The Facts

From 1994 to 2017 The Gambia has been certified as a dictatorship by all accounts, locally and internationally. The country witnessed arbitrary arrests, detentions and torture consistently. The incidence of summary executions was well established by local and international observers. The incidence of abuse of power by Yaya Jammeh is so evident that no one can deny it. The number of Gambians who had to flee their country or the number of Gambians who disappeared are well documented. That a culture of fear and impunity prevailed in this country was beyond dispute. The current revelations at the Janneh Commission clearly show a blatant abuse of Office and unbridled plunder of public wealth.

On 1 December 2016 Gambians voted out Yaya Jammeh and on 19 January 2017 he refused to step down. The whole world had to mobilize forces both military and political to force him to leave. Because he had severely misruled The Gambia Yaya Jammeh himself knew that he can no longer live in The Gambia with Gambians!

In these past 22 years Yaya Jammeh’s main vehicle for his misrule and atrocities had been the APRC party. A leading member of that party is FTJ. In each and every act of violation or corruption or abuse, FTJ strongly, willingly and forcefully defended Yaya Jammeh. The entire APRC stood behind him and Yaya Jammeh!

Today….

Given the above facts how can anyone therefore justify the existence of APRC and celebrate Yaya Jammeh in The Gambia?

Left to Fabakary Tombong Jatta alone Yaya Jammeh would have been in power until today.

By keeping Yaya Jammeh in power, it means FTJ wants to see the continuous plunder of public resources as exposed at the Janneh Commission. This means FTJ wants to see the continuous exodus of Gambian youths through the Backway to die in the Sahara desert and the Mediterranean Sea with many more imprisoned in Libya. It means FTJ wants to see thousands of exiled Gambians remain exiled faraway from their motherland forever.

By supporting APRC and left to FTJ alone it means Yaya Jammeh will continue to abuse public institutions and summarily dismissing public servants unabated. It means the arbitrary arrest and torture of Gambians would continue while the continued existence of the Junglers will be guaranteed so that they would continue to kill fellow Gambians forever.

By insisting that Yaya Jammeh is good for The Gambia It means FTJ wants to keep the poor state of our schools and hospitals and utilities to continue. It means the continuous confiscation of private and community properties and land grabbing by Yaya Jammeh would continue. It means the continuous politicization of the civil service and the security sector would continue. It means the continued ridicule of The Gambia around the world would continue. It means the continued destruction of the future of The Gambia would continue.

This is what Fabakary Tombong Jatta is wishing for The Gambia by his continuous support for Yaya Jammeh. Any Gambia who still supports Yaya Jammeh and APRC therefore is saying that he or she wants to see The Gambia continue to die!

This is the meaning of the message that Fabakary Tombong Jatta is sending to fellow Gambians.

God Bless The Gambia

By Madi Jobarteh

Gambia’s major referral psychiatric hospital, Tanka Tanka, is said to be abandoned without electricity to attend to the patients admitted at the hospital at night.

Honorable Baba Galleh Jallow, member for Sanementereng Constituency made these revelations at the National Assembly in Banjul.

“The conditions at the psychiatric hospital is very serious. There is complete darkness. Sometimes, the nurses would use their mobile phones to write when they have admissions at night,” Honorable Baba Galleh Jallow said.

“The government has abandoned these people,” he added.

The Sanementereng National Assembly Member spoke about the unbearable conditions at the hospital including the terrible food, electricity and water problems, noting the dilapidated buildings and rusted burglar proofs among other things.

Honourable Jallow called on the National Assembly to urge officials at the Ministry of Health to make a site visit to the hospital.

The Member for Brikama South, Honourable Lamin J Sanneh also spoke about poor drainage system which he said made the people of Brikama potential flood victims. He related the problem to bad drainage and roads infrastructure built across the town. He urged the authorities to look into these problem to avoid serious disasters in the future.

