IFJ wants ECOWAS court's verdict on Chief Manneh enforced

PANA: The global press freedom body, International Federation of Journalist (IFJ), Friday called for the enforcement of sub-regional body ECOWAS court's ruling on disappeared Gambian journalist, Chief Ebrima Manneh, an IFJ statement received here by PANA said.

The IFJ statement came in the wake of Gambian Justice Minister's declaration that “Chief Ebrima Manneh is not in state custody”.

“The Gambian authorities have the obligation to produce the missing journalist or to investigate and find out his whereabouts; in other words they are bound to enforce the decision of the ECOWAS Court,” said Gabriel Baglo, IFJ Director for A f rica Office.

“We are calling on ECOWAS and the Gambia to enforce the ruling of the court, otherwise, this would just prove the disrespect of Gambian government to the regional institution and its regulations and the level of impunity that reigns in the Gambia," Baglo noted.

The ECOWAS court sitting in Abuja, Nigeria, last June ordered the Gambian government to release the journalist and compensate him after delivering a verdict against the government.

The Accra-based sub-regional press freedom body, Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), had filed the suit against the Gambian government on behalf of the disappeared journalist.

No Easy Guy

Short story
By Baba Galleh Jallow

Dr. Bopagi Botiharr Kakatarr, managing director of Daaneko Enterprises, was a famous guy in our little town. With a bachelor’s degree in Wahology from the famous University of Kungfeteng, a Masters degree in Jahaseh Techniques from Hiding University and a PhD in Windpiping from the prestigious University of Mattafoof, Dr. Bopagi Botiharr Kakatarr was a veritable walking encyclopedia of universal knowledge.


Not only was Bopagi Botiharr smart, he was also fast. He could fly to heaven and come back to earth within the wink of an eye. He liked to boast that he was the wind that blew without moving, the light that flashed without shining. And if you really doubted these words, you would be convinced when you hear him tell how he single-handedly grabbed all the heavenly bodies in his single palm and flung them off to nowhere!



Dr. Bopagi Botiharr, alias Mumble, did not in fact mumble when he spoke. His speech was clear as crystal and his voice loud as thunder, though sharp and not ear splitting like cackling rumbling of the angry clouds. Bopagi Botiharr spoke in soft, but clear and measured tones, and was always careful to ask his audience to listen with more than two ears because what he was saying was a matter of life and death to all concerned. Sometimes, to emphasize his points, he would cluck like a duck and smack his lips in the manner of a well-drunk gentleman. Indeed, his manner of speech alone was enough to send our common townsfolk exclaiming in delight and thanking their stars that they had such a vocal guy in their midst.



It is simply impossible to list all the great qualities of our famous Dr. Bopagi Botiharr Kakatarr. Suffice it to say that he was an all-in-one, or a one-in-all depending on how you look at it. If you heard how Bopagi Botiharr claimed that he could jump so high that his head would hit the sky, or that he could pluck a star from heaven and put it in his breast pocket, or indeed that if he so wished, he could make Fidel Castro young again, then you would know that this famous guy was not to be messed with. He had a way of staring at you and raising his lips to heaven when he spoke that you just felt like falling at his feet and calling him sir. “Listen, listen,” he would say. “This is not about what you think it is about. It is about something you don’t understand. I’ll explain.” This wise exhortation would be followed by a gentle pause, the prelude to the release of a well-crafted piece of oratory that sent all our common townsfolk squealing and squeaking in total delight.



If Bopagi Botiharr told you that no one could break his words, or that his resolve was harder than iron, you better believe him. For the guy had a way of doing things that just defies classification. You should see him summon the whole world to his mind and deliver to them such a rousing speech that they would all raise their hands and open their mouths in a universal hail of the great Bopagi Botiharr. They would create such a clamor that all the birds would fly in fright and the surprised sheep would turn their heads and loudly bleat. Whereby Bopagi Botiharr would cluck like a duck and smack his lips like a well-drunk gentleman and wait for the noise to die down before letting fly his other points.



