Earlier this week, a New York based Gambian political activist Saihou Mballow threatened to organise a protest march at the UN in New York against President Barrow if he fails to appoint a substantive vice president within ten days.

Mr Mballow claimed the non appointment of a veep is unconstitutional and an affront to good governance. Women’s Affairs minister, Fatoumatta Tambajang was appointed to the post but the decision was rescinded when criticism mounted over her being over aged. However, she currently oversees the office.

Mr Mballow told an online news site :“Barrow and his government are taking Gambians for a ride. This is a blatant violation of the constitution. He swore to protect and defend the constitution. And here is Barrow, openly violating the constitution by failing to appoint a Vice President. We are not going to sit idly and allow him to take the country to ransom. This is not what we fought for…”
But another Gambian political activist based in Washington state, Ebou Ngum, described Mr Mballow’s statements as misleading and wide off the mark.

He stated: “Te problem we are having with this so-called never ending diaspora struggle is that we have so many keyboard activists who are only good at misleading the Gambian people…I cannot say how shocked I was when I read some of the point advanced by Mr Mballow regarding Barrow’s credentials and bla bla bla!

“First of all, the Gambians voted for a regime change and in the process, we voted for a president. There was nowhere during the last elections wherein people had to go to the polls and vote for a vice president as well. The incumbent president is mandated by law to appoint someone in that position. In addition, I am not sure if there is a provision in the 1997 Constitution that mandates the president to urgently fill the position of vice president. I might be wrong too so I stand to be corrected.

Mr. Mballow clearly has issues to pick with Barrow based on all the things he wrote on that piece… I feel those words are just an idle threat. I implore Mr Mballow to book a ticket and fly to The Gambia and go confront the Barrow government about the vice president issue. Organising a protest against the Barrow government in New York will have no impact on anything I promise.

To crown it all, this same Mballow who is trying to tear Barrow apart, actually met him in February of this year and said very good things about him. On February 26th , 2017 Mr. Mballow met Barrow and this is what he said on Facebook “Sunday, February 26th, I visited my brother Gambian president Adama Barrow and his family. We had a mutual, fruitful and generally good discussion. As always he is smart and down to earth”.

For clarity purpose, this same Fatoumatta Tambajang that most keyboard activists attack day in day out about her age, was at the forefront of the protests back home in the Gambia when Solo Sandeng was arrested and subsequently murdered. Mrs Tambajang in her age goes out and join other women to protest and no one realised how old she was. Today, all the 5th grade constitutional lawyers made by this struggle go online and say anything they want against her. I think we should wait for the Gambia government to go through the process of appointing a vice president and leave Mrs Tambajang alone. Whether she eventually becomes the country’s vice president or not, she contributed more to the current changes in the Gambian than most people that attack her daily.”

Source: Standard Newspaper

A former colleague of Ebrima ‘Chief’ Manneh, has told The Standard that he was picked up because he intended to reproduce on the Observer an article from BBC that was critical of the Jammeh government.
According to Pa Ousman Darboe, a former staffer of the Daily Observer, the article was about the democratisation process that was supposed to be discussed during a meeting by foreign affairs ministers and West African leaders.

“Chief Ebrima Manneh downloaded this article which talks about Jammeh, who was the host of this meeting, coming to power through a coup. This article was printed in the Observer but it was never made public because we knew the story would not go down well with the then managing director, Dr Saja Taal. We took this printed copy and kept it in the store so nobody would access it. One day, I was here [former Observer now Standard offices] when Dr Taal confronted me, saying he was fired three times by Jammeh and he wouldn’t allow to be fired a fourth time. He showed me the printed copy of that story we kept in the store and said Pa Malick Faye (reporter later promoted managing director) told him Chief Manneh downloaded the article. He said Jammeh is the owner of the Observer and that the paper should only promote the Jammeh government,” Darboe narrated.

Darboe continued: “Saja called Lamin Saine [later National Assembly Member], who was one of the directors at NIA and we were sitting here on July 7, when two plainclothes officers came. One was Corporal Sey who used to work at the Major Crimes Unit at the police headquarters. I asked him what they wanted and he told me they came for Chief Manneh. I asked for what, they said for questioning at Bakau Police Station. We advised Chief to go with somebody but he said he would be fine because he also knows Sey. We told him to keep his phone on because we would be calling to check on him but the moment he reached Bakau Police Station, his phone went off. We tried calling him the whole day but we couldn’t reach him. His bag was even here. We then went straight to the Bakau Police Station but they told us Chief was taken to the NIA in Banjul. We tried to talk to the NIA but they refused to give us any clear information about his whereabouts. They denied he was with them because that was the routine then. When they arrested journalists, they would always say they didn’t. We then returned and wrote an article about his arrest but Saja Taal refused to publish it so we sent it to Foroyaa and The Point.

