Gambian Coup Suspect Reveals NIA Brutality

Says he was beaten and kicked

Foroyaa Newspaper, Banjul: Marabout Hamadi Sowe, who is standing trial for “concealment of treason,” in connection with the 21st March, 2006, coup plot against President Jammeh, on Monday 30 March opened his defence in the “Voire dive” (trial within trial), after spending 3 years in detention due to a protracted legal wrangling concerning his case. Mr. Sowe alleged that he was severely tortured by the soldiers that arrested him.

Testifying before Justice Joseph Wowo of the Banjul High Court, Sowe said he was arrested at his home at Ebo Town on the night of 29 March, 2006 at around 10:30pm. Sowe stated that 6 soldiers came into his house armed with guns, sticks and whips and asked for the owner of the compound, Cherno Barry.

He said he told them that he is in Senegal. He said he was handcuffed and they started to beat him with sticks and whips. He added that he was taken straight to mile 2 prisons. He indicated that he was later taken to the NIA office at around 12 midnight.

He noted that at the NIA, he was dropped in the midst of soldiers who started to beat him indiscriminately. He said those that beat him were armed with sticks, whips, guns and knives. He noted that the beating was done in the court yard (large area) with so many soldiers present.

Marabout Sowe pointed out that at around 3 am, he was taken upstairs in a big sitting room together with other people. He asserted that he was subjected to questioning and he denied knowing any thing about the matter. He posited that one Captain Musa Jammeh told him that he knew something about the matter because of the fact that the owner of the compound, Marabout Cherno Barry, knew something about the matter that he (Sowe) should also knew about it. He added that he told them that he was only taking care of the compound for Cherno Barry with his family.

“One Demba Sowe and Hydara started questioning me. I told them to call all the people that they have arrested and see if any knew me. Captain Musa Jammeh told me you are lying. He pulled out a pistol and stuck it in my mouth thereby breaking my teeth. He told me you are lying and your Marabout cannot do any thing about it. I will lock you up. Musa Jammeh told me if they could not get the Marabout, but gets me, means they got him (Cherno Barry). Musa asked me whether I knew Alieu Jobe and I told him he used to come to the Marabout but I do not know what was between them,” added Sowe.

Going further, Sowe indicated that he was taken from one small office to another and was ordered to thumb print on an empty piece of paper without any writings on it.
Sowe said, “At Mile 2, I was questioned again on whether I have accepted what they accused me of and I replied in the negative. Musa Jammeh told me, remember what we did to you yesterday. If you do not comply, we will kill you. I then accepted and thumb print on the paper because I was afraid that they will take me back and beat me up,” said Sowe.

Marabout Sowe indicated that when he was making his voluntary statement, there was no independent witness and that he does not know any Babou Loum. He said he knew Sainey Ndure at the NIA as the one who obtained a statement from him and even went to the point of telling them to release him as he did not know any thing about the mater; that the Marabout who knew about it is at large in Senegal. Neneh Cham Chongan, his counsel, reminded him that the independent witness Babou Loum told the court that he (Sowe) was happy when he was signing the statement that the two of them were chatting together. Sowe asked, “How can they accused me of partaking in a coup d’etat and I laughed about that. “I was never in a laughing mood,” said Sowe. He added that if it was not for the severe beatings, he would not have signed the statement.

It could be recalled that Marabout Hamadi Sowe, was standing trial alongside Alieu Jobe and others for “treason and concealment of treason”. His trial was separated and was later tried alone. In late 2006, the State Counsel Mrs. Marley Wood informed the court about the state’s intention to discontinue with the case. In another sitting, Mrs. Wood told the court that they were unable to file in the motion for the discontinuation of the case. Since then, Sowe is incarcerated by the authorities, and it was in June 2008, when the trial re-commenced before Justice M.M (Yamoa) Ageyemang of the High Court

Plea for reforms after migrant tragedy

UN aid agencies are suggesting wealthy industrialised nations should perhaps rethink their policies on immigration and asylum in the wake of the latest tragedy in the Mediterranean, writes the BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva.

Reacting to the news that at least 200 migrants were feared dead off the coast of Libya, after the smugglers' boat which was supposed to take them to Italy capsized, the head of the UN refugee agency, Antonio Guterres, said the barriers to legal migration had become too high.

"This is a tragedy that is multiplying itself, in the Mediterranean, in the Gulf of Aden, in south-east Asia. More and more people are trying desperately to move," Mr Guterres told the BBC.

While the trend towards globalisation was encouraging free trade, there were still lethal barriers to people, he added.

"I think it's important to recognise that in today's world where as we have seen, money moves so freely, and goods tend to move also more and more freely, there are still tremendous obstacles for people."

"People need to move because they can no longer live in their countries of origin because of war, because of environmental degradation, because of poverty, there are many reasons that force people to move."

'Total disprespect'

The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 67,000 people undertook the dangerous voyage to Europe in smugglers' boats in 2008.

More than 1,700 are known to have died, but that figure could be far higher, because no-one really knows exactly how many people the smugglers cram onto their vessels.


What is clear, however, is that anyone choosing to try to get Europe on an illegal vessel is risking his or her life.

"Unfortunately it is something we see over and over again," said Jean-Philippe Chauzy of the International Organisation for Migration. "The total disrespect for the safety and dignity of those people."

"They are crammed below deck, the boats are filled three or four times above their capacity, they have no navigation equipment, no safety equipment.

"So, when the boats capsize there are obviously no lifejackets, no dinghies, because everything has been stripped from the boats to get as many people on board as possible."

UN aid agencies believe the strict asylum and immigration policies of many western industrialised countries are forcing migrants to turn to smugglers.

The UN refugee agency points out that of those who crossed illegally from Africa to Europe last year, a majority applied for asylum, and more than half of those were found to be in need of protection.

This proves, the agency says, that a significant number had legitimate reasons to come to Europe and should not have been forced to take the illegal smuggling route.

Growing fears

At the same time, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) says that despite the current global financial crisis, falling birth rates across western Europe will cause a labour shortage over the next few years

It says Europe should think about making it easier for people from the developing world to come in and work.

"You have a strong demand for labour particularly in industrialised countries," explained Patrick Taran, a migrant labour specialist with the ILO.

"They need people to fill the low skilled jobs in agriculture and construction, manufacturing, domestic work, in health care, and you have a lot of people, including with skills, who need those jobs and are willing to come for them."

"Those people will take risks if the doors aren't open. They'll go in by the back window if the front door isn't open."

"When there's no job at all at home, when you have a family to feed, you will take risks to make sure that you and your family have food on the table."

So, as G20 countries, the world's richest nations, work on plans to rescue their own economies, the fear among aid agencies is that the solutions they come up with may close the door to legal migrants and refugees even more firmly.

And if that happens, the agencies warn, more people will turn to smugglers, and more will die as a result.