Honourable Sanneh further called on the authorities to look into the public taps as the people in his constituency are buying water with high prices. He also spoke about the lack of electricity at the Brikama Major Health Centre.

He finally stressed the need to relocate the firing range because it is in the midst of the community surrounded with schools which he said is not safe to use life bullets.

By Fatou Sowe

Dr Njogu L Bah the former secretary general and head of the civil service has said that former President Jammeh had a big appetite for money as a result of which he Jammeh will dig his hands anywhere he likes.

He made this remark while responding to questions from the Janneh Commission counsel Amie Bensouda who asked about the various loans the office of the former president took from the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation which are still outstanding.

Bah was summoned to explain the various loan requests he made to social security for the financing of several activities Jammeh and his office were involved in. He added that the demand for funds at social security was too much and at some point he felt sorry for the corporation and he always told Jammeh to give them (social security) a break. However, he said that Jammeh believed at that time that social security had money that he could use it.

While commenting on the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation loans transactions he was involved in, Bah said that he did make a loan request on March 17, 2011, for the sum of $1 million which was paid in two installments. Bah explained that $500, 000 was meant for compensation to families of the Ghanaians who lost their lives in the country.

He went on to state that the said sum was received in cash by Dr Basirat Niasse who was introduced to him by Jammeh through the director of protocol Alhagie Ousman Ceesay. Adding that he doesn’t know in what capacity the lady (Dr Niasse) had to receive the cash.

He disclosed further that the other $500, 000 was for the government of Japan but it was later cancelled and the office of the former president then requested the money for another purpose.

On the D15 million for the purchase of rams, he said he wrote the request as a result of a directive from Jammeh and at that point it didn’t sound proper but there was a justification that it was meant to help low income earners. He added that the funds for the ram sales was handled by some officials at the office of the former president.

He further explained that he also wrote the loan request of D148. 5 million to the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation for the acquisition of another state aircraft because the available state aircraft was not economical with fuel so there was a need to have another one.

Bah was shown another loan request of €200, 000 he wrote, which he explained was made on behalf of the Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) after the management met Jammeh to seek for his intervention to enable viewers to watch the CAF league. He added that the loan was to be paid by GRTS through commercials but he does not recall making any follow ups on the payment of the loan.

He also offered explanation on the $3.6 million loan request he made for the purchase of fire tenders and ambulances. He also spoke about the his participation in the purchase of the John Deere tractors.

By the revelations of the Janneh Commission it is vividly clear that APRC NAMs led by Fabakary Tombong Jatta have woefully failed in their legal duties to protect the supreme interests of the nation. Yet Fabakary is seeking to cleanse and legitimize himself by speaking about the good of Yaya Jammeh. Fabakary is taking cover under the wave of democracy currently being spread all over The Gambia to hide his criminal complicity in the corruption and atrocities of Yaya Jammeh.

Fabakary must know that the democracy he enjoys today was denied to Gambians by himself and Yaya Jammeh. It was the masses of Gambians who brought about this democracy against the wishes of Yaya Jammeh and Fabakary. If he had stood up for the good of The Gambia we would not have had hundreds of our citizens die and suffer in search of democracy which was seized by him and Yaya Jammeh.

Yaya Jammeh killed numerous Gambian women and children and men. Yaya Jammeh violated The Gambia Constitution uncountable times. Yaya Jammeh damaged the rights of Gambians with impunity. Yaya Jammeh diverted public funds to his selfish interests in broad daylight. Yaya Jammeh interfered with state institutions and disregarded the rule of law as he liked. Yaya Jammeh ridiculed the name of The Gambia before the whole world, making us a laughing stock. Yaya Jammeh not only denied the verdict of the people but went ahead to trample upon it thanks to Fabakary Tombong Jatta and APRC parliamentarians.

Since 1997 APRC as a party and with its majority in the parliament gave total support and provided cover up and defended and justified all the acts of corruption, abuse of office and atrocities of Yaya Jammeh. They knew that the actions of Yaya Jammeh violated the Gambian constitution and all norms of human rights and good governance yet they aided and abetted the Despot.