“Three months later, a senior officer, who is still in service [name withheld], informed me that Chief was at Sibanor Police Station. The OC at the station admitted that Chief was there for three days but was transferred.”

The search continued and according to Darboe, Chief’s family had visited the offices of Daily Observer at least twice about their loved one but his disappearance remained a mystery. The family even sought audience with the then vice president but to no avail.

“It was after seven months, when Yaya Dampha, a Foroyaa reporter, was on a tour with the Amnesty International staff when they spotted Chief in Fatoto. They asked about him but the police denied he was there. They told the police that indeed they saw him and insisted on accessing him but they were arrested and detained for three days,” Darboe said.

When Chief’s protracted disappearance began showing signs of his death, journalists in the country and elsewhere, having already seen Deyda Hydara gunned down a few years before, renewed their campaign against his detention with legal action.

“The Media Foundation for West Africa sued the Gambia government at the Ecowas court in Nigeria. The Jammeh government was served but the case dragged on until in 2007 when I received a call from a friend in Dakar that Media Foundation wanted me to testify because I was the only witness who was ready to speak,” he said.

At the sub-regional court, the Jammeh government didn’t even send a representative, and it was found guilty for his disappearance and fined hundred thousand dollars to be paid to Chief Manneh’s family. The money was never paid and Chief Manneh or his remains are yet to be found.

Source: Standard Newspaper

PRESS RELEASE, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

In 2006 an apex body of women’s groups from different socio-economic activities formed the
Gambia Women’s Federation to facilitate support and promote the economic empowerment of
women. This initiative was spearheaded by the former Executive Director of the Women’s Bureau,
Mrs. Ida Fye–Hydara.

Since its establishment, the Federation members are both urban and rural women engaged in Fashion
Design, Vegetable Production and Marketing, Fisheries, Professional groups such as the Private
Secretaries Association amongst other Small and Medium Women Entrepreneurs.

In her introduction, the Executive Director of the Women’s Bureau, Mrs. Binta Jammeh –Sidibeh
congratulated President Barrow for his election as well as the nomination on women in his cabinet
and in the National Assembly. She asserted that women played a critical role in the elections and
appreciated the support President Barrow accorded them.

The President of the Gambia Women’s Federation, Fatoumata Jah said they have five thousand
members countrywide. She elaborated on the projects they have embarked upon such the building of
a women’s market worth eight million Dalasis with a capacity of 600 shops. She highlighted some
of the challenges they faced to complete the construction of the market as planned. So far, a third of
the shops have been completed and allocated while the remaining two thirds is affected by price
inflation and the exchange rate of the dollar. Ms. Jah revealed the initiatives they started also
included a groundnut oil processing company, food and merchandise companies importing goods to
The Gambia. The Federation has also been supporting members through revolving fund from the
contributions of its members. She revealed that its plan includes opening regional markets in the
rural areas.

The Women’s Federation President asserted that the companies they initiated have been affected by
poor groundnut harvest, lack of cold storage facility for food products. Other constrains included the
incomplete market, lack of fencing, electricity and water supply. They also lack transportation to
reach out to its rural members.

Despite the challenges, Ms. Fatoumata Jah said the Federation member organizations are creating
employment and taking up their social responsibility to plough back to society.

One of the members, Ndey Awa Khan, informed the meeting that the Gambia Women’s Federation is
non-partisan and only groups can be members. She said the purpose is to ensure that proper support
is provided to empower women’s economic activities and promote light industries that will add value
to local products. Ndey Awa Khan further appealed for The Gambia to negotiate with the United
States government to bring back AGOA for them to reach out to the American market. She finally
called for Gambians to promote local designers by patronizing them.

The West Coast Region Coordinator of the Federation, Binta Sabally and Aji Mariama Secka alias
Aunty Yam Secka both paid tribute to the former Executive Director of the Women’s Bureau Ida
Fye-Hydara for her hard work and the initiatives she took to bring the best interest of Gambian
women to the fore. Aunty Yam further appealed for her consideration to be given to her plight.