Dutchman arrested in Gambia for insulting Jammeh

BANJUL – Police in Gambia said Wednesday that a man arrested for allegedly insulting President Yahya Jammeh had lied about his nationality and is actually Dutch not British.

According to the charges the man, identified as Rene Beulen, complained on Saturday at a police post that Jammeh had increased taxi fares for white people and accused the Gambian leader of being "too greedy and corrupt".

Beulen pleaded not guilty to the charges on Tuesday but could not make bail and was detained, according to police sources at Banjul's notorious Mile Two prison, pending his trial date of 9 April.

Under Gambian law, sedition or the incitement of resistance to lawful authority is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine.

Police said Beulen had been questioned again on Wednesday following inquiries from British diplomats.

"He confessed that he was a Dutch national and not British. He also told the panel of investigators, including the British officials, that he stayed in Britain for the past 10 years but that he is not from that country," a senior police source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Dutch foreign ministry confirmed to AFP that a Dutch national had been arrested in the Gambia but declined to give a name or any information regarding the charges.

In December 2008, a British missionary couple became the first foreigners to be slapped with a jail sentence for sedition in the west African nation.

They were ordered to serve 12 months in prison with hard labour after pleading guilty to criticising the president.

Gambia, a tiny country inside Senegal, has one of the worst human rights records in west Africa. Jammeh, an outspoken military officer and former wrestler, has ruled the former British colony since seizing power in a bloodless coup in 1994.

The country is a popular tourist destination with some 100,000 tourists visiting the Gambia each year.

AFP / Expatica

Inter duel with Tottenham for young Gambian star

According to the Daily Mirror, Tottenham are trying to beat Inter in the race for one of the stars of the Under 17 team in Gambia, Ebrima Bojang.

According to its report Bojang has already received a bid from Inter for a test, but is expected by Tottenham later this month,as soon as he is able to get a visa".

The young striker, who plays in Real de Banjul,is currently busy with the Under 17 national team for the African League category.

Bojang, 16, has scored the only goal by Gambia in the victorious match against Guinea, first in the competition. And in the third challenge of the group he scored the second goal in the 2-0 in Algeria.

After closing first in group A, the ‘Baby Scorpions’ have eliminated Malawi (4-0, a goal by Bojang) in the semifinal and he scored twice in Gambia's 3-1 win over Algeria in the final.

Gambia's consumer inflation remains unchange

The Gambia Bureau of Statistics has released the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) for the month of February 09 at an unchanged rate of 7 per cent (y/y).

The price pointer was quoted at 7 per cent at the end of January 09. Could the stability in the index indicate a probable downward trend in the coming months given the 2009 Budget’s headline Inflationary target of 5 per cent?

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects Inflation for the sub-region to slow to a lesser 3.5 per cent at the end of 2009 from a higher 5.4 per cent at the end of 2008 as the Continent’s index is also estimated to be reversed downwards to 3.4 per cent at the end of 2008 from 5.2 per cent at the end of 2009.

Food prices inched up from 8.81 per cent at the end of Jan 09 to 8.89 per cent at the end of Feb 09 on a y/y basis. This still compares unfavourably with a marginal decline from 8.38 per cent in Jan 08 to 8.33 per cent at the end of Feb 08. On a month-on-month basis, food prices eased down from 0.24 per cent at the end of Jan 09 to 0.13 per cent in Feb 09. The non-food component of the basket also grew by 8.77 per cent at the end of Feb 09 from 8.70 per cent in Jan 09 (y/y).

This was in a sharp contrast with a decline of 1.20 per cent in Feb from 1.32 per cent a year ago. Month-on-month non-food prices shrank from 0.24 per cent in Jan 09 to 0.12 per cent at the end of Feb 09 weighing positively against an inch of 0.50 per cent at the end of Feb 2008. Electricity and housing led the charge in the increase in the non-food component of the national price basket; swelling by 6.8 per cent and 6.4 per cent respectively.

Analysis:
The pulse of the consumer price barometer continues to be dictated by food prices. Though downside risks to the global economic outlook remain unchanged, we expect upside risks to domestic inflationary pressures to subside in the coming months of 2009.

This is on the back of anticipated falling domestic export demand and financing, declining commodity prices and much tighter external financing constrains; especially considering a current budget deficit (D1.3bn) at the end 2008.

Essentially, these factors should result in declines in food prices as re-export trades slow down and imports contract due to falling demand on the local
market. Slowing demand should see drops in the food component
of the consumer price basket. Moreover, contractions in external
(donor) financing should see a surge in domestic borrowings and
reduce money supply. Consequently, the Dalasi’s steady
performance against its major trading counterparts should provide
signification insulation against import costs. In the light of these
factors, we forecast the CPI for the month of March 09 to decline
from its current 7 per cent recorded at the end of January 2009.

Analyst: Richmond Dela Cabral
Email: richmond.cabral@databankgroup.com

Gambia beat Algeria to lift CAF U-17 title

The Baby Scorpions claimed their second CAF U-17 title courtesy a 3-1 victory over hosts Algeria in the final match at the 8th CAF U-17 Championship on Thursday in Dar El Beida.

At a packed stadium, the Gambians defied the huge home crowd for the hosts to cling unto victory.

A brace from top marksman Ebrima Bojang and a goal from Alasana Camara powered the Gambia’s to the continental title since winning it on home soil four years ago.

Algerian striker Bendahmane Nadir scored for the hosts but it was not enough to change the tide in his side's favour.

The result saw the Gambians confirm their superiority over the hosts after beating them 2-0 in their earlier meeting at the group phase.

On 7 minutes, Ebrima broke the deadlock by heading home from close range before Alasana doubled the lead on 22 minutes.

Two minutes to half time, Bendahmane reduced the deficit for his side from the spot after Bezzaz Abdelhakim was fouled by Gambian goalie Musa Camara in the penalty area.

The goal restored the confidence of the hosts who launched consistent raids into the half of the Gambians in their quest to draw even.

Five minutes from time, Ebrima sealed victory for his side with his second of the day by slamming into the yawning net after rounding Algerian goalie Abdennour Merzouki.
CAFonline

Dalasi and Butut:Dalasi Posts Declines

The local currency posted declines against its major trading counterparts on both the interbank and the parallel markets this week. The Dalasi depreciated by 37 bututs against the dollar to close at D26.25 and lost D1.25 against the pound to close at D38 on the interbank market.

The Dalasi also depreciated by D1.99 against the Euro to D35.62 and was fixed at D257.50 against the CFA Francs. On the parallel market, the Dalasi lost 53 bututs against the Dollar and was quoted at D26.78 and depreciated by D1.25 against the pound and was quoted at D38. Against the Euro and the CFA Francs, the Dalasi shaved off D1.50 and D6.50 to close at D35.38 and D260 respectively.