At great cost to the lives and future of Gambians the country succeeded to free itself from the clutches of dictatorship perpetrated by the APRC. Yet until today Fabakary Tombong Jatta and few others continue to tout APRC on Gambians as if that party ever represented any good for The Gambia.

How can Fabakary claim that he stands for the good of The Gambia when he never stood up to call for an end to human rights violations of the APRC regime? Fabakary said Yaya Jammeh has done well for The Gambia when he has seen how indebted and poor and wretched this country is today! If Nawec is in a terrible situation today is that not the work of Yaya Jammeh and APRC?

Yet Fabakary does not only maintain APRC but he is even celebrating Yaya Jammeh as a member! Can Fabakary tell the mothers of murdered school children that Yaya Jammeh was not responsible and tell them who was responsible for the murder of their children? Can Fabakary tell those mothers what he, Fabakary did when those children where massacred to make sure justice prevailed?

How can Fabakary tell Gambians and the world that the unconstitutional declaration of the state of emergency on 17 January 2017 was legal? On what legal basis can anyone defend the December 9 2016 decision of Yaya Jammeh to reject the election results, much more defend the state of emergency?

Is it that Fabakary does not care about his own country even if he does not care about his own conscience and reputation? How can any adult Gambian defend APRC and Yaya Jammeh in the wake of the revelations at the Janneh Commission? Or is it that Fabakary Tombong Jatta wants to provoke Gambians in order to trigger a violent reaction against the APRC so that we can have a civil war in this country? Is it that he is using the invitation by the police as a cover to clean up his image and the dirty profile of his party?

Clearly Fabakary has proved beyond all doubts that indeed there are human beings who lack any grain of worth and are prepared to enslave themselves to their fellow human beings. Fabakary has now proven that he is and has always been a Yaya Jammeh slave! It is now clear that there are citizens who are ready and willing to harm their own nation regardless. Otherwise how can we explain the audacity with which Fabakary denies and ignores the misery inflicted on Gambians by APRC but to celebrate a murderous criminal of unimaginable proportions!

Fabakary can destroy himself but not The Gambia. Fabakary cannot provoke Gambians because we love our country more than him. Let Fabakary ignore his conscience and truth and God but his day of reckoning is nearer than expected!

The revelations at the Janneh Commission prove one incontrovertible fact which is that Fabakary Tombong Jatta and APRC NAMs are guilty of negligence of duties costing huge economic loses to The Gambia. The commission has proven that Fabakary and APRC are complicit in the corruption and mismanagement of public resources. They are complicit in the abuse of power perpetrated by Yaya Jammeh hence Fabakary Tombong Jatta must be prosecuted for failing in his duties.

God Bless The Gambia

The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubacarr Tambadou has updated the press about activities at his ministry.

The Justice Minister has highlighted several important issues including the NIA 9 Case, Truth, Reconciliation & Reparation Commission, Constitutional Review and the Commission of Inquiry among others.

He spoke about the intention of the Prosecutor General of the NIA 9 Case to come up with additional 14 new charges on top of the previous 12 counts, making it a total of 26 counts. The case, he said will resume next Monday.

Minister Tambadou also brief the press about the public consultations that his ministry recently embarked on at all the administrative regions and communities around the country to gauge the opinions and views of the Gambian people on the TRRC.

“The overall idea of establishing a TRRC received overwhelming support from the public,” Attorney General Abubacarr Tambadou said.

He spoke about the delegation comprising his Ministry, Police and other stakeholders that went for a short training in South Africa, saying they are on the final stages of the draft TRRC as the Bill will be soon passed to the National Assembly for approval hopefully before the end of October.

“All members will be Gambians of high professional integrity,” he asserted.

He added that the members will be selected from all regions reflecting national character including women, youth, religious groups and community leaders.

“It will serve a first period of two years,” he said.