The President of the Republic of the Gambia, H.E. Mr. Adama Barrow thanked all Gambians for
bringing about the change of government. He called on the women to reflect on the situation of the
country and the personality cult built around the former President Jammeh. Despite being perceived
as powerful, he was removed because the people came together and the women’s took a strong stand during that process.

President Barrow acknowledged the concerns of the Women’s Federation and encouraged them to be
patient. He cited his story as a businessman and that with determination there will be no limitation.

He said that his government inherited a bad economy and urged women to build confidence as well
as continue to strived harder. He promised them that his government will do their best to bring down
commodity prices, and added no development can take place without democracy.

In recognizing the critical role of women in governance and society, The Gambian leader
acknowledged the importance of gender representation and reminded them of the presences of strong
women’s rights activists in his government. He further acknowledged the role some of the activists
played in fighting for justice as well as defending the will of the Gambian people during the
transition. President Barrow asserted that the change was based on the principle of democracy to
provide a level field for all to participate, including women. He concluded that despite the
constraints, The Gambian has changed for good. The Gambian leader pledged that the government
will reviewed situation of the former Executive Director of the Women’s Bureau Ida Fye-Hydara.
He made a personal donation of D100,000 for Mrs. Fye-Hydara’s personal wellbeing.
​

PRESS RELEASE, OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

The Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude and conveyed best wishes to President
Adama Barrow. This was revealed during an interview with the media by the Russian Foreign
Minister, Mr. Mickhail Bagnodov. He said Russian is happy with the new developments in The
Gambia and noted that with stability there will be socio-economic development. He said it will also
provide a conducive environment for good collaboration between the countries.

During the visit, Bagnodov and Honourable Ousainou Darbo signed a bilateral agreement for visa exemption of official passport holders. This will facilitate for business people and officials to move freely between the two counties.

The Gambia and Russia will engage in regular consultations to further work on other sectors such as
trade, tourism, training of personal and security. It was noted that the common agenda of terrorism
and drug trafficking was also their concern.
​
​
The Gambian Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad,
Hounourable Darbo said the relationship with Russia is stronger and that there is diplomatic relations
between the two countries which opens doors for their citizens.
​

By Lamin Sanyang

Baba Ceesay, Director General of the National Center For Arts and Culture NCAC has called on The Gambia Government to build a multipurpose national museum to preserve the national heritage and the identity of the country.

Speaking to this medium at his office in Banjul, Ceesay said the current national museum which was a colonial building is not only small but was not purposely built for a museum.

“Museum is a kind of repository for national identity and cultural heritage,” Baba Ceesay, NCAC Director General said.

The NCAC Director General has explained the necessity to build a multi purpose national museum with adequate space to conserve objects. He talked about the importance of having enough storage facilities in the museum, saying they are iconic buildings.

“You cannot collect artifacts when you don’t have space,” Baba Ceesay lamented.

He added: “Usually, in most countries museums are a symbol of pride.”

Ceesay further raised concerns for lack of space to display things in the museum as the guests are more interested in seeing ‘Kankurang’ dancing than looking at mere stature. He also talked about rooms for educational programmes. He added that the museum should be an iconic building.

The NCAC Director General also said that the current museum which has environmental problems. He explained that the building attracts a lot of humidity because of the materials that were used to built it. He said the high humidity of the building is affecting the conserving of objects.

“We need a purpose build museum. Mostly, museums are fine and iconic buildings that one can relate to,” he pointed out.

Ceesay said there is need to have museum kitchen where the guests would come and eat any Gambian food they want. He encouraged the government to invest in cultural infrastructure. He said such investments last longer than investing on festivals. He also recommended the construction of national theatre for performing arts to nurture talents, building publishing houses to nurture talents and so on.

Meanwhile, Director General Ceesay talked about the monetary constraints facing his institution. He said they received subvention from the government to pay staff salary which is not enough. He said they also make income from tourists which is seasonal.

Swiss authorities on Wednesday extended the detention of Gambia’s former Interior minister for another three months amid an investigation into accusations he committed crimes against humanity while in office in Banjul.

 
According to reliable reports from Switzerland a regional court in Berne ordered that Sonko, who served under ousted Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh, remain behind bars as the probe by the Swiss Office of the Attorney General (OAG) continues.

 
According to the decision Sonko has been in pre-trial custody since January after the Geneva-based legal group Trial International filed a criminal complaint against him. The group accused Sonko of having personally taken part in what it described as torture.