On the international currency market, the Dollar marked gains against the Pound and the Euro but lost to the Japanese Yen. The greenback was upbeat against the Pound by 0.69 per cent to $1.44 and was up by 0.74 per cent against the Euro to $1.35 but posted a decline of 3.40 per cent against the Yen to close at $98.13. The dollar’s strength was influenced by a surge in currency transactions as a result of a lackluster in the equities market.

Yields Register Gains
Trading on the floor of the money market of the Central Bank of the Gambia saw gains in all traded instruments except the 91-Day Sukuk- Salam Bill which remains pegged at 11.26 per cent following the end of this week’s auction. The 91-Day Bill inched up by three basis points from 11.48 per cent and is currently quoted at 11.51 per cent.

The 182- Day Bill was up by 17 basis points and was quoted at 12.79 per cent. The Bill was previously quoted at 12.62 per cent. The longer-dated arm of the market witnessed a 7-basis point appreciation in the level of the 1-Year Note. The 1-Year Note is currently quoted at 14.42 per cent but was
quoted at a lower rate of 14.35 per cent last week.

Dalasi Inter-Bank Mid Exchange Rates

USD 26.25
UKP 38.00
Euro 35.62
CFA 257.50

Dalasi Forex Bureau Mid Exchange Rates

USD 26.78
UKP 38.00
Euro 35.38 -
CFA 260.00

TIC Now in Farafeni
Takaful Insurance Company has opened a new shop in Farafenni. Takaful Insurance has been committed to the promotion of Islamic financing following the successful establishment of Islamic Banking in The Gambia.

Open letter to Gambian Journalists

Dear friends,

Over the past few days, we have had a heated debate over the legitimacy of the Gambia Press Union and the extent to which it is representative of Gambian media and journalists in the United States. The debate has, naturally, led to some angry exchanges from both those who feel that the GPU-USA is okay as is, and those who feel that they are not fully represented. Indeed, each side is making claims to being in the right. Such is the nature of any conflict situation. Wars are fought because each party feels that they are in the right. And sometimes, it is the fact that both parties have legitimate reasons to take up arms against the other. Where compromise solutions that accomodate the parties to a conflict are worked out, a ceasefire ensues. Where compromise solutions are not found and each party sticks to its own version of right, the conflict drags interminably on, leading to severe losses on all sides. I pray that we should find a compromise solution and move on.

That said, I also thought to myself yesterday that Yahya Jammeh must be laughing happily in his sofa, tapping his belly, gleefully munching his dark cheeks, and saying loudly to his crooning cronies: 'You just wait and see what happens to them. They are calling for my destruction but now they will all be destroyed because I am not their equal. etc. etc.' He would be thinking that his marabouts or his demons have succeeded in smashing us all so hard that we are now madly knocking our heads together, exchanging angry words, and tearing each other's throats. He must be gloating over us. Our current discussion reminds me of some lines in a song by Ifang Bondi which says: Allah kanang faa njaw la lunnah. Ning Allah yeng faa njaw la lunnah njaw saa foleh nhang na wulo faa. The artist begs God not to kill him on his enemy's day. If God kills him on his enemy's day his enemy will say 'I have killed my dog.'

True, we do have some issues to iron out. And it is great that we are trying to iron them out. But in doing so, I beg you all not to lose sight of the bigger and more important picture. We all have a common enemy, a common task, a common goal whose achivement is a strong enough motive to help us all swallow our individual and collective grievances and pool our resources in the interests of our dear motherland. I therefore humbly appeal to all Gambian journalists to please let by-gones be by-gones, forgive each others trespasses, and forge a solid common front in the interest of our dear motherland.

To those of you who have felt that they were sidelined, please rest assured that whenever the GPU-USA acted, it acted in all good faith and in furtherance of the goals we all share. There has never been any calculated attempt to keep anyone out. We may have differing opinions, but I pray that we learn to agree to disagree. After all, that is all what the democratic culture we advocate is for.

Please let us pool our resources together, let our voices be heard in a civil manner, and let us set our sights firmly on ending the tyranny that is oppressing us and our innocent nation back home. We are all fighting the same war against impunity, against the violations of our God-given rights, against despotism. We are all in the trenches together, each doing their very best wherever they are, at every moment of day to help bring peace and freedom to our country. We are all fellow journalists, fellow victims of a despotic regime we will not let consficate our liberties. We are all Gambian brothers and sisters. And we are all practising Muslims and Christians. For all these reasons I appeal to us all: Please cease fire. Let us unite and move on, respecting our differences but keeping the prize squarely in our sights. God bless you all.

I thank you all.

Baba

Baba Galleh Jallow steps down

The secretary general of the Gambia Press Union USA Chapter last Sunday announced his immediate resignation from the union.

Baba Galleh a former editor -in-chief of the Daily Observer and CEO of The Independent Newspaper, said his decision to step down was in response to Mathew Jallow's proposal that the current (GPU) executive should step down in order to make room for a restructuring of the union.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Jallow wrote: " Earlier this week, Mathew Jallow sent out an email to me, a couple of other members of the GPU-USA executive, and to the editors of the online Gambian media houses - freedom, the echo, senegambianews, allgambian and gainako. Among other things, Mathew wrote that:

"After many discussions with a variety of journalists both active and inactive, the time has come for us to put heads together and recreate the Gambia Press Union (USA) into a more representative and active organ for the development of the Gambia media. I therefore call on the current executive to respond this calling in the interest of unity and progress of our media."

In subsequent emails to the same addressees, Mathew proposed that the current executive should step down in order to make room for a restructuring of the GPU-USA. He pointed out that some editors of the Gambian online media and other Gambian journalists he had spoken to are not happy about the constitution of the past and current executives. During the last executive elections, only about seven people responded to the call to vote, even though there are at least 15-20 names on the GPU-USA mailing list. Calls by the GPU-USA executive, both past and present, for Gambian journalists in the USA to actively participate in the union's activities have been unsuccessful and we have had to work with the very few active members to keep the body alive.

It is against the background of this scenario that I have decided to step down as Secretary General of the GPU-USA in order to allow the process of restructuring Mathew suggests, and that has received the support of some of the editors of the Gambian online media, to go smoothly ahead. In that regard, I wish to inform the Gambian online community that I have voluntarily resigned from my position as GPU-USA secretary general with immediate effect. I am hoping that Mathew Jallow and those who initiated this dialogue on restructuring the GPU-USA will continue to guide our efforts in this important direction. Below is a copy of the resignation letter I sent to editors of all online Gambian media, to the GPU-USA mailing list, and to Mathew himself. I am sending this to the Gambia Post and the Gambia-L to make sure that the online Gambian community knows exactly what is going on with the GPU-USA.

Upon careful reflection and in order to help move this union forward, I am happy to announce that I am stepping down from my position as Secretary General of GPU-USA with immediate effect. While it has been tough to have folks participate, it has been my pleasure to serve in this capacity and to work with those of you who have been active. I hope and pray that the current dialogue goes smoothly forward and that our union emerges from it all stronger and better organized.

