By Alieu Jallow
Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has pledged Ghana’s support for The Gambia’s reparation process and highlighted the importance of delivering justice to the victims of former President Yahya Jammeh’s atrocities, which included the killing of 44 Ghanaians in 2005.
The Ghanaian president made these statements during his first official visit to The Gambia on Friday, January 17, to strengthen bilateral relations and express gratitude for President Adama Barrow’s attendance at his inauguration on January 7, 2025.
“We know that there are many processes that need to be gone through, including bringing people justice for crimes committed in the period of President Jammeh. We have discussed [the] issue [delivering justice to the victims of former President Yahya Jammeh’s atrocities, which included the killing of 44 Ghanaians in 2005] in Ghana, and [Ghana] has given its support to that whole process. We also believe that as the president [Adama Barrow] has always said, there should be a process where people who have been the victims are compensated for the pain that they have gone through, and I fully support him,” President Mahama said.
The 2005 massacre involved the deaths of approximately 56 West African migrants, predominantly Ghanaians, at the hands of Gambian security forces acting on Jammeh’s orders.
Following his significant contributions to the peaceful transfer of power in 2017, revelations from The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission regarding Jammeh’s human rights abuses sparked widespread outcry.
The commission recommended that Jammeh and his associates be held accountable for their actions, including their involvement in the 2005 massacre. President Mahama called on the international community to help fund reparations for the victims, including his fellow countrymen.
“Some of our countrymen were killed here in The Gambia and so we are happy with the process that is going on to establish the truth, investigate what happened and also to bring people who did that to justice, but also to compensate the victims’ families and the victims of those who are alive and so he [President Barrow] has our full support and full backing,” he said.
President Mahama’s commitment to supporting The Gambia’s reparation efforts underscores Ghana’s dedication to justice and accountability for the victims of these atrocities.