 
“We welcome this decision which shows the authorities take the allegations against Mr Sonko seriously,” Trial International’s director Philip Grant said. “We hope the investigation can shed light on some of the abuses perpetuated by Jammeh’s regime.”

 
A news report said Sonko’s lawyer in Switzerland, Phillippe Currat, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on Wednesday.

 
Sonko applied for asylum in Switzerland in early November and had been living in an asylum center in the capital Berne before being taken into police custody on January 28.

Source: Standard Newspaper

The Minister of Agriculture Omar Amadou Jallow, OJ, has disclosed that the assets of former President Jammeh are currently under investigation and that all will be subject to due process.

 
Mr Jallow was speaking in an interview with Touch Online, a popular news site on Gambian affairs.
He continued: “We should make sure we allow the due process of the law to take its course. A government that campaigns on the rule of law cannot seize assets of an individual without due process because we don’t know how they were acquired.

But a panel of investigation is looking into his assets and how they were acquired. The commission of inquiry will advise the cabinet on what ought to be done… We will act legally based on what the commission of inquiry concluded.”

 
But he added that if the current inquiry into Jammeh’s activities have found him culpable, his assets could be forfeited to the state, especially if the law requires it.
In the same interview Mr Jallow also recalled how the AFPRC junta refused to publish an enquiry report that exonerated some PPP ministers including himself.

 
Meanwhile, Moustapha Marong, a former Minister under Jammeh who is now a legal practitioner in Banjul, corroborated OJ’s assertions: “There were many commissions established then, to deal with the 30-year governance of the PPP including one mandated to specifically probe into the running of the Ministries.

This Commission was commonly called the Alghali Commission named after the chairman of the Commission, Honorable Justice Omar Alghali, a Sierra Leonean,” Mr Marong said.

He continued to reveal that at the end of the inquiry into the Ministries, the Commission concluded that the Ministers were innocent and that there was no case against them.

 
“A ‘White Book’ was drafted with findings and recommendations of the Commission to be published for the public to know what were the wrongs committed by the Ministers. The book remains unpublished until today. The book was forwarded to the State House and duly received by Yahya Jammeh,” Mr Marong said.

 
He further disclosed that Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh grudgingly accepted the findings of the commission.
“It was alleged that Sir Dawda had stolen money from the coffers and secretly saved it in an offshore account in Panama.

An investigative team was sent to Panama to carry out investigations into the allegations of the stolen money and after paying them heavy per diem, the team came back with nothing,” Mr Marong said.
Mr Marong also recalled that some World Bank officials on a visit to the Gambia, after the coup, paid a visit to the Justice Department and one of them with an East European surname, made it clear to him that the 26 Work Bank projects in the country at the time were all executed satisfactorily and denied allegations made by the junta that monies meant for World Bank projects were squandered by the PPP government.

Source: Standard Newspaper

President Adama Barrow has said that because of the challenges and hardship Gambians endured in the past 22 years of dictatorship under former president Jammeh, no Gambian President will ever serve more than two five-year terms.

 
He did not elaborate but analysts said the President was almost certainly contemplating of introducing a term limit as promised by the Coalition 2006 campaign.

 
Mr Barrow made these remarks during meetings with Gambians in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana where he paid a visit last week.

 
Continuing, President Barrow said that Gambians have matured politically as demonstrated in the 2016 Presidential election. He cited three lessons all have learnt from the election. “Firstly, it became clear to the former president that it was the people who had the power to vote him out and secondly, it is the same power the people can use to vote me myself out if they don’t want me anymore, and finally, Gambians have now realized that together they can make the change they want,” President Barrow told his compatriots.

The Gambian President then called on the Gambians in the diaspora to consider investment in The Gambia and contribute ideas to the development of the country. President Barrow further thanked the presidents of the three countries and Ecowas in general for standing by the people of the Gambia.

Read the full story below:

Gambians decided to end 22 years of dictatorship in a non-violent manner by voting President Adama Barrow into power. This brought back focus to the tiny West Africa state and the move to re-institute democracy, freedom and justice was welcomed by not only Gambians and the sub-region but the world over.

However, the former president Yaya Jammeh could not accept the fact that that Gambians wanted change of regime and he was prepared to use brutal means to maintain himself in power.

It was in this context that the sub regional grouping, ECOWAS, supported by the regional and global community decided to use diplomacy and, where it became necessary, military intervention to defend the will of Gambians. This resulted to President Adama Barrow taking the responsibility Gambians vested on him to serve them.