Bopagi Botiharr was a master of civilizations. He liked to say that he was not only a walking book, but also a walking civilizana. He claimed to be particularly versed in the complex world of western civilization. Sometimes, when he was in a particularly good mood, Bopagi Botiharr would plunge into a learned exposition of early modern European civilization. He was a particular darling of the Italian renaissance and would make it especially clear that he was neither a popolo minute nor a popolo grossos. “I am in fact,” he would say, “a popolo grandi, if you know what I mean,” tilting his lips to the heavens and staring straight into the amazed faces of our common townsfolk. Clucking like a duck and smacking his lips like a well-drunk gentleman, Bopagi Botiharr would add: “And as a popolo grandi, my task is to build the world of human intelligence and make sure that those who doubt my capacities wake up on the wrong side of their beds. I just mean to say that I am no easy guy, and you folks know that.” Thus it was that if our common townsfolk wanted to hear some really juicy stuff from our great Dr. Bopagi Botiharr, they would simply and loudly hail him popolo grandi or tap him softly on the back and say, “hey, you really are no easy guy.”

From Abduction to Ritual Cleansing

Foroyaa, Banjul:
Foroyaa has been following developments in the country very closely to determine whether the abduction of innocent people by witch craft practioners is continuing or has come to a stop.

After our review of the operations of the witchcraft practioners in western Division and CRD we can now detect a departure from the old trend of abduction and the embracing of a new trend of ritual cleansing.

Since the withdrawal of charges against Halifa Sallah and the submission of his letter to President Jammeh questioning government policy on the screening of witches we have not received any report of fresh abductions and attempt to force people to take hallucinogenic concoctions.

The latest report of the movements of the witchcraft practioners is centred on their trip to Janjangbureh.

According to eye witnesses, the witchcraft practioners who were escorted by security forces and green boys and girls arrived in Janjangbureh on Wednesday 8th April 2009. They were transported by three vehicles, a white pick up, a green pick up and a pajero. Upon their arrival, they are reported to have told the chief that they were sent by the President to conduct rituals to rid the area of evil spirits. They asked each person to report what they see correctly to anyone who goes to make inquiries so that they would not be misquoted or misrepresented.

It is reported to Foroyaa that the witch hunters visited the Upper Basic School in Janjangbureh where they slaughtered a cock and a goat. The cock was buried and the goat taken to be skinned and the meat shared. The children at the school are said to be on holidays.

According to other eye witnesses the witch hunters met the chief and explained that they were sent by the authorities to perform their ritual in order to protect the bridge which is to be built at the Sankuley Kunda crossing. After their explanation they were accompanied to the site to perform their rituals. They had a cock, a goat and condiments for cooking.

One Simbong Sidibeh killed the goat on behalf of the chief. The cock was buried with the condiments and the goat was taken to the resident of the chief. Prayers were recited before the team left.

What happened in Jangjanbureh is similar to what happened in Kampasa and other villages in Western Division. We are told that the abductions and compulsion to drink hallucinogenic concoctions have stopped. However some villagers in Western Division are reported to have been compelled to purchase the cock and the goat the witch hunters use to conduct their rituals.

Since the government has not made a public statement on the matter people are at the mercy of the witch hunters and their entourage. The involvement of village heads and chiefs on what may be alien to their cultural and religious practices is still a manifestation of arbitrariness in governance.

Section 32 of the constitution reads:“Every person shall be entitled to enjoy, practice, profess, maintain and promote any culture, language, tradition or religion, subject to the terms of this constitution, and to the condition that the rights protected by this section do not impinge on the rights and freedoms of others or the national interest, especially unity.”

In our view, poverty is the actual witch that is making the poor to suffer and die from anemia, malnutrition and ill-health. Poverty is the devil which needs to be exorcised.

Hence, if any person in the Gambia believes that killing a cock and burying it could serve as protection one should perform the rituals without the involvement of security forces, village heads, chiefs and the population at large. A sovereign person should not be subjected to practice a ritual which does not form a part of his/her own belief. Such rituals cannot be propagated by a state which claims to be “a Sovereign Secular Republic.” We hope the Executive fully understands what this means.

Happy Birthday Junior

As you celebrate your birthday today, May Almight Allah continue to shower His love, protection and guidance on you. May the Good Lord also grant you all the best things you wish for yourself and your family.
From Dad, mum, sister and the entire family both in Gambia and UK.