The Justice Minister further spoke about a draft Bill on Constitutional Review which will be soon presented to the National Assembly. He reiterated that the review will be open to contributions from the lawmakers and stakeholders as well. He emphasized that once a Constitution is drafted it has to be subjected to a referendum.

Attorney General Tambadou also spoke about the Commission of Inquiry mandate of which is extended to a period of 6 months.

When asked whether there will be possible prosecution of those guilty of misusing public funds, he said they would rather wait for the findings, reports and recommendations of the commission which will be respected and applied to the fullest.

“We will follow the recommendations of the commission to the letter,” Attorney General Tambadou replied.

Meanwhile, he spoke about the capacity building of his ministry with the donation of new computer desktops and internet services provided to all counsels.

By Fatou Sowe

The former managing director of the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation, Edward Graham has reappeared at the Janneh Commission to further explain the various loans of millions of dalasis given out by SSHFC as a result of directives from the office of the former president.

Graham while answering to questions from Commissioner Saine on whether the corporation followed the normal procedure required by law in giving the loans, said that at the material time Jammeh’s executive directives cannot follow due procedures. Adding that he cannot go through the normal procedure with regard to directives from the office of the former president, that he said was the reason he referred the commission to the fact that they had two sets of procedures which are the normal and abnormal procedures.

According to him, the execution of the directives from the office of the former president was through the abnormal procedure. When asked by Commissioner George as to whether he was serving Jammeh or the best interest of Gambian workers, Graham who almost broke into tears said that he is part of those that built the corporation from zero to a multi-billion dalasi corporation but in the instances of the loans their hands were tied.

He further said that this is because the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation’s Act gave too much power to the president and needs to be amended. Graham during his previous testimony made references to various sections of the SSHFC Act to back his actions, however when he wanted to continue this trend he received a caution from the chairman of the commission, Sourahata Janneh who informed him that he did not introduced himself as a legal practitioner. Janneh went on to warn that ordinarily a person who is not a legal practitioner is not compelled to answer legal questions but because of his (Grahams) act of citing various laws, the commission’s counsel (Amie Bensouda) is forced to ask him legal questions, so he asked for the wrangling to stop.

The Commission Chairman further told Graham that as Commissioners they interested in facts and not law because they will come up with the position of the law at the end of the day. However Graham insisted that he wants to be permitted to defend his actions with the SSHFC Act 2015.

According to Graham, on September 27 2015, they (SSHFC) received directives from the office of the former president for the purchase of tents amounting to D88 Million and Central Bank of the Gambia served as guarantor and that this amount was eventually paid by CBG.

Graham also told the Commission as per the Act, the governing board of the SSHFC has no mandate to approve or disapprove directives from the minister of finance much more directives from the executive (office of the former president).

On the NAWEC loans, he further informed Commissioners that in their efforts to recover the outstanding debts they met the NAWEC management. He produced documents relating to the debt repayment agreement between the corporation and NAWEC which were admitted as exhibits.

On the loan for the purchase of fire and emergency vehicles, he said he was called to the state house by Dr Njogu Bah for the safety and security of the Banjul International Airport and the Corporation was asked to give a loan which will be refunded but he requested that they (office of the former president) write a formal request letter.

Documents relating to work-about board resolution of the NAWEC, Fire tenders and ambulance transactions were admitted as exhibits. He said he did not have a board resolution on the loans for the Tobaski rams and the state aircraft.

Graham also produced letters relating to actions the corporation adopted for the repayment of the loans which were admitted as exhibits.

The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) what’s announced that it has finalised arrangements for a friendly international football match between the Scorpions of The Gambia and the senior national football team of Guinea Equatorial in the November international break.

The match with will be played on Tuesday, 14th November, 2017 at the Marbella Football Centre Stadium in Spain. “The Gambia will use the friendly as its final technical preparatory game ahead of the resumption of the 2019 AFCON qualifier at home to Algeria in March 2018 when the Scorpions will host the Desert Foxes at the Independence Stadium in Bakau.

