By Alieu Jallow
Almameh Gibba, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, has reacted to the ECOWAS Parliament’s decision to reject The Gambia’s request for a special tribunal to prosecute Jammeh, stating that the outcome was not unexpected.
The ECOWAS Parliament’s Joint Committee dismissed the proposal, expressing deep concern for the peace and stability in West Africa and the potential impact that establishing the Special Tribunal for The Gambia under ECOWAS’s leadership could have on the region’s peace and security.
The forthright NAM remarked that the ECOWAS Parliament’s decision reflects its role not as a player and jury but as an entity acting in the best interest of its citizens. He questioned whether laws are sometimes crafted to target specific individuals, groups, or regimes, suggesting that ECOWAS found it appropriate to reject the proposal, emphasizing that governance should not be rooted in vengeance and hatred.
“This is the government that looted and ate all the resources of Jammeh. Today, you want to prosecute what you loot and ate of his resources, so you see how ironic some of these [things] are. So, this is not a surprise to me as the representative of the people of Foni.
“I have seen the wave coming and if the ECOWAS Parliament didn’t do this, I would question the integrity of [its] members, but this was an agenda pushed by the Gambian National Assembly Members representative in the Gambia…”
The Foni Kansala NAM explained that their [ other NAMs] attempt to leverage the ECOWAS Parliament to advance their agenda failed when their arguments were ignored in the parliament, highlighting that under the current Gambian laws, they cannot prosecute Jammeh.
“They shot in [sic] their own leg and so we wait for the reaction of the government through the justice minister who is a lobbyer to make sure Jammeh must be prosecuted, and I can tell you for free this is what Ba Tambedou did.
“Today, the unfair trial that they did to Yankuba Touray has put Yankuba Touray in prison. He has made it clear that he was going to teach Yankuba Touray a lesson and he did. They bend the law to favour, they bend the law to prosecute, and people who stood in the TRRC and said I butcher so and so are now ranked in the army and immigration”.
The individual, a key figure in the parliament, voiced his disappointment with the justice minister who ignored the recommendations made during a session. Likewise, he conveyed his appreciation to the ECOWAS Parliament for prioritizing the nation, its citizens, and the region over local leaders and interest groups.
“I can tell some of them are rich because of Jammeh’s assets. Thanks to Jammeh for feeding them, re-educating them and availing them of all resources available so as for them to talk.
“I can tell you that ministers who have served less than five years are owning mansions in Senegal and the Gambia, and their sons and daughters are [having] outside education.
“This is what they wanted to pursue, so if this is the case, who can they preach the law [to], who can they preach accountability, transparency and rule of law [to] when they are an example in the Gambian context.
Gibba argued that the focus ought to be on the country’s current development issues, including health, socio-economic factors, migration, security, and corruption. He accused the government of being a “Terri kaffo,” claiming it plundered all of Jammeh’s assets and then sought to prosecute him.