Shocking Images of Dictator Nino

Please note that these images are sickening

Dictator Nino Viera of Guinea may have died a month ago, but people will never stop talking about the way and manner in which he was killed by his own soldiers on March 2.

Bissau Guinean soldiers, who blamed Nino for the murder of their chief of staff went to his villa, threw a bomb through the window which hurt him, but didn't kill him.

The roof came down, that hurt him but didn't kill him either. He struggled out of the rubble and was promptly shot. This, however, still didn't kill him.

They then took him to his mother-in-law's house and chopped him to bits with machetes.

Picture credit:Sheriff Bojang Junior

GPU more determine to find Chief Manneh

Source AfricaNews
The president of the Gambia Press Union, Ndey Tapha Sosseh has declared that the Union is today "more determined than ever to leave no stone unturned" in its mission to trace the whereabouts of Journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh and to determine who is responsible for his disappearance.

Her statement follows a National Assembly declaration on Monday by the Attorney General and SOS for Justice, Mary Saine Firdaus of the government’s stance that Chief Ebrima Manneh is not in state custody. It was in response to a question on the issue, posed by Minority Leader, Momodou Sanneh.

Sosseh also expressed surprise that a legal person of the AG’s statue could make such public assertions, and directed her to Articles 9 and 10 of the supplementary protocol A/SP.1/01/05 of the ECOWAS Community Court which cover the human rights jurisdiction of the Court and access to the Court respectively.

“The above provisions clearly indicate that there is no requirement for exhaustion of local remedies. I think it is irrelevant and unnecessary to make claims which would actually cause doubt as to one’s abilities to handle certain positions of trust and influence.”

“I would expect that such senior legal person would be au fait with all international legal instruments and protocols that this Government is signatory to and not only that but interpret them to the Gambian public with utmost competence and in good faith,” she stated.

Sosseh added that these instruments are not “here for us to bend and weave to suit a particular position or issue” on the contrary in line with ECOWAS’ vision to move from a Community of Heads of States to a Community of peoples, these instruments are meant to safeguard the position and interests of the people of the ECOWAS.

She said that the fact that the government is aggrieved by the Court’s ruling is something else and there are ways of remedying the situation as she is sure they are aware.

“However, I’m also sure our able Attorney General would also know that the same Court has given the Gambia government ample time and notice, in the process, subpoenaing named Gambian security personnel. How come these people, were not then afforded the opportunity to clear the name of the authorities and The Gambia in this most competent Court of Law?”

She added that “the beauty and uniqueness of the ECOWAS Court decision is that decision of the Court is final” and as at now, there is no superior court to reverse the decision.

“We must also be mindful of the fact that the focus here is not only on the ECOWAS Court ruling re suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/04/07 but also on the circumstances leading to the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh. I wish more time and resources would be spent by the relevant authorities in investigating claims of disappearances and in protecting the lives and properties of all Gambians irrespective of ideological, political, religious, tribal and other orientation.”

“I also sincerely hope that now that the state has made its stance clear, the relevant authorities will take it upon themselves to commence investigations into the much talked about disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh.”

This reporter has also learnt from a senior official of the ECOWAS Community Court that “the only provision for the court to re-examine its decision is where there are very vital new facts unknown to the litigants at the time of hearing and which may influence the decision.”

Also reacting to the Attorney General’s statement that local remedies were not exhausted, a member of staff of the Media Foundation for West Africa who spearheaded and financed the Chief Manneh case said the “complainant does not have to exhaust local remedies. Why would the Court hear the matter if there is a proviso that domestic remedy must be exhausted?”

Meanwhile, members of the GPU Executive body on Wednesday paid a visit to the Manneh family in Lamin village where they handed over at least 5000 letters of support from concerned individuals all over the world following a joint GPU/Amnesty International campaign to globally highlight the issue of Chief Ebrima Manneh’s disappearance.

Speaking to the family members, Sosseh expressed the Union and other international institutions concern and continued determination to trace Chief Ebrima Manneh.