There is no other international window after November until March, 2018,” said The Gambia Football Federation. Since the financing of all category National Teams are now solely the responsibility of The Gambia Football Federation, the football body said the Scorpions couldn’t participate in any of the last two FIFA windows because of the heavy financial demands of such matches.

“In fact, the National Women U-17 Team left Banjul today for Sierra Leone where they will entertain their hosts in the qualifiers of the FIFA U-17 Women World Cup, while their counterparts at senior level will face off against Burkina Faso, all these at the expense of the Federation.”

By Omar Wally

Gambia’s Justice Minister Abubcarr Tambadou, said he has been informed by the Prosecutor, handling the case of former NIA boss Yankuba Badjie & CO ,Antouman Gaye, that he intends to file a motion to amend the indictment in order to increase the number of Counts to 26 from the initial number of 12. 

Badjie, Louise Richards Leese Gomez, Saikou Omar Jeng, Baboucarr Sallah, Yusupha Jammeh, Haruna Susso, Tamba Mansary, Lamin Darboe  and Lamin Lang Sanyang are jointly charged with offenses ranging from Conspiracy to commit murder, murder, assault causing actual bodily harm, conspiracy to commit a misdemeanor, forgery and making documents without authority.

Tambadou made the disclosure Monday, October 9 at the Ministry of Justice during a press briefing.

Tambadou said the case involving the former NIA boss will resume on Monday 16 October 2017. 

He said the Ministry of Justice is now drafting a bill on the establishment of a Constitutional Review Commission which shall be presented before the National Assembly at the earliest opportunity.

‘We are now at the final review stage of the draft TRRC bill. We spent a considerable amount of time on the bill working with experts in the area of transitional justice and truth commissions in particular’ Tambadou said. 

Veteran journalist Pap Saine and country representative of global journalists association Reporter San Frontier RSF, has said though the media is now enjoying freedom under the new administration in The Gambia there are still numerous challenges that need to be addressed.

RSF had been at the forefront in exposing and condemning the former President Jammeh’s atrocities against the media.

Speaking to journalists at his home shortly after returning from France where he attended an RSF forum for its correspondents, Mr Saine said the general situation of the Gambia’s image toward respect for the media has changed a lot positively and he too stressed that point at the meeting but the government should start committing itself to the promises they made during their campaign among which is to abolish the draconian media laws put in place by former President Jammeh.

He also recommended that the Gambia and the English speaking countries in Africa follow the footsteps of their francophone counterparts by providing subvention for the media and as well work closely with it to enhance democracy. Mr Saine also called on media practitioners to discharge their duties responsibly and without bias.

Mr Saine said the meeting of RSF recommended their top brass to meet the leaders of countries where media freedom is suppressed and to see how those countries will ensure that press freedom is respected.

Source: Standard Newspaper

By Omar Wally

The Canopy at SereKunda Market has been rehabilitated to help both market women and their customers have a hygienic and spacious place for selling and buying.

The Canopy sponsored by Mohamadou Musa Njie alias Papa Njie, who is vying for the upcoming Mayoral seat for Kanifing Muncipal Council, was inaugurated on Saturday.

The project was built when Papa and his team took part in the cleaning of the Serrekunda Market; an initiative of the Women Empowerment’ Project.

Speaking at the inauguration, Njie said him and the team were invited to the market for cleaning by the women empowerment project and it was there that he encountered the deplorable state of the old and leaking canopy.

Njie explains that the conditions these hardworking women and men face on a daily basis whilst trying to provide for their families compelled him to take a swift, deliberate and decisive action.

“I’m a true believer in hard work, these business people are vital part of The Gambian economy and our everyday life.”

Njie: In new KM under my leadership, we will implement sustainable solutions, which will transform the way we handle waste which will create jobs for youths, women and the disabled.

The market renovation he said is a tiny part of his vision for a new Kanifing Municipality.

