OP

  Suspected drugs By Alimatou S Bajinka Operatives of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency of The Gambia (DLEAG) stationed at Barra in the North Bank Region (NBR) napped two men  with suspected cannabis sativa.  44 year old Dawda Yadeh of Mburr and 18 year old Kebba Cham of Kapantum in Senegal were clutched with fifty (50) big bundles of suspected cannabis sativa at the beach side in Barra on the 27 March 2022 around 10:00 AM onwards. The said suspected prohibited drugs were wrapped in cement papers and placed in the canoe.  The duo together with the fifty (50) big bundles of suspected cannabis sativa, the canoe alongside the canoe engine  were taken into custody as further investigations into the matter continues.

  By Alimatou S Bajinka   The Gambia component of the West Africa Competitiveness Programme (WACOMP-GM), is participating in the 15th edition of the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) International Trade Fair at Bijilo. The trade fair, which attracted over 450 participants from the ECOWAS region, Europe and Asia, began on the 26th February and is expected to conclude on the 27th March 2022. With the theme “Accelerating Intra-Africa Trade for the realisation of AFCFTA through innovation”, the platform availed participants the opportunity to network and promote their goods and services. With the support from the European Union, WACOMP-GM is implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and United Purpose (UP). The project is increasing The Gambia’s competitiveness through enhanced quality compliance along the onion value chain by improving the performance, growth and contribution to industry, regional trade and exports of onion and oth...

  By Amadou Manjang On the Institutional hearings of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Truth Commission has recommended the prosecution of NIA top officials for various human rights violations they carried out in their deparment. The recommendations details on the Truth Commission report, volume 13 recommends the prosecution of the following individuals. “Yankuba Badjie, the former Director General of the NIA and Sheikh Omar Jeng be prosecuted for their complicity in the unlawful detention and torture of Tumani Jallow and Abdoulie Gaye at the NIA and for their roles in handing over Tumani Jallow and Abdoulie Gaye to the Junglers knowing reasonably well that they were highly likely to be tortured and killed.  Badjie, Sheik Omar Jeng and Tamba Masireh be prosecuted for their role in the torture against Solo Sandeng and the April 14th 2016 UDP demonstrators at the NIA.  Edrissa Jobe (Alagie Morr) be prosecuted for the torture against Lamin Karbou and others at the ...

  By Amadou Manjang  Lyndon B. Johnson an independent candidate for Banjul Central constituency told journalists that Banjul is turning into a store city; vowed to protect the residents if elected into the National Assembly. He made these remarks after submitting his nomination papers to the Independent Electoral Commission Returning Officer in Banjul, ahead of the Parliamentary election.  “If you look at Banjul, everywhere is constructed into a store. People don’t have where to stay so most of the people are going to kombo,” he lamented. Johnson said that property developers in Banjul are constructing stores that are causing residents of the city to loss their homes. This according to him, is depopulating Banjul. “We have seen that the city is going on the drain in the sense that wherever a property is sold in Banjul, people tend to loss their houses.  And all of sudden (they) won’t have nowhere to go or (they would have to) move to kombo,” he said.  He further...

  By Sheriff Saidykhan The Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities (GALGA) called on the government of President Adama Barrow to rescind its decision for the allocation of stalls at the newly constructed Basse market, in the Upper River Region (URR).  Landing B. Sanneh, the President of Gambia Association of Local Government Authorities said the pronouncement of the President is contrary to the dictates of the Local Government Act 2002. He made these remarks at a press briefing held on Thursday 17 March 2022, at its main office in Tabokoto. “We the Local Government Authorities of The Gambia, comprising Chairmen and Mayor's of all the eight Area, Municipal and City Council's, have considered this announcement by the President as contrary to the dictates of the Local Government Act, 2022 and the powers vested on Basse Area Councils by the Act. The announcement has the potential of destabilizing and compromising smooth relations between the URR Regional Governor's O...

  By Amadou Manjang The Truth Commission report that was submitted to the government months back has recommended that the government of The Gambia to repeal all repressive media laws and ensure the safety of journalists’.  “The government should with immediate effect, repeal all repressive legislation, including legislation that does not comply with international and regional human rights law, particularly the Information and Communication (Amendment) Act 2013 and Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 2013; being criminal libel and defamation,” the report stated. The report further stated that the government should take all necessary steps to ensure that all journalists are able to freely exercise their right to freedom of expression without fear of arrest, detention, intimidation or harassment. “To ensure media and freedom of expression provisions contained within the Constitution comply with international standards, as outlined under article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil...

  By Amadou Manjang The Truth Commission recommended that former President, Yahya Jammeh should be investigated and prosecuted for the murder of Deyda Hydara, the disappearance of Chief Ebrima Manneh, the arson attacks on Radio 1 FM and The Independent newspaper as well as torture on journalists’.  The commission's report stated that an investigation be carried out for the purpose of prosecuting the Junglers who participated in the murder of Deyda Hydara, arson attack on Radio 1 FM, attacks on The Independent newspaper and torture of the journalists and other persons mentioned in relation to the Freedom Online Newspaper issue. The commission has uncovered the killing, torture, disappearance of journalists and other Gambians for expressing their freedom of speech. “A study be carried out on the Criminal Code and the Criminal Offenses Bill 2020 and the Criminal Procedure Bill 2019 with a view to removing/repealing or amending any provisions contained in it that are repressive or...