Sosseh also pledged the continued support to the family and said that other activities aside, Chief Manneh is always remembered in their prayers. She prayed that they remain steadfast in their belief that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future; the truth shall come to light.

PRODUCE CHIEF EBRIMA MANNEH NOW!! GPU-USA Petition

The US Chapter of the Gambia Press Union have submitted a petition to the Gambian people and the International Community demanding that President Yahya Jammeh and the Government of the Gambia immediately produce Journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh to assure his family and the general public that he is alive.

According to the association's secretary general, Baba Galleh Jallow,"The petition is prompted by a statement by Attorney General Marie Saine-Firdaus on April 6, 2009 that Chief Manneh is not in the custody of the Gambian state. Manneh was picked up around July 7, 2006 by agents of Gambia's secret police, the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), who are driectly answerable to Jammeh."

Please take a moment to read and sign this petition in support of Chief Manneh's case, for the cause of humanity, and against impunity.

http://www.petitiononline.com/gpuusa02/

Stop making a fool of yourself

Gambia’s Justice Secretary has made a fool of herself when she told members of the National Assembly that the Jammeh regime is not responsible for disappearance of my colleague, Chief Ebrima Manneh.

When Marie Saine-Firdaus was called to the bar some years ago, I felt glad. Her beaming face on that day was full of hunger, hunger to serve a country we all love and call home.

Today, as I punch my computer keyboard, every respect I had for her has gone out of the window.

Forget about Pap Cheyassin Secka and Joseph Joof. Ms Saine is the worst Justice Secretary the country has seen. Since her appointment, Ms Saine as government adviser on legal matters has turned blind eye on gross human rights violations being meted out on poor Gambians by Jammeh and his thugs.

Jammeh is also using the Justice Ministry office to draft draconian laws that are giving more and more powers to the president through state instruments instead of the people.

Ms Saine has forgotten that the Ecowas Court of Justice passed its judgment in favour of Chief Manneh based on the evidence of eye witnesses who were present at the time of his arrest. The evidences of these witnesses were never contested by the Jammeh regime despite numerous requests by the regional community court.

If the Gambia government is indeed innocent of the charges, then why did it refuse to cooperate with the ECOWAS court?

Former Daily Observer MD, Saja Taal, admitted that he reported Chief Manneh to the authorities after he tried to publish a story authored by BBC's Elizabeth Blunt on the AU Banjul meeting that was critical of Jammeh.

Ms Saine needs to know that Gambians are not small children to be fooled around. So instead of making a fool of yourself, politely ask Jammeh to re-unite Chief Manneh with his aging father- that is, if he is still alive. The old man is crying himself to sleep everyday and waiting for the return of his son.

Charges against Pap Saine dropped

Source(AFP) — A Gambian court on Tuesday agreed to drop charges of giving false information against independent newspaper editor Pap Saine after a request from the prosecutor.

"I want to put an application to the court that all charges against Pap Saine relative to false publication and false broadcasting be dropped," prosecutor Kebba Sadire told the court, without offering any reason for the sudden demand. The court granted the application.

The veteran journalist and co-owner of Gambia's last independent daily The Point was due to go on trial for giving false information in a story about diplomats working for the Gambian embassy in the United States being recalled.

Saine, who is also a correspondent for the Thomson-Reuters news agency, still faces charges of obtaining Gambian identity documents under false pretences in a separate case. But observers expect those charges will be dropped as well in the coming days.
In a separate development, the Gambian justice minister assured parliament late Monday that a journalist missing since July 2006 is not in state custody, as charged by human rights organisations.

In a first public reaction to an Economic Community Of West African States court ruling in June last year ordering Banjul to release Chief Ebrima Manneh, Attorney-General and Justice Minister Marie Saine Firdaus said she had no knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts.

"The position of the government of the Gambia has been made clear ever since this issue was raised with my office and the ministry of interior and to the best of our knowledge, information and belief, Chief Ebrima is not in our custody," she said in reply to an opposition lawmaker's question.

Manneh, who worked for the pro-government newspaper the Daily Observer, disappeared after being picked up in the newspaper building by men who said they were with the Gambian intelligence service NIA.

In June of last year, after the case was taken to the regional grouping by a west African media watchdog, ECOWAS ruled that Gambia had illegally arrested and detained Manneh, and ordered his release.