We humbly ask The Gambian people to join us in praying for our late colleague and brother Lamin Manjang who passed away two weeks ago.

Mr Manjang was a respected family man and a patriot of the first order. He was a pillar of the UDP as a dedicated founding member and a courageous freedom fighter who willingly and selflessly staked it all to help end tyranny.

He was arrested alongside the others in the party leadership that protested the brutal murder of Solo Sandeng. He was maltreated together with his compatriots while imprisoned resulting in lingering adverse consequences even after their release. Like fellow inmates Ebrima Solo Kurumah, Lamin Marong,Ebrima Janko Ceesay, our late comrades did not live to see the full fruits of the democracy they helped birth through blood, sweat and tears.

We pray for Allah the Almighty to bless their souls and give their immediate and larger Gambian families patience and infinite blessings.

They and many others have helped free a nation and replaced the brutal tyranny that inflicted untold suffering on our nation and its people with a plural functional democracy where all Gambians are free. That is legacy worthy of their individual and collective honor and sacrifice.

A grateful nation will never forget all that gave it all for the liberation of our great nation. UDP SECRETARIAT, BANJUL THE GAMBIA.

The National Assembly has unanimously passed the Legal Practitioners Amendment Bill at the Legislative Chambers in Banjul.

The amended bill has increased the Bar Association membership to 4 seats in the country’s 9 member General Legal Council among other things.

Speaking to the country’s lawmakers, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubacarr Tambadou has emphasized the importance of expanding the democratic space by preventing any attempt of power abuse in the New Gambia.

Attorney General Tambadou strongly articulated his disapproval of the office of the Attorney General to be the sole signatory to bills approve by the National Assembly to become laws.

“Why should you allow the Attorney General to be the sole signatory,” Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou asked.

“It is a tool for abuse,” he added.

The Attorney General said concerns should be raise to stop the abuse otherwise the trend would continue for any subsequent Attorney General in the future, saying the new government is very prepared for self regulatory reforms.

Member for Serrekunda, Halifa Sallah asked why the Chief Justice and the Attorney General who are both government officials are also be the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the General Legal Council, saying one of the positions should be given to the Bar Association. It was explained to him that the Chief Justice is the highest office of the judiciary while the Attorney General is technically head of the Bar and also principal adviser to the President.

The Member for Wuli West, Honorable Sidia Jatta on his part commended the bill noting that law students should spend adequate time with experienced practitioners before representing people in courts.

Member for Upper Fulladu West, Honourable Dawda K Jawara also spoke about the need to encouraged homegrown membership of the Bar. He commended the amendment on the Attorney General’s sole signatory to assent laws.

He added that the bill should be formally passed by deputies and assented to by the president to become law instead of the Attorney General’s signature.

By Yunus S Saliu

The rise in the number of mentally ill youth moving around the streets is now a great concern to every parent especially in the Greater Banjul Area. It is not only their unfriendly looks, shabby dresses or the hallucinations but because of the alarming rate of the ages involved.

The causes of mental illness is alleged to be common substance abuse as some of them might have in one way or the other abused drugs and alcohol.

What these people take sometimes is not limited to the popular ‘African grass’ widely known as marijuana as some of the youngsters have gone beyond that and got so addicted that they cannot control the use of them.

On a visit to Tanka Tanka Psychiatrist Hospital by The Fatu Network, Saffiatou Kinteh, Deputy Matron at the hospital disclosed that the number of both male and female that are mentally ill in our society is alarming because “every day you find one new mentally ill patient in the streets who needs attention.”

She explained that though psycho condition comes in different ways, a lot of factors can trigger the condition but five out of ten patients in the streets have abused drugs or alcohol for a while that could break them down immediately or letter.

More of these mentally ill youth are in the streets because they lack care and attention, at the initial stage they are hardly detected as they look clean, gentle and calm.

