Activist and politician Nenneh Freda Gomez said the things Solo Sandeng sacrificed his life for are still evident in the governance system of the country.
She was speaking to this medium at the State funeral of deceased opposition activist Ebrima Solo Sandeng who was tortured to death by intelligence agents during former President Yahya Jammeh’s regime in 2016. He was fearlessly pushing for electoral and other reforms.
“Solo died for a course, but that course is not being preserved and protected because for all those things that he believed in, suffered and fought for so hard, sacrificed his life and ultimately died for, we are still suffering and dealing with those issues.”
She expressed her dissatisfaction, saying “it is a shame that we are still talking about those things Solo sacrificed his life for.”
Nenneh called out President Barrow for not attending the funeral ceremony.
“This is a national course because this was somebody who sacrificed his life for everybody. This place should have been more packed than this. I think, I am not going to blame anybody else because the President trivialized this memorable day to not come. I don’t see anything in this world that is more important than this event. He should have been here; so, if he didn’t come, you can’t blame anybody else,” she expressed.
She noted that Solo will always be remembered and that his legacy will continue to live. “The fight continues because we have to ensure that what he died for is preserved and protected. We will continue to advocate for a just system,” the advocate-politician reiterated.
Representing President Barrow at the funeral, Justice Minister Dawda A Jallow said the government is committed to ensuring that what happened to Solomon Sandeng doesn’t happen again.
The remains of Solomon Sandeng were the subject matter of criminal proceedings in the case of the State v Yankuba Badjie & Others.
Last week, a press release from the Justice Ministry noted that following the completion of the said case, the remains of the late man should be given a “proper and befitting burial”, adding that President Barrow had ordered that Solo be granted an official burial.