Banjul is preparing an appeal to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the state can only release a person from custody if he or she is in fact in the custody of the state, the minister told the parliament.

Gambia, a former British colony, surrounded by Senegal on three sides, is often criticized for its poor human rights record and heavy-handed restrictions on the media.

God help the Gambia

Though I am not a Christian but could not stop myself from shouting Halleluiah when I read remarks by Gambian president Yahya Jammeh that Gambians are not suffering from food crisis.

Jammeh’s remarks show how least in touch he is with Gambian people over 50 per cent of who are living on less than one US dollar a day as a result of his misrule. The flamboyant dictator does not know hardship and suffering Gambians are going through because he gets too rich. He is surrounded by a bunch of sycophants and selfish people, who tell him ear-pleasing things that everything is alright with Gambian people.

Gambia’s cost of living is sky rocketing left right and centre far beyond the reach of average families. Many today cannot provide decent meals for their families forcing countless male youth to risk deadly sea voyages in search of greener pastures overseas and young girls compelled into prostitution.

Just take a stroll at night to Westfield junction, Kairaba Avenue, Afra FM or Tourism Development Area and you will see what I mean.

Take for instance, if Fatou Kurubally is to cook a decent benachin; 1 kilo of meat and bone is D75.00; 6 cups of rice is D21.00; 3 cups of oil is D21.00, pepper D10.00; tomato, D10.00; tomato paste D10.00; cabbage, D10.00; bitter tomato, D5.00; garden egg, D5.00; yate, D5.00, firewood, D10.00 costing her D189.00. This is just for lunch.

Now if Fatou wants to make breakfast for her family of six, 6 small loafs of tapa lapa bread cost D18.00, 1 egg for each bread gives a total cost of D30.00, oil to fry the eggs costs D7.00 per cup, onion costs D2.00 and pepper D2.00 giving a total cost of D65. Hence breakfast plus lunch would cost her a sum of D254.00. This represents only 2 meals a day.

The above market prices of basic commodities shows that poor Gambians earning a monthly salary of less than D5,000 will have to spend D7,620 a month in order to put decent food on the table. That excludes electric and water bills, house rent, transportation and children's school and book fees.

The much talked about salary increment as part of the civil service reform programme is put on hold indefinitely due to unexpected revenue shortfalls in 2008 and uncertain revenue prospects for this year.

In fact, Gambian economy was recently facing the danger of collapse and Government having to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The country is still heavily relying on foreign assistance and its tourism industry is being badly hit by global financial crisis. Many people working in the tourism industry are being laid off. A large majority of these people are bread winners of their families and you don’t need to be any rocket scientist to know what their families must be going through at the moment.

Gambia remains at high risk of debt distress, even after receiving HIPC and MDRI debt relief, due to high levels of debt in relation to exports and vulnerability to external shocks.

Gambia's Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Bala Gaye recently admitted that in the past year, the current account deficit (including official transfers) increased by about 4 percentage points of the Gross Domestic Product (mainly due to the impact of higher international prices of commodities in earlier part of the year. This is by effects of the global financial crisis and associated economic slowdowns in Europe and the US.

Tourism receipts, remittances and re-export trade have all slowed down, and official transfers have been much lower than expected. Gross official reserves of the Central Bank of the Gambia (CBG) dropped to under four months of imports at December end 2008 compared to 5.5 months of imports at end-December 2007.

Jammeh is never honest with Gambian people when it comes to the economy. He always wants us to believe that all is booming when things are not.

The Jammeh regime has to start investing money in the production base of the economy. This will help generate much needed revenues for the country as well as provide employment opportunities to thousands of unemployed Gambians.

Who owns the money?
This week, almost all newspapers in the Gambia have published stories of Yahya Jammeh giving out 29 million, six hundred and ten thousand Dalasi to the Gambian Under 17 team and officials that attended the junior continental championship in Algeria.

You may not care how much was given to the team by President Jammeh but the big question that needs to be answered is who owns the money? Does it belong to Jammeh or the state?