Lawyer Lamin J Darbo He is a towering intellectual and first rate orator, served simultaneously as Secretary General and Minister of Presidential Affairs under His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhagie Dr Yahya A. J. Jammeh (the Professor). In that role he met all stripes of leaders domestic and international and participated in the great public dramas of the day at the policy councils of the Gambian state. Allowing for the authoritarian vagaries of the system installed by the Professor, Momodou Sabally (Sabally) was for a year the great supervisor of the Public Service, sounding board of the President, his preeminent confidant, and primus among the Ministers. Having presided, or somewhat participated over the hiring and firing of senior government figures, including some cabinet colleagues, he knows a thing or two about policy and its implementation. After all, he is the Gambia’s Pen and vigorously expresses his enlightening and entertaining perspective on the burning public questions o...

By:   Toney F Mendy The comments of  Chebbo Cham on  The Standard News Paper [March 3, 2022]   that The Gambia should be an Islamic State are an expression of potent delusional wishes, but even beyond that, a futile agenda long pursued by a considerable lot of citizens devoid of the very basic essential understanding of the tenet of The Gambian nationhood. Chebbo Cham, like Yahya Jammeh… like all others who stood for this ignoble agenda, is a threat to the very foundation of this nation. But what distinguished Chebbo Cham from a lot of brainwashed fellow citizens is his position as an imam, the timing of his comments ( Christian- lent period ), and manifested desire to embrace the open faults of a “ former ” despot of endless controversies, these, which highlight the epithets of the psyche of imam Cham, stand testimony of the reasons why he should not be left unanswered. Regardless of his psyche, belief, or his wishes, the very essential point of schooling for Imam C...

  By Amadou Manjang The former president Yahya Jammeh and his hit squad the “Junglers” has been recommended by the Truth Commission to be persecuted for crimes of murder, torture and other serious human rights violations.  The Junglers  as a killer squad was created by Yahya Jammeh, as a witch hunt to eliminate his enemies or people he perceived as threats to his rule. Whilst the then Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the truth commission held him as the ultimate commander of the Junglers.  The commission revealed that Jammeh occasionally directly, commanded or issued instructions directly to the Junglers to carry out certain killings or to carry them out in a particular manner. The commission recommends the prosecution of “Yahya Jammeh for the crimes referred to in this report and impose a life-ban on him from holding public office.”   “Prosecution of all the Junglers and other persons listed for their complicity in crimes referred to in this report ...

  By Amadou Manjang  As the new academic year begins, there is a growing tendency of fear among educators that the number of experience and qualify teachers leaving the field may increase.  Many teachers have quit the profession due to lack of motivation.The rate at which teachers are quitting the profession to other professions in search of greener pasture is increasing at an alarming rate. Alasana Jallow , a former high school teacher said he quit the profession to attend the university to further his education.  “I left because I was not focusing on my studies (at the University of the Gambia,” he said.  The Higher Teacher Certificate (HTC) holder further pointed out that for him to further his education and develop himself, he needs to quit the teaching profession. However, Mr. Jallow said that lack of motivation and respect are also among the key reasons he left the profession. “People are tired of this disgusting situation” he lamented. For his part, Sali...

  Photo Credit: Flex Dan By Sheriff Saidykhan The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has on Wednesday 2nd March 2022, convened a daylong training with media practitioners and Civil Society Organisations (CSO's,) as part of it's efforts to raise awareness of the role of the media and Civil Society Organisations ahead of the Parliamentary and local government elections.  The event held at the Gambia Tourism and Hospitality Institute (GTHI), in Kanifing brought together IEC officials, media practitioners and Civil Society Organisations to dilate on the IEC code of conduct during covering election.  Hannah Forster, the Chair of CSO Coalition on election highlights the significance of the training ahead of the election.  “The training is part of IEC hallmark to ensure that their is a capacity building for its partners most especially the media and the CSO, to ensure that they participate in the process of election” she remarked. Alieu Ceesay, board member of the Gambi...

  The Elders are independent leaders using their collective experience and influence for peace, Justice and human rights worldwide. Below reads their full statement: “The Elders today denounced President Vladimir Putin’s decision to place Russia’s strategic nuclear arsenal on “special alert” status as a reckless escalation of the conflict in Ukraine that underscores the existential threat posed to humanity by nuclear weapons. NATO’s nuclear powers have maintained restraint and kept their own nuclear weapons off high alert. They must persist in this stance to avoid aggravating an already extremely dangerous situation.   The Elders have long called for all nuclear arsenals to be moved off high alert status as part of a wider agenda of de-escalation, disarmament and risk reduction. Current events show precisely why these steps are urgently needed. The Elders also voiced grave concerns about Belarus’ move to renounce its non-nuclear status and potentially allow Russian nuclea...

  Photo Credit: thegambiatimes By Amadou Manjang Following the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) recommendations on the human rights violation committed during the former president Yahya Jammeh’s 22 years dictatorship, the Commission has recommended the prosecution of the former president and the vice president. The report revealed that the vice president, Isatou Njie Saidy is also recommended for the arbitrary arrests, detentions, tortures, injuries and killings of the demonstrators in April 10 and 11on students.  The Truth Commission stated that Yahya Jammeh, the former Commander in Chief of The Gambia Armed Forces should be prosecuted for all the atrocities against students, such as arbitrary arrests, unlawful detentions, tortures, assaults causing harm and killings of the demonstrators. The recommendations were given on the ground that Jammeh either gave the orders and instructions to kill the students or he had failed to investigate and prosecute mem...