By Lamin Njie
President Adama Barrow has emphasised that The Gambia’s partnership with ‘development partners’ is based purely on mutual respect as he barely reacted to the debate on people of different sexual orientations
“I would like to draw the curtain on recent debates about the rights of people with different sexual orientations. Let me emphasise that our partnership with our development partners is based purely on mutual respect for the advancement of our people,” the president said on Thursday while speaking to MPs about his government’s development plans.
Gambians have in the past weeks debated strongly against homosexuality after a gay rights post in May by the European Union mission in the country.
The National Human Rights Commission also didn’t help matters when it asked the government in a report to ensure that the rights of all Gambians regardless of their sexual orientations are protected. The commission placed special emphasis on Gambian gays.
Homosexuality lifestyle is criminal under Gambian laws – and the debate has seen the Gambia government issuing a statement in May saying it has no plans to decriminalise homosexuality.