I hope too, that those who have initiated this process of restructuring will continue to coordinate our efforts in that direction. Thank you all and God bless you all."

Halifa writes to Jammeh

The desire to walk the extra mile in pursuit of the truth, as dictated by justice, wisdom, good faith and the public interest has compelled me to address this memorandum to you so as to seek further clarification regarding the content and ramification of the presumed “Government policy on the screening of witches”.

Attached under the copy of this memorandum is a copy of the charges proffered against me for your perusal. The thread which runs through all the counts is the presumption that there is a “Lawful Government policy on the screening of witches”.

It stands to reason that if I had any prior knowledge and reliable evidence that the abduction of elderly men and women in particular and other persons of different age groups from their homes and their transportation and imprisonment in residents away from their homes is a by product of the execution of an official government policy, there would not have been any need for me to waste time, energy and resources in calling state representatives to try to find out the role of the government in the perpetuation of the exercise. My task to identify who was behind the screening exercise and facilitate redress would have been less cumbersome and much lighter.

In short, instead of visiting the victims to ascertain or validate reports of atrocities perpetrated against them with the view to convey my findings to you to find out the position of your government and call upon your government to grant them protection, I would have enlightened the victims of their Constitutional right to petition the Executive for the redress of grievances and to resort to the Courts for the protection of their rights as engraved in section 25 subsection 1(f) of the Constitution.

Furthermore I have the right to move freely throughout the Gambia and receive and give information. In accordance with section 25 subsection 1 (a) and subsection 2 of the Constitution. As an opposition Leader I could have politicised the issue by opening up a nationwide debate on the policy with the view to promote an alternative policy which could win public approval and thus try to win voters to my side of the political spectrum.

This is perfectly in line with section 103 of the Elections Laws of the country which states that “Political parties may be established to participate in the shaping of the political will of the people, to disseminate information of political ideas and/or political, economic and social programmes of a national character and to sponsor candidates for public elections.”

It is therefore abundantly clear that I have every right and duty to formulate and disseminate alternative policies and to conduct a campaign to convince the masses to elect me to implement the alternative policies. As a seasoned political figure who has been the minority leader in the national assembly from 2002-2007 and a founding member of the Pan African Parliament, I know very well how to criticise existing government policies and formulate alternative policies.

In short, debate on public policy is not an exclusive domain for the executive or political representatives alone. It is a domain for each sovereign Gambian. The Constitution states that “Every citizen of the Gambia of full age and capacity shall have the right, without unreasonable restrictions -“(a) to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives.”

Suffice it to say, Government policy is a public matter and everyone has the right to comment on its merits or shortcomings and call for its implementation or abrogation. A policy may be consistent with or averse to public decency, public morality, public interest or the public good. This is why freedom of expression should not be hindered to facilitate dialogue to establish what is good and bad policy.

One may now wonder what motivated me to meet the victims of abduction. In my view, the cornerstone of our rights to self determination and Independence is the sovereignty of the people. To attain and conserve the sovereignty of our people is the fundamental objectives of our struggle against colonial domination. This is why the Republican Constitution asserts that sovereignty resides in the people.

Throughout my life as a public servant and private citizen I have worked to ensure that each Gambian, African and Human being is conscious of what it means to be a sovereign person. It is incontrovertible that the sovereignty of the individual person is inviolable. Once this sovereignty is negated one becomes a beast of burden or slave without any rights.

A person whose sovereignty has been negated cannot safeguard the privacy of his or her home from interference. Such a person may be abducted, transported and detained against his/her will without the protection of law. A person whose sovereignty has been abrogated would be at the mercy of his/her abductors and could be forced to eat, drink and sleep as the abductors wish and may be subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment after being deprived of family, community and legal protection. Such a person may be branded, stigmatized and maimed with impunity.

Hence, it has become abundantly clear to me that the sovereignty of the person is indefensible without safeguarding the equality of all persons before the law and ensuring equal protection of all persons under the law.

Hence, when it came to my notice that Jonyi Sonko of Essau had been abducted against her will and transported from Essau to Kololi and was detained in a place commonly referred to as Baba Jobe’s compound, I had to call the Vice President to convey the reports regarding the abduction of men and women from Essau and requested for the information to be transmitted to the President I had expected that the executive will investigate the matter and put all violation of rights to a stop.

When the problem persisted I decided to see many religious leaders of all faiths to inform them of the violations of the rights of very vulnerable victims. As the report persisted I saw the need to come into direct contact with the victims so that I could be doubly sure that the information I intended to transmit to the authorities was the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

I had to validate the reports because of my disbelief that the life of a sovereign Gambian in the 21st century could be more insecure than the life of a ruminant. In short, when a person enters a compound and tries to take a cock or goat, the owner could easily call on the support of the neighbours and police to effect arrest.

According to the information I received, abductors could majestically walk into any compound, enter any bed room, abduct any body’s grandfather or grandmother, mother or father, wife or husband, sister or brother and uncle or aunt and take him or her away without the power to appeal for the protection of family members, community and the law enforcement agents. Even a slave or animal has more rights than the person who is deprived of any protection of the privacy of his/her home or his/her freedom of movement and liberty. I placed myself in the position of the abductees and my conscience could not be free until I did something to end their plight.

This anguish of an elderly man and woman in captivity, being forced to drink hallucinogenic concoctions and is asked to undress to be washed by young people who could be his or her children or grand children and finally forced to sleep on the bare floor after suffering from a state of delirium, tormented my very being. To ignore the traumatic experiences would have made me a prisoner of my own conscience.

My primary task was to find out whether the actions were state sponsored since the acts were perpetrated under the gaze of security personnel. This is precisely why I deemed it necessary to gather concrete evidence for onward transmission to the highest office of the land as proof that the fundamental rights of our sovereign people are being negated.

It goes without saying that, I had the intention to convey to you that governance in a sovereign Republic is a contract between the public trustees and the public; that the terms of the contract are clearly stipulated in the supreme law of our land, the Constitution of the Republic.

I would have reminded you that section 61 of the Constitution states without any ambiguity or equivocation that “the President shall uphold and defend this Constitution as the supreme law of the Gambia”. It was my intention before my arrest to forward a memorandum to you to alert your mind to section 17(d) of the Constitution which states that:

“The fundamental human rights and freedom enshrined in this chapter shall be respected and upheld by all organs of the Executive and its agencies, the Legislature and, where applicable to them, by all natural and legal persons in The Gambia and shall be enforceable by the courts in accordance with this Constitution”.
I intended to convey to you that the people have the right to protection of their person liberty and security under section 19 of the Constitution.

I would have conveyed that even though section 19 states that no one should be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention, elderly men and women; wives and husbands; brothers and sisters; sons and daughters; friends and loved ones were being abducted from their homes by strangers and taken to destinations unknown to them and detained for days against their will.