Going by the African proverb that if you want to thank a farmer for a job well done, you have to meet to him or her on their farm to express appreciation. His Excellency, President Adama Barrow, therefore, visited the Heads of State of Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana to thank them for their personal stand and that of their countries to ensure that Gambians regain their freedom and nurture democracy.

The message the Gambian leader gave to his fellow Heads of State was that the political impasse in The Gambia was an African problem and they used an African solution to end it.

He thanked them for standing by the Gambian people and defending the decision they took to bring about a peaceful change of transition. It was the first time Gambians decided to democratically change from one government to another in 52 years.

During his visit, President Adama Barrow held private meetings with his counterparts on bilateral and ECOWAS issues to further strengthen the relationship between them and their people.

The first stage of the visit, which was to Sierra Leone, coincided with the eve of that country’s 56th Independent anniversary. President Barrow was received at Lunge Airport by the Vice President, H.E. Victor Bokari Foh and other officials. The Gambian leader was honoured with a banquet dinner held in his honour at the Bintou Manne Hotel in Freetown.

His Excellency, the President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, in his welcome remarks said it was both an ECOWAS and bilateral responsibility to defend the will of the Gambian people. He elaborated on the historic, language and family ties between Sierra Leone and The Gambia, and asserted that it was only through collaborative efforts that they could deliver the quality of life their people expect.

In Liberia, President Adama Barrow, was received at the airport by the Liberian President, Her Excellency, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirlearf, who is also the Chairperson of ECOWAS. Speaking to the media at the Airport in Monrovia, Her Excellency, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirlearf, expressed delight for President Barrow’s visit and assured of Liberia and the ECOWAS family’s continued support to The Gambia. During thevisit , the GambianPresident was granted the Key to the City of Monrovia at the City Hall and declared a Honourary Citizen by the Mayoress of the City, Mrs. Clara Doe Mvogo.

The last stage of his tour was to Ghana. On arrival, Gambian President and delegation were received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchway. After performing the Friday prayers at Burma Camp Mosque in Accra, President Barrow was honoured to a private lunch at the presidential mansion, the Flagstaff House, in Accra. In welcoming his guest, Ghanaian President Nana Dankwa Akufo-Addo said that Ghana did not hesitate in agreeing to contribute troops to the ECOWAS initiative to ensure a smooth transition in The Gambia.

He observed that the region should continue to consolidate democracy in-order to achieve sustainable development. In response, President Barrow noted the similarities between his government and that of his host, His Excellency, President Akufo-Addo, and the manner in which both came from opposition and won their respective elections. He however said the major difference was that Ghana went through a smooth transition while the transition in The Gambia was obstructed by greed for power which warranted ECOWAS intervention.

President Barrow reiterated that the election was fought based on the principles of democracy and the will of the people prevailed.

The Gambian President used the opportunity to meet with the Gambian communities in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Ghana. They all thanked their host countries for the hospitality extended to them but appealed for consideration of some of their concerns which include poor flight arrangements, difficulties in renewal of their travel documents and high cost of residence permit fees.

Speaking to them, President Barrow thanked the Gambians in the diaspora for their contributions to the change in the Gambia. He further urged them to continue to contribute positively to the development of the country as no one person can do it all. He stated that because of the challenges Gambians have gone through during 22 years of dictatorship, no government will ever stay in power for more than two terms of five years.

President Barrow pointed out that Gambians have matured politically as demonstrated in the 2016 Presidential elections. He cited three lessons all have learnt from the election.

Firstly, it became clear to the former president that it was the people who had the power to vote him out, secondly, it is the same power the people can use to vote him(President Barrow) out if they don’t want him anymore, and finally, Gambians have now realized that together they can make the change they want. President Barrow reminded them that it was only when all the opposition parties came together that they were able to effect the change of regime.

The Gambian President called on the Gambians in the Diaspora to consider investment in The Gambia. He appealed to Gambians experts working outside the country to contribute with ideas to develop the country.

Speaking to the Gambians inMonrovia, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Honourable Ousainou Darbo advised Gambians at home and in the diaspora to be law abiding, do away with tribal issues and stay united in pursuit of the best interest of the Gambia.

He informed them that they represent the image of the Gambia abroad and promised that the consular issues they raised in the discussions will be reviewed and addressed at the earliest possible time.

Source: Standard Newspaper