The matron added that lack of awareness about psychiatrist hospital also contributed to them being in the street hence it is the belief of some people that whoever is admitted in the psychiatrist home is a lunatic. And again, she explained further that, it is common among people to always take mentally ill patients to traditional healers to seek for treatment rather than taking them to psychiatrist hospitals.

Tanka Tanka Psychiatrist hospital is a referral hospital that admits mentally ill people free of charge once they have a referral from the main hospital – Edwards Francis Small Teaching Hospital.

Also, the capacity that the hospital can accommodate is limited but because of the alarming rate of the mentally ill people in society, the hospital sometimes goes beyond the actual number.

Saffiatou called on the government, NGOs and individuals to come to the aid of the hospital, the place needs more help especially in the area of maintenance, drugs, toiletries, security, clothes, food and other relevant things.

She added that it is difficult for the hospital to get assistance because of neglect saying she hopes and prays that the current government comes to their aid “because without assistance it will be difficult to handle the patients and we need different things to make the place conducive for both of us,” she disclosed.

By Omar Wally

The Gambia Democratic Congress has condemned in the strongest terms the questioning of APRC interim chairman Fabakary Tombong Jatta, by The Gambia Police Force.

Hon Tombong Jatta, was last week invited to the police headquarter in Banjul for questioning following the remarks he made, which the police say could create instability in the country.

The interim leader of The APRC was accompany to the police headquarters by APRC party heavyweights, supporters and sympathizers. After a few hours of questioning, he was released without charge and APRC supporters later took to the streets carrying placards and chanting “Fabakary Tombong Jatta, will not stand alone.”

Gambia Democratic Congress, leader Mama Kandeh, who is currently out of the country, delegated a member of his executive to pay a courtesy call on The APRC party leader to show solidarity.

Demba Sabally, an adviser to Mama Kandeh, said the purpose of their visit was meant to show solidarity to The APRC and their leader. “We are here to condemn the actions of the police, for inviting political leaders and questioning them for statements made at political rallies.”

Sabally said such actions should stop noting that The Gambia Police Forces should be a neutral body. “We understand that political leaders should make responsible statements, but they should not be censored too.”

APRC leader Tombong Jatta, said he is not surprise by GDC’s courtesy call adding that he expected it. “I am deeply touched” he said.

“After my questioning by the Police, GDC leader called me from Germany, some other GDC members called too and expressed concern.”

Jatta who served at the National Assembly for ten years as majority leader, said the beauty of democracy is pluralism and allowing dissenting views. “It is always dangerous when those voices call for war, but if they call for progress, peace and prosperity people should listen.”

By Omar Wally

Journalist Mamour Mbange, a former investigative reporter with Foroyaa Newspaper, is seeking assistance to undergo medical treatment.

Mbenga who is now a student at Gambia Press Union, School of Journalism said he was mishandled by security personnel while covering April 14 and 16 protest in 2016.

“I was manhandled by some security personnel, at Westfield while covering late Solo Sandeng’s protest; I was beaten with batons for taking pictures of the protest.” He was then admitted at Serekunda Hospital and discharged the following on the April 15, 2016.

“And on April 16, 2016, I went to cover another demonstration organized by UDP Secretary General Ousainou Darbo, and on that day, I was assaulted by some security personnel while corresponding for RFM Radio in Senegal.”

In that protest he said his leg and arm were broken, adding that the security personnel used rifles to hit him. “An insider informed me that the defunct NIA were looking for me, because I had an interview with Solo and they want to know what he (Solo) told me during the interview.”

He later went into hiding for a week and while trying to leave the country, he was arrested at the border and taken to the NIA office.

“I was taken to the interrogation room where I was questioned. When I refused to give answers to some of the questions they asked me, I was beaten and later released.”

Mbenga: My leg and arm are treated now. The problem I have is body pain and at times, I get unconscious and bleed he said.

“I’m appealing to the general public to help me with funds so that I can undergo medical treatment.” Anyone willing to assist can contact him, on +220 244 2423.