I would have pointed out that even though section 23 of the Constitution forbids anyone from interfering with the privacy of a person’s home strangers have gone into the bed rooms of sovereign citizens who have not violated any law and have forced them to go along with them into waiting buses. I would have added that freedom goes with the will power to do what is not against the law, public morality and decency. Hence any abduction of the person constitutes a negation of his or her free will and equates the person to a person held in slavery or servitude. This negates section 33 (1) of the Constitution which states that, “all persons shall be equal before the law.”

I would have questioned why one person in a home who has children and relatives is subjected to restrictions and castigations which others are not subjected to in a country whose Constitution says in section 33 that “No law shall make any provision which is discriminatory either of itself or in its effect” and that “no person shall be treated in a discriminatory manner by any person acting by virtue of any law or in performance of the functions of any public office or any public authority”

I would have pointed out that the physical and psychological torment the abductees went through after being put in a state of delirium and further subjected to detention without adequate food, the refusal for them to go to a toilet to urinate or defecate and their banishment to sleep on bare tiles on the floor of their detention centre amount to torture or inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment, which is forbidden by section 21 of the Constitution.

I can now say with utmost sincerity that this matter went beyond partisan, tribal, gender or other parochial considerations. It was a matter of social justice period. My objective for gathering concrete information was to draw the attention of the executive to what I considered to be an aberration which needed to be halted before it was too late. I had to play my role as a public figure who has the conviction that injustice anywhere should be the concern of the public every where.

This is why I said after my arrest that I prefer to be the prisoner of a state instead of becoming the prisoner of my own conscience, that if my suffering could lead to an end to the suffering of others I was fully prepared to be the sacrificial lamb. This is how matters stood.

At no time prior to my arrest did I harbour any intention to do what was not in line with truth, good faith, justice and the public interest. This is precisely the reason why I met many civic, religious and opinion leaders to explain all the actions which constituted an affront to public morality, public decency and justice and leave them to act in accordance with the dictates of their convictions and consciences.

To conclude I must reiterate again that I am not aware of any law on policy on the screening of witches in The Gambia. I was informed of actions which constituted gross violation of the rights of some of our sovereign people and I had to play my part to the best of my ability in accordance with the dictates of time and circumstances, to seek redress. Section 220 makes it obligatory for each sovereign Gambian to foster national unity and live harmoniously with others.

The actions were tearing our communities apart. Section 220 requires each sovereign Gambian to promote the prestige and good reputation of the country. The reports of people becoming internally displaced persons and refugees in peace time could only undermine the prestige and reputation of the country. Section 220 makes it a duty for each citizen to defend and uphold the Constitution.

We are not duty bound to uphold and defend a political party. It is the duty of each party whether in government or not, to build its own prestige and good reputation by defending the rights and promoting the prosperity and general welfare of the people. If any party in government fails to do so the people reserve the right to vote it out of office. This is why section 100 of the Constitution makes it an entrenched provision that “The National Assembly shall not pass a bill to establish a one party state”. A multi party system calls for a country where many policies contend for approval. No single voice will be allowed to dominate.

The Constitution buttressed our duty to defend the constitution in section 2 which states that “All citizens of the Gambia have the right and the duty at all times to defend this Constitution and in particular, to resist, to the extent reasonably justifiable in the circumstances, any person or group of persons seeking or attempting by any violent or unlawful means to suspend, overthrow or abrogate this Constitution or any part of it”.

Section (3) of the same section adds, “a person who resists the suspension, overthrow or abrogation of this constitution as provided in subsection (2) commits no offence”.
My mission was that of promoting social justice. It was designed to alert the minds of those who have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution to govern by the dictates of their oath of office and save the sovereign citizens of the country from abduction, arbitrary detention and subjection to degrading treatment. I hope the abduction has come to an end I am still monitoring the situation.

I will now wait to receive a copy of the policy on the screening of witches so that it will be subjected to National debate if it does exist. History will record the debate and the actions perpetrated against some of our sovereign citizens. It will pass judgment on our conduct.

On my part, I have said that as a Pan Africanist who has heeded Lumumba’s call for my generation to uphold and defend the sovereignty of the African people, I would prefer to lie six feet deep in my grave or be incarcerated in a dungeon somewhere, for eternity, rather than to have it recorded in the history of the Gambia that while our people were being abducted and subjected to degrading treatment I just sat and watched and said or did nothing. I will never leave such a history behind for the future generation to read.

Yours in the Service of Humanity

……………………
Halifa Sallah

Cc: The Chief Justice
The Director of Public Prosecution
The Secretary Of State for Interior

Gambian gets life sentence in UK

A Gambian national was Thursday sentenced to life in prison by a British court after been found guilty of murder.

Juvinal Ferreira was found guilty by Norwich Crown Court for killing a British woman, Elaine Walpole in Dereham, Norfolk, last April.

Ms Walpole's body was found in a house in Dreibholz Court in Dereham. The post-mortem revealed three stab wounds to her head and neck and more fifty other injuries including a bite mark to her face.

Forensic examinations of samples taken from her body identified the defendant who was arrested in May in Hertfordshire.

At the time of his arrest on suspicion of murder, Mr Ferreira told police he was 16 years old. Police doubted his claim and embarked on a 10-month inquiry - using bone specialists and records found in Africa - to prove he was an adult.

Their research allowed the courts to treat Ferreira as an adult and not a juvenile.

In sentencing Mr Ferreira, the presiding judge handed down a life sentence, saying he should serve at least 22 years before being considered for parole. A juvenile would been handed a much shorter sentence.

Speaking to reporters after the judgement was delivered, a police spokesman, Detective Inspector Jes Fry said detectives were sure Ferreira was older than 16 as soon as they arrested him. He added that the police could not prove their suspicions because Mr Ferreira had no birth certificate, driving licence or other paperwork containing his date of birth.

"We were forced to trace Ferreira's history in Africa - and gather records available in Gambia - then compare that data to forensic tests on the age of his bones. He gave us his name and said he was from Gambia - which was true. He also said was 16 - which wasn't. We would have said he was in his early 20s. The problem was that he had none of the usual paperwork. So we made inquiries in Gambia through the Foreign Office and traced identification documents and school records.

"X-rays were then taken of his wrists, clavicles and lower jaw and these were examined by forensic odontologists and forensic anthropologists. When we compared the forensic evidence to the records we traced in Gambia we were able to show that he must be at least 20 and therefore an adult - and his lawyers accepted our findings.

"We don't know his exact age but that doesn't matter. We established that he was at least 20 and therefore the court could treat him as an adult. A juvenile would have had to have a much shorter sentence," the spokesman said.

Inspector Jes revealed that Mr Ferreira have shown no remorse for his actions.

Head of Protective Services, Detective Chief Superintendent Julian Blazeby said: “This was a challenging investigation, where the team of officers involved demonstrated professionalism in bringing a successful conclusion.

“This was a very unusual case that required the use of innovation and forensic specialists to prove the defendant's age and highlights the determination of our investigative team.”