As far as I am aware, the total recurrent budget of the Department of State for Youth and Sports in 2009 is D 21 million. The development budget is equivalent to D6 million. D5 million of the recurrent budget is reserved for sports and sporting activities and D1 million is supposed to be utilised to support the national football team.

Recurrent budget of the Department of Youth and Sports shows that the amount donated was never set aside for the U-17 and must have been diverted elsewhere if it indeed belongs to the state.

If it indeed belongs to the state, then Jammeh should be honest enough to tell us that the money belongs to the state and not him.

On the other hand, if the donation was from Jammeh’s own coffer, then Gambians would need know how he has acquired it in the name of transparency and accountability and transparency.

Jammeh’s earnings as president for the past 14 years cannot give him such monetary wealth. If he is really serious about eradicating corruption in the civil service then he has to take lead in being transparent and accountable to the people.

Gambia's own Guantanamo Bay

Source: Foroyaa Newspaper, Banjul
The detention of people without trial is still continuing, as we enter the year 200. As we are now in the fourth month into the year, none of those detained since last year has been released.

Foroyaa has contacted some of the families of the persons listed below, who were known to be detained, to enquire about their fate. These families lamented their frustration over the long detention of their loved ones who they said, were neither charged nor tried by the courts. Some of the families expressed frustration and anguish for being unable to see their loved ones or to even establish there whereabouts. Some of them also expressed grieved over the incommunicado of their family members. They told Foroyaa that their loved ones were picked up in their presence by State security agents who they know and can recognise.

Journalist Chief Ebrima B. Manneh of the Daily Observer Newspaper was arrested by security agents at his office in Bakau since 7th July, 2006. His family said they moved both heaven and earth but still could not see him or establish his whereabouts. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) had sued the government of The Gambia at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja to release Chief Manneh. The court delivered judgment in favour of the plaintiff and ordered the government to release him, but they are yet to comply with the order of the regional court.

Mr. Kanyiba Kanyi, an employee of the Christian Children Fund (CCF), was arrested by State securities agents in the presence of his family from his house at Bonto Village in Kombo East, since 18 September, 2006. His family said they could not see him since then or know his whereabouts. In late 2006, the family of Kanyiba took a lawyer and went to the High Court to secure his release. Even though the Court ordered for the unconditional release of Kanyiba, the case is still being battled out in the court due to the State’s denial of having him in their custody. The case is supposed to continue today, 6 April.

Mr. Jasaja Kujabi, a former bigwig of the ruling APRC and close associate of president Jammeh, was arrested since in the summer of 2005 at his farm at Dobong Village in Foni Kansala district. The family said he was escorted to his house to change his clothes before been taken away by two State agents whom they know. They said they are yet to know his place of detention.

Corporal Alfusainey Jammeh, a prison warden and a native of Kanilai who was stationed at the residence of the prison boss at Kanilai, went missing since 2006. The family said he was called to report to the Police Headquarters in Banjul and had never returned home. They said he is being detained at Mile 2 Prison but that the family members do not have access to him.

Mr. Haruna Jammeh and Madam Marcie Jammeh, both natives of Kanilai, also went missing together since in the summer of 2005. Their families said since then they could not establish their whereabouts.

A Former Chief of Foni Kansala, Mr. Momodou Lamin Nyassi, Buba Sanyang and Ndongo Mboob, all natives of Bwiam and former bigwigs of the APRC party within the Fonis, were said to have been arrested on the same day in April 2006. Their families said they do not know their places of detention.

Mr. Alieu Lowe and Abdoulie Njie were both arrested in connection with the 21st March, 2006, coup plot against the APRC government. Their families said they are languishing at Mile 2 Prison without any charges preferred against them. Mr. Lowe’s family said they have access to him frequently.

Mr. Samsideen Jammeh from Foni Sutisinjang Village was arrested since 14 January, 2007. He has been in detention at the Police Headquarters in Banjul for almost two years. His family said he is recently moved to Mile 2 Prison without any charges levelled against him.

