay, a lecturer at the University of The Gambia, spoke Monday while providing sense to the United Democratic Party’s current political wrangling.

He told The Fatu Network: “Barrow as a Gambian has a right to form his own political party. For me I think he should be courageous enough to do that rather than trying to cling on to something that he has no say over anymore because he has resigned from the party.

“If he has ambitions – intentions to run again – I think the easier thing is for him to go and form his party. Nobody is going to stop him from doing that than trying to create tensions here and there. And now Gambia is losing because what we are seeing is that attention is not paid in nation building. They are paying too much attention on partisan politics rather than focusing on what he has been elected to do.”

Dr Ceesay speaking further said the current UDP falling out “has clearly to do with President Barrow.”

“President Barrow, we should understand, was elected as a coalition candidate to oversee a transition, to do reforms, to bring democratic institutions. Therefore, [The] Gambia has more to lose in this tussle because the time and the energy that the government should be spending to really reform this country, to move this country ahead is being spent on petty politics,” he said.

The managing director of National Water and Electricity Company has said the company is exploring new measures to tackle the problem of water in the Greater Banjul Area.

The Greater Banjul is largely known for its water problems, with conditions in some communities lamentable.

Nawec’s managing director, Baba Fatajo, told journalists at a press conference on Monday that “we still have some challenges that may take some time before we can really give them 24 hours uninterrupted supply for the simple reason that we still have significant gap between supply and demand.”

“We are also taking some measures in a bid to picking on the lost production by way of drilling more boreholes. And as we speak now our water department is working very hard to bring those boreholes and we hope that once that is done, the situation would be improved,” he said.

The public utility’s boss said that piecemeal interventions are not sustainable to the country’s water problems as the country’s population is growing.

“We have a growing population and a growing demand. Therefore we must be able to have a major investment into the sector to ensure that at least within a reasonable horizon we will be able to meet the demand,” he said.

Presidential advisor Dou Sano has said that the country’s intellectuals gave a wide berth to the United Democratic Party during the rule of former president Yahya Jammeh.

“Let’s not try to deceive each other. Today those people in the UDP, yesterday when you invite them to UDP they say to you, ‘you’re mad, you want my wife to be a widow?’” Mr Sano who is also the national coordinator of President Barrow Youths for National Development told The Fatu Network in an exclusive interview.

Gambian intellectuals have in the recent past come under fire over their role in the 22 years rule of Yahya Jammeh. President Adama Barrow, for example, has slammed the likes of Dr Ismaila Ceesay for being nowhere when the country needed them the most.

And Mr Sano doubling down on his principal’s comments said: “These are the people in UDP today and most of them were intellectuals. Where were they when it was tough? Why didn’t they join the UDP? Why didn’t they come and guide UDP?”

Barrow Youth Movement

Mr Sano said President Barrow Youths for National Development was an idea conceived by ‘some’ youths in a bid to support the President.

“But these youths first went to the secretary general of UDP Ousainou Darboe but they couldn’t see him. They then proceeded and met me. They explained the purpose of their visit. When they explained that they want to unite the entire youth population of the country to stand by the President and contribute to national development, I told them that idea was good,” he said.

“That was how I accepted them and we went to the president to them him that this is an association called youths for national development and they are here to express readiness to support you and to unite the youths. That was when we named it President Barrow Youths for National Development.”