More troubles for jailed David Fulton

The Point, Banjul: David Fulton, a British national who is currently serving a one year jail term for seditious publication, is convicted for another offence of forgery.

David Fulton Wednesday pleaded guilty to the charge of forgery before Magistrate Lamin George of the Banjul Magistrates’ Court, and was subsequently convicted and sentenced to three years mandatory jail term.

According to the first Count, some time in the year 2007 and 2008 in the city of Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, David Fulton, forged a Technical Assistance number plate No: GSC 1TA which he affixed to his vehicle. Prosecuting Officer, Sgt Fatty, asserted that such number plates, red in colour, are normally issued for vehicles of persons under Technical Assistance in the Gambia. He said that there was no record at the Department of State for Foreign Affairs to show that Mr Fulton had been in The Gambia under some technical assistance programme. He stated also that records at the police licensing office indicate that the said vehicle was not registered as a Technical Assistance vehicle. He asserted that Mr Fulton made the number plate and the registration number on his own.

Sgt Fatty further informed the Court that upon the completion of investigations the Accused was subsequently collected from Mile 2, cautioned and charged with the offence committed. The Accused, Mr Fulton, having admitted the facts as narrated by the police prosecutor, was subsequently convicted and sentenced accordingly.

The case was adjourned to 7th April 2009 for consideration of the second Count.

Under Count two, the Accused, David Fulton, some time in the year 2007 and 2008 in the city of Banjul and diverse places in The Gambia, falsely represented himself as a military officer by wearing a military uniform and thereby committed an offence. He has denied the charge.

Praising Halifa Sallah

Halifa Sallah may have gone through some inconveniences and hardships while been remanded at the Mile Two Prisons, but the NADD flag bearer has again emerged victorious in his fight for the restoration of democracy and the rule of law in the country.

By PK Jarju

Mr Sallah was kept away from his loved ones and friends not because he committed a crime or posed a threat to the peace and stability of the Gambia, but because he chose to challenged the state sponsored witch hunting exercise, which was not only against the constitution and other laws of the Gambia, but a violation of the rights and freedoms of the Gambian people.

Halifa's duty to the public and his belief in morality of the essential rightness of the cause for which he stood for, has compelled him to offer himself as a 'sacrificial lamb to ensure the liberty and dignity of the Gambian people'.

As he stated in a recent interview with Foroyaa: "My arrest, detention and release is not about me. It is about the sovereignty and welfare of the people which is the cornerstone of our right to self determination and independence."

Halifa was as strong as ever when he was arrested. And instead of calling on his angry supporters to take to the street when he was unable to meet his bail conditions, he asked them to return home and not be despaired.

Halifa knew that he was not a criminal and remanding him at the Mile Two Prisons only exposed the Jammeh regime's desire to keep the Gambian people silence while it does anything it wants without giving a monkey to the laws of the country. The longer he remained banged up and denied access to visitors, the more respect he got from the Gambian people many of whom have previously supported Jammeh.

President Jammeh may try to fool the Gambian people yet again, by saying that the charges against Halifa were dropped in the interest of peace. We all know that the charges were only dropped as a damage limitation on Jammeh's battered imaged.

Since Halifa's arrest, newspapers in many countries both in Africa, UK, America, Asia, China and even far away Australia developed interest in the state sponsored witch hunting and have ran stories about the arrest and persecution of suspected witches and wizards in the Gambia.

Many Gambians and friends of the Gambia turned Jammeh into a subject of ridicule and have even expressed doubts whether he is mentally fit enough to continue running the affairs of the country.

Peace was the last thing on Jammeh's mind when he ordered the arrest of Halifa Sallah. If Jammeh was really interested in the peace and progress of the country, he would not have in the first place invited the Guinean witch hunters into the country to rudely disrupt the lives of our elderly parents.

And I am very certain that the Gambia would have been in flames today if the Gambian people had taken to the street to demand the immediate release of Halifa Sallah and an end to the activities of the witch hunters. Jammeh would have surely ordered his security officers to come down heavily on the protesters, like he did on April 10 and 11, 2000.

Lets not forget that Jammeh once said on national television that he would not hesitate to kill 99 per cent Gambians and go to sleep if it is in the interest of the Gambia.

To Jammeh, the witch hunting is in the best interest of the country and only God knows how many Gambians would have been killed during the protest.

The Gambia can only move forward if Jammeh as president orders the immediate stop to all witch hunting activities, issue a public apology to the people whose lives were torn apart by the witch hunters as well compensate them fully.

A full investigation should be conducted on the reported death five Gambians and the rape of a woman from Makumbaya by the witch hunters. Murder and rape are a serious crime under Gambian law and those responsible should be arrested and prosecuted.

Gambian men and women who have fled the country into neigbouring Senegal should be allow to return home to their families without any intimidation or harasment.

There cannot be peace and progress without justice.

Gambia top group at U-17 Champs

The Gambia claimed top spot of Group “A” at the ongoing 8th CAF U-17 Championship after a 2-0 victory over hosts Algeria on Wednesday in Zeralda.

The hosts were without some regular faces including first choice goalkeeper Abdennour Merzouki and midfielder Houssem Ferkous who were both suspended. Striker Nadir Bendhame who scored twice against Guinea and Cameroun was used as a substitute.

The Baby Scorpions registered the first goal in the 26th minute when a corner kick from Dawda Ceesay was deflected by an Algerian defender into his net.

The hosts responded positively but failed to tally the score despite the home support and creative football where it mattered most for them to score.

The second period saw both teams making tactical changes. Despite bringing on their top scorer Bendhame, Algeria found it impossible to score. To add to their worries, the Gambia added another goal in injury time from striker Ebrima Bojang.

At the post match conference, Gambia’s Coach Tariq Saigy commended his players whilst the team continues to build on their achievement.
His Algerian counterpart, Othmane Jbrir conceding defeat, while adding their focus is now on the semi-final, with their target on a place at the last two.

The group’s other match between Cameroon and Guinea in Dar El Beda ended barren. The result meant that both teams failed to score at the championship.
CAFOnline

Dalasi & Butut: Dalasi Loses to US Dollar

with Databank Securities Ltd
The Gambian local currency lost ground to the US Dollar on both the interbank and parallel markets this week. On the interbank market, the Dalasi depreciated by 13 bututs and was quoted at D25.88 but gained 50 bututs against the pound to close at D36.75.

The local currency strengthened by D1.37 against the Euro and was quoted at D33.63 but was down by D2.50 against the CFA Francs to close the week at D257.50. On the parallel market, the Dalasi depreciated by 2 bututs against the greenback to close at D26.25 and depreciated by 25 bututs against the Pound to close at D36.75. The Gambian currency also lost 38 bututs against the Euro and depreciated by D1 against the CFA Francs to close the week at D33.88 and D253.50 respectively.