Mr. Bakary Gassama, the former financial Director of NIA, was arrested on the 13th May, 2008. He was detained for four months before being arraigned in court in late September 2008 and was charged with official abuse and misconduct. His trial could not proceed until on December 3rd when the court discharged him for want of diligent prosecution. He was re-arrested by the Police at the court premises and taken back to detention again. His family said he is detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Mr. Kebba Seckan, a senior NIA Operative, was in detention since 14th May 2007, without any charges preferred against him. His family said he is detained at Mile 2 Prison. They said they are yet to have access to him since his arrest.

Mr. Ebou Jarju, formerly a steward at State House, was arrested on 20th March, 2008. He was said to be first detained at Police Headquarters in Banjul up to 11th January 2009, when he was released unconditionally but only to be re-called on 26th January, and put under detention again. The family said he is currently detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Mr. Modou Manga, from Foni Bwiam, who was a storekeeper at the Kanilai Family Farm Store at Kanifing, went missing since 2006; is believed to be detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Sergeant Sam Kambai, of the Gambia Armed Forces is also being detained at Mile 2 Prison since 2006 without trial.

Alexandra Gibba, the spokes person of the MFDC rebel faction, is said to be detained at Mile 2 Prison. He was last seen amidst MFDC rebels, who were on trial, walking with the help of crutches.

Osseh Abdoulie Corr, Alassan Mbowe and Baboucarr Njie, all arrested on the 9 September, 2008, arraigned in court on 17 October and charged with three criminal counts, were remanded by the court until on the 25 March, 2009, when they were acquitted and discharged by the trial magistrate Edrisa F. Mbai for lack of evidence against them. They were re-arrested within the court premises in the presence of a looking crowd and taken into custody. Their families said they are currently being detained at the Mile 2 Prison.

Remembering our fallen brothers

This Friday, we will be commemorating the brutal massacre of over a dozen school children on April 10 and 11, 2000 by the Gambian police and soldiers.

Our hearts continue to bleed and our eyes continue to shed tears anytime we think of the brutal manner in which their souls departed this world. These young men were not criminals, rebels. They were not political opponents of President Jammeh either.

They were decent Gambians like you and me, who were only protesting against crimes committed against their colleagues; Ebrima Barry and a Brikamaba school girl.

The demands on the basis of which the students went out to demonstrate nine years ago, merely constituted a request for justice.

April 10 and 11, 2000 were indeed days during which Gambian students took to the streets to protest against rape and murder, with a clear call for justice to be done. Rape and murder are not only repugnant in the eyes of all faiths, but laws in all civilised jurisdictions prescribe stringent punitive measures against them.

Similarly, all our national cultures in the Gambia denounce them in the strongest possible terms. As a result, one should easily understand the reasoning which led to the decision to peacefully demonstrate against these heinous crimes against the two students.

Any mature political leadership would be ashamed of the manner in which the security officers reacted to the demonstration. It was an act of brutality that has no place in any civilise society. Murder was foreign to the Gambia, a country where people almost know each other.

Several security officers including Ousman Badjie, former secretary of state for the Interior, were indicted for the gruesome murder of our brothers little brothers and despite recommendation of the commission of inquiry that was set up to look into the disturbances, the government of Yahya Jammeh is still refusing to prosecute them.

In an apparent insult to the families of slain youths, the government has indemnified all the murderers from any criminal prosecution for their role in the killing of these children. Some of those blamed for the murder have since been rewarded with high government positions.

In other words, the Jammeh regime is saying that all these children who never had the chance to say good bye to their parents deserved to die in that brutal manner.
It is prudent, perhaps, to remind ourselves that the use of live ammunition and overwhelming force on children can never be justified nor simply swept under the carpet. By failing to prosecute those responsible, the government woefully failed to uphold the rights and freedoms of the Gambian people.

As Gambians, it is time we continue to put pressure on the Jammeh regime to prosecute all those who were indicted by the commission of inquiry. Our land has been defiled with the blood of young innocent children and it is our responsibility to ensure these children and their families get the justice they deserve. It is still not too late.
As we commemorate nine years since they departed this world, we pray to Almighty Allah to blessed their souls in His heavenly kingdom.

Rest in peace our heroes, you will always be in our hearts:

Calisco Preira
Burama Badjie
Karamo Barrow
Reginald Carrol
Omar Barrow
Wuyeh Massally
Momodou Chune
Lamin .A. Bojang
Ouman Sabally
Bamba Jobarteh
Abdoulie Sajaw
Bakary Njie
Unidentified victim
Sainey Nyabally
Ousman Sembene

Sidia Jatta criticises government for unexplained dismissals

Gambian opposition parliamentarian Sedia Jatta has criticised the government for unexplained dismissals in the civil service and called for a stop to the practice.

However, the government has defended its actions saying civil servants have to be productive and failure to do their **work will lead to their dismissal.

Jatta, MP of the opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) for Wuli West, told the National Assembly on Friday that there was “an institutional crisis” in the country because of these ceaseless unexplained hiring and firing.

“There is an institution whose responsibility is to hire and fire, discipline where there is indiscipline, but as far as I am concerned I am not seeing that institution functioning,” he said.

Jatta said there was something wrong and blamed it on political interference, adding that was the reason why the civil service was not stable.

He said civil servants must not be under any political control adding that there must be an institution that should be responsible for discipline to ensure effective productivity.

The Minority Leader Momodou Sanneh said there was no job security in the entire civil service especially at senior level.

Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy said: “I find it very unpleasant to dismiss people. But this syndrome of covering people in the Gambia has to be addressed.”

She said the Public Services Commission had been ineffective over the years and the ongoing revamping should not only to be seen in the negative light of hiring and firing but to ensure effective service delivery.

Other MPs blamed the “disloyalty” of civil servants for their predicament saying they should know that they were hired to work and failure to do so would lead to dismissal.
Pana

Gambia frees witch-hunt detainees

BANJUL (AFP) — More than 300 people held in a government-backed witchhunt in Gambia have been released without charge after several detainees fell seriously ill, a senior police source said Monday.

Amnesty International and anonymous police sources said as many as 1,000 people have been snatched by "witch hunters" backed by armed men carrying out orders from the Gambian authorities.

They are forced to drink hallucinogen concoctions which caused some detainees to develop intestinal and kidney problems. Police sources say at least two people have died after drinking the potions.

"A total number of 312 people who were abducted by the so-called witch doctors early last month have been released in the early hours of Sunday morning without any charges levied against them," a senior police source, who preferred not to be named, told AFP Monday.

Their release came after five victims were admitted at various health facilities in Gambia suffering from kidney and stomach problems.

"Five out of those abducted are currently in hospital while others are seriously ill, and this prompted the authorities to release the remaining abductees before the situation worsens", the police source said.

Those released are mainly men and women aged 40 to 60. They were all arrested in early March.

Gambia, the smallest nation in Africa, has been ruled by President Yahya Jammeh who took power in a bloodless coup in 1994.

In recent years it has increasingly come under fire over its human rights record. Despite an international and domestic outcry over the witch hunts, the government has not responded to the allegations.

Observers say Jammeh invited Guinean witch hunters into Gambia after suspecting witchcraft in the death of an aunt earlier this year.

Poor countries demand US$2 billion from rich

Press release:

Nearly 50 of the world’s least developed countries have called on rich nations to meet an eight-year old promise and pay US$2 billion to help them adapt to climate change.

The demand was made at the UN climate change negotiations that are currently underway in Bonn , Germany .

Rich countries promised the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) support for "immediate and urgent" actions on adaptation to climate change eight years ago at the seventh conference of parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech , Morocco in 2001.

The UNFCCC then created the LDC Fund with voluntary contributions from the rich countries and gave each LDC US$200,000 to carry out a National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) to identify the most urgent adaptation actions needed.

So far 39 of the NAPAs have been completed. The costs of implementing all the urgent and immediate adaptation actions identified in them would exceed US$1.6 billion, but the LDC Fund has less than US$200 million and only a handful of the identified projects have been funded.

“The LDCs are demanding that the rich countries pledge up to US$2 billion over the next five years in order to fulfil the promise they made eight years ago,” says Saleemul Huq, senior fellow in the Climate Change Group at the International Institute for Environment and Development.

“The poorest and most vulnerable countries have contributed least to climate change and will suffer most from its impacts,” says Huq. “The rich countries can and must live up to their words and massively increase their funding to compensate the least developed countries.”

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