The Dollar recorded losses against the Pound and the Euro but gained against the Yen on the international currency market this week. The US dollar moved south by 4.14 per cent against the pound to close at $1.45 and depreciated against the Euro by 5.15 per cent and was quoted at $1.36. Against the Yen, the dollar appreciated by 3.39 per cent to close this week at $94.79.


91-Day Bill Up
Treasury Instruments traded on the floor of the Central Bank of the Gambia posted mixed performances this week. The 91-Day Bill was quoted at 11.48 per cent following a 3-basis point gain from a previous rate of 11.45 per cent.

However, the 182-Day Bill lost 15 basis points andis currently quoted at 12.62 per cent but was quoted at a higher rate of 12.77 per cent a week ago. The 1-Year Note also dipped by 8 basis points from 14.43 per cent. The Note was quoted at 14.43 per cent last week. The 91-Day Sukuk-Salam Bill was unchanged at 11.26 per cent.

Dalasi Inter-Bank Mid Exchange Rates

USD 25.88
UKP 36.75
Euro 33.63
CFA 257.50

Dalasi Forex Bureau Mid Exchange Rates

USD 26.25
UKP 36.75
Euro 33.88
CFA 253.50

CPI Stays at 7 Per cent…
The Gambia Bureau of Statistics has released the Consumer Price Inflation (CPI) for the month of February 09 at an unchanged rate of 7per cent (y/y). The price pointer was fixed at a previous 7 per cent that was quoted at the end of January 09.

Halifa Sallah speaks

Foroyaa: Your arrest, detention and release have been very dramatic could you help our readers to have a clear understanding of what happened?

Halifa: My arrest, detention and release is not about me. It is about the sovereignty and welfare of the people which is the cornerstone of our Right to self determination and independence.

Foroyaa: The second charges against you which replaced the first chargers made reference to your attempt to incite people against government policy on the screening of witches. How is this related to what you are saying?
Halifa: You know as much as I do that I am an opponent of the government and reserve the right to put alternative policies before the people. This is what multi party system is all about. No one can possibly break a law by putting an alternative policy before the people. I am not aware of any Law or government policy on the screening of witches. I therefore did not campaign against a policy or law which were unknown to Gambians. They reserve the right to make allegations but I reserve the right to rebuttal of these allegation. I would like the people to move away from the allegations of the government and focus on my concerns and intentions.
Foroyaa: What are those concerns?
Halifa: The President in particular and all citizens in general are to uphold and defend the constitution.” Section 220 of the Constitution which spells out the duties of a citizen states that every citizen shall “uphold and defend the Constitution.”
I have been repeating over and over again that “the sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people. Section 1 subsection (2) of the Constitution indicates that organs of government must derive their authority from the people and their powers are to be exercised to promote the welfare and prosperity of the people.

I came to the conclusion that the sovereignty of the person is meaningless if he or she could have his or her freedom of movement restricted by strangers and his/her liberty ceased by abductors. Sovereignty means the possession of a will to move about freely without being subjected to any arbitrary arrest, detention or any form of servitude.
In my view, any interference with the privacy of the home of a person who has not committed any crime; any restriction imposed on the person to bar him/her from moving freely throughout the Gambia in lawful pursuits, any seizure of liberty and forceful attempts to transport a person to a destination against his or her will; make a person drink hallucinogenic concoctions and their subjection to inhuman and degrading treatment constituted gross violation of the Constitution of the Gambia.
Initially I could not get any indication from the government that they were behind the abductions. I considered it my duty to bring the happenings to the awareness of the government through a petition after the collection of all the facts with the intention to bring the misery and insecurity of the victims, the potential victims and their families to an end. I did not act hastily. I had consulted with many prominent personalities, civic and religious leaders before I took further steps. I was arrested on 8th March while fulfilling the mission of a sovereign citizen of a sovereign Republic. I made it very clear to those who detained me that I would rather be a prisoner of the state than to be the prisoner of my own conscience. I was taken to court on Wednesday 11th March. The 25th of March was set for the commencement of the trial. The bail conditions made it impossible for me to be released on bail. Hence I was remanded in custody at the maximum security wing of the central prisons at Mile 2. I had no access to visitors until I reminded the prison authorities that as a former social welfare officer I was acquainted with the Prison Act and rules and that I had a right to visitors. This was confirmed on Monday 16 March but because of the bureaucracy the message could not reach my wife and friends until Wednesday 18th March. On Thursday 19th March 2009 I had a visit in the morning to enable me to prepare my grounds of appeal regarding the bail conditions. By afternoon I was moved from the prisons. I was informed at Banjul Police Station that the first charges were to be withdrawn and replaced with second charges. I was driven to Brikama Magistrate Court. On 19th March 2009 the Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr. Richard N. Chenge stood up to announce that they have decided to withdraw both the old and new charges in the interest of peace and justice.

Foroyaa: What next?
Halifa: I am investigating whether the Abductions have stopped or not. The fundamental objective is to see to it that the abductions and inhuman treatment of the people are put to a stop. I am open to receive any information regarding such abductions and maltreatment. I will be writing to the President and the Attorney General to investigate whether there is a written government policy on the screening of witches as implied in the second charge sheet. I will keep the public informed.

Foroyaa: Are you going to seek the support of anyone?
Halifa: This is a non partisan issue. It is a matter of social justice. I am a public figure and my duty is to amplify the concerns of the people to ensure redress. One does not invite people to carryout their duty to their country in the context of their times. Each has to make his or her own personal decision. As far as I am concerned my right and duty to defend the sovereignty and welfare of the people is inviolable and non negotiable.

Global justice derailed

By Hassan Nafaa*

Ahram Weekly: Human societies either live in a "state of law", or what Hobbes used to call a "state of nature", where anything goes and the winner takes all. To live in a state of law you need an elected government, a parliament with oversight over the executive and a judiciary independent of both. In other words, you need a democracy.

In the absence of democracy the government is selective in its implementation of laws, the judiciary is beholden to the government, and parliament is manipulated by special interests and even foreign powers. In short, you live in a "state of nature", where not everyone is equal before the law.

What about the international community? Until recently experts in international law argued that the world started to move away from the "state of nature" and towards a "state of law" following World War II, when a sufficient number of countries agreed that a means of settling international disputes was needed that did not involve war. It had become glaringly obvious that international interests were so intertwined that giving up some sovereignty for the sake of peace and security was not a bad idea.

Many international organisations were born to manage international relations and steer the world away from deadly conflicts. The trend started with the League of Nations then, after WW II, was picked up by the UN. In theory the UN had the seeds of an international global system, if not an international government.

Many expected the International Court of Justice to develop into the world's ultimate legal authority. Some wanted the General Assembly to act as a world parliament, overseeing the Security Council. The international system, at least in theory, could function as a democracy.

This is what many believed until the Cold War dashed their hopes. Abuse of the power of veto, by the Soviet Union then others, undermined the credibility of the Security Council. As a result the International Court of Justice was unable to maintain its authority.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union things changed. The UN Security Council began to assert its power and a new organisation came into being: the International Criminal Court (ICC). But instead of helping upgrade international law the ICC became a tool for its destruction.

The ICC cannot act fairly unless: (a) all countries ratify their statutes; (b) the Security Council is overhauled; and (c) the International Court of Justice is given a much wider mandate. As it turned out, the US and Israel didn't ratify the ICC statutes, the Security Council retains the political bias of the post-WW II dispensation, and the statutes of the International Court of Justice remain narrow.

Theoretically, any UN member state can remain beyond ICC jurisdiction as long as it refrains from ratifying its statutes. Practically, and this is the good part, the Security Council can refer any crimes to the court, even if the country in question hasn't signed up. What this means in practice is that if a country is strong enough, or has friends in the right places, it can get away with anything. To get away with murder all you need is to be either a UN permanent member or a close friend of one. If that's not a recipe for international blackmail, I don't know what is.

Let's say that Israel decides tomorrow to deport Palestinians from their homes, or starts killing Israeli Arabs. Far fetched, perhaps, but with Netanyahu in power nothing can be ruled out. What will the ICC do? Nothing. Because the US and Israel's other friends on the UN Security Council would never refer the case to the ICC.

Sudan, however, is different. The Sudanese government may not be above abusing its own citizens. But what it is facing in Darfur is basically an insurgence that threatens to rip the country apart. While the Sudanese are grappling with this admittedly thorny situation, the ICC stepped in with a warrant to arrest the Sudanese president. Now how selective can justice be?

The way I see it is that, instead of the ICC taking us away from the "state of nature" it is pushing us further into it. For the international community to have a credible legal mechanism a lot of today's global institutions will need to be reformed.

The UN General Assembly should turn into an international legislative body with the power of political oversight over the UN Security Council. The Security Council should become more democratic. The International Court of Justice should acquire a larger mandate, even to the extent of overseeing the constitutionality of Security Council resolutions.

Only then will the ICC be able to look us in the face and speak with authority on war crimes and other forms of abuse. Global justice is a good thing, but first we have to ensure that all members of the international community are equal before the law.

* The writer is secretary-general of the Arab Thought Forum, Amman, Jordan.

Algeria, Gambia in U-17 semis

Hosts Algeria and Gambia have qualified for the semi-finals of the African U-17 Football Championships.

Algeria beat Guinea 1-0, courtesy of a strike from Nadir Bendahmane 14 minutes into the game.

Gambia beat Cameroon 2-0 in today's game in Group A.

Dawda Ceesay opened the scoring halfway through the first half.

Alasane Camara made it two for Gambia 15 minutes from time.

Gambia and Algeria both have six points in Group A, while Guinea and Cameroon have none with one game to go.

By reaching the last four, Algeria and the Gambia also qualify for the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria in October.
BBC Sports

Woman raped by Jammeh's witch hunters

A resident (name witheld) of Makunbaya who was abducted by witch hunters in the early hours of Tuesday, on the 25th day of February 2009, at about 11:00am in Makumbaya village has alleged that she was raped by one of her captors.


According to her, she was raped by a young man while she was in captivity in a compound they called Baba Jobe’s compound. The victim who was in an angry mood, said she was at the Makumbaya village garden when she and her colleagues received a messenger who claimed to be sent by the Alkalo, Alhagie Kujabi; that all the Gardeners should immediately go and answer to a very important guest from the president.

She said whilst on their way to the Alkalo, they met with the so-called witch hunters that were accompanied by armed personnel and young men and women in green clothes. The woman added that after she was abducted by the group, she was told that she was possessed by demons that “gave her their shirts without her notice”, and that being the case, she had to go to Kololi with them in order for her to be cured of the spell.

The distraught woman said upon their arrival at Kololi, she was told by the witch hunters that she should drink the concoction so that they could start her treatment. She said her captors forced her to drink the concoction; and shortly after drinking the liquid that night, she said she fell down and went into a trance and did not know where she was or what was happening to her.

She said a young man raped her while she was under detention at Kololi; that she was raped during the second day of her detention at Kololi. She said while in captivity, this young man would come to her and ask her to take bath; and that while she was taking bath; the young man would stand and look at her while she was naked. She said whenever she planned to go to the toilet to urine or defecate; the young man would insist that he was going to accompany her.

She lamented that it was during one of those instances that the young man wrestle her to the ground and forcefully raped her.

The victim said after undergoing this ordeal, her daughter who is a police at the Banjulinding Police Station came to Kololi and requested for her release. She said that was how she regained her freedom. She said if she sees the man who raped her, she would recognise him.
Foroyaa Newspaper

Ghana to unravel deaths of Ghanaians in Gambia

Ghanaian vice president, John Dramani Mahama on Friday re-echoed the commitment of his government to work towards unravelling the circumstances that led to the death of 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia.

Meeting with a joint United Nations – ECOWAS Commission Mission which is investigating the incident at the Osu Castle, Vice President Mahama stated that in as much as Ghana would like to improve her relation with its West African neighbour, it would, nonetheless, not gloss over alleged killing of her citizens.

A known advocate for the victims, dating back to his days as a Member of Parliament, Vice President Mahama reiterated the desire to work towards ascertaining the reasons that led to the death of the victims so as to assuage the pain of the distraught family members.

Ghanaians woke up to the unpleasant news on July 23, 2005, of the alleged killing of 44 of their compatriots and nine other West African nationals in the Gambia.

The news generated a national furore against The Gambia, compelling the then government to press the ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation into the case, so as to establish the complicity or otherwise of the Gambian security apparatus in the melee.

Subsequently, the two institutions did set up a joint mission on August 15, 2008, tasked with investigating the issue under the chairmanship of eminent Jamaican diplomat, Ambassador Curtis Ward.

The presence of the mission in the country was to enable the team interview some surviving victims and collate additional information from other sources that might help to shed some light on the incident.

Vice President Mahama expressed government’s confidence in the expertise of the team, assuring them that Ghana would respect their verdict, although he also conveyed the anxiety of the generality of the Ghanaian populace over the issue.

He said Ghana wants the “unfortunate” incident investigated so that those found culpable for the dastardly act would be brought to book and also allow for a thawing in the relationship between the two countries.

Vice President Mahama also expressed delight about the cooperation received from The Gambia, which he said, would enable a successful closure of what he described as a “sad chapter” in the relation between the two countries.

Ambassador Curtis Ward told the Vice President that some headway had been made in forming some conclusions as to what happened, although he conceded that it would still take some time before a definite report would be issued.

Ambassador Ward said the team had received cooperation from the two countries and has received similar support from surviving persons, and families of some of the victims.

Other members of the mission included Justice Ariranga Pillay, President of the South African Development Community Tribunal, Justice Albert Redhead, a retired Appeal Court Judge and Mr Morie Lengor, a security expert with the ECOWAS Commission.

Source: GNA