- For more than two years, U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin and a group of Senate colleagues have been pressing for the release of Gambian journalist “Chief” Ebrima Manneh, left.
In July 2006, security agents arrested Manneh at his workplace at the Daily Observer and have since held him incommunicado and without charge. On Thursday, Durbin and four other senators sent a letter to Kamalesh Sharma, secretary-general of the Commonwealth of Nations, urging him to launch an investigation into the case.
Though the Economic Community of West African States Community (ECOWAS) Court of Justice and the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention call for Manneh…
The New York based International Criminal Court (ICC) coalition has called on governments that have not yet ratified the Rome Statue which the ICC was founded on to do so before 1st April of this year. - According to the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) a global network of more than 2,500 civil society organizations by ratifying by April 1st it will enable states parties to have the opportunity to participate in the forthcoming Review Conference convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, to be held in Kampala, Uganda from May 31 to June 11, later this year.
“The Court’s jurisdiction grows each time a state ratifies the ICC treaty,” said Brigitte …
- The world has revealed that quiet corruption is undermining development in Africa; it says the failure of public servants to deliver goods or services paid for by governments is pervasive
and widespread across Africa.
According to a release from the Word Bank head office in Washington ‘Quiet corruption” is having a disproportionate effect on the poor, with long-term consequences for development.
The report, Africa Development Indicators 2010, notes that most studies on
corruption focus on an exchange of money – bribes to powerful political
designees or kickbacks to public officials.
This report instead focuses on the way “quiet corruption” lead…
- Amnesty International has call on the Gambian government to immediately charge or release all former government officials detained during a wave of arrests over the past week.
The detained officials, who reportedly include former Inspector General of Police Ensa Badjie and Commander of the Navy Sarjo Fofona, are also being denied visits from lawyers and family. The Gambian Constitution stipulates that people should be charged within 72 hours of arrest.
“Through this latest spate of arbitrary arrests and detentions, Gambian authorities have once again shown its blatant disregard for human rights” said Erwin van der Borght, Amnesty International’s Africa Programme Directo…
Magistrate Hliary Ubeke of the Banjul Magistrate's Court on Thursday denied bail for Edwin Nebolisa Nwakaeme, director of programs of the Africa in Democracy and Good governance (ADG), who is charged with giving false information. - Appearing in court on Thursday, Magistrate Ubeke denied the bail application filed by defense counsel, Assan Martin, arguing that the charges concerns giving false information to the office of the president, describing the office of the President as a sensitive place. He said any information that is send to the office of the president should be for the public interest.
Ubeke therefore ruled that the accused person be remanded pending the outcome of the case, o…
- The Gambia governments has declared the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) representative Ms. Min Whee Kang persona non grata
Ms. Min Whee Kang has been declared persona non grata by the administration of President Yahya Jammeh and has since left the country.
She was compelled to leave The Gambia within 24 hours or risked being “forcefully” thrown out of the country Friday, official sources said.
No reason was advanced for the Government’s move to declare the UNICEF Chief unwelcomed—in the former British colony, The Gambia.
Ms. Kang’s was last weekend served with a terse letter—ordering her to leave the country with immediate effect. She com…
- The World Bank Managing Director Madam Okonjo-Iweala, her visit to Banjul to meant to assess overall the opportunities that exist for The Gambia to grow even faster than it is doing now.
Madam Okonjo-Iweala who is in the Gambia a two-day working visit, shortly her audience with The Gambian leader told journalists that her mission also to look at how World Bank support programmes to The Gambia government are doing, as well as look at economic developments in the country.
The World Bank MD then confirmed that they delved into agriculture and the potential that the country has in doing well in this sector. ‘we talked about how the World Bank might be able to support with more valu…
- Senegal authorities have been urged to demand the Gambian government to improve on its human rights record.
The United Nations' Universal Periodic Review (UPR), presently under way in the Swiss capital of Geneva, offers UN members the opportunity to question individual countries’ human rights records and to suggest action to address violations. Each country is reviewed every four years with the aim of ensuring states fulfill their human rights obligations and commitments.
The was an opportunity for UN member states to question the Gambian government on its record on human rights and propose measures to remedy violations of these rights.
Speaking on the occasion of the review con…
- Health Experts has call for greater investment in health services in Africa to boost access to reproductive health right s for the poorest and vulnerable.
This call was made on Tuesday during plenary session at the Fourth Africa Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Right currently under in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, which brought together more than 300 advocates, funders and policymakers working on sexuality and reproductive health and rights in Africa and throughout the world.
Experts highlighted the need for men and women to commit to achieving gender equality in order to better protect women and girls from gender-based violence, sexual coercion, and other factor…
The World Bank Managing Director Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is in Banjul to meet with key government officials. Her visit is meant to deepen the Bank's good relationship with The Gambia's leadership. - According to press statement issued by the World Bank’s Communication Division in Dakar, Senegal, the celebrated African head of the global financial institution is expected to meet with the Vice-President Dr. Isatou Njie-Saidy and key cabinet members.
Habib Fetini, World Bank Country Director for The Gambia said: “This visit is an opportunity to deepen the World Bank's good relationship and dialogue with The Gambia's leadership, while emphasizing our support for improving private sec…
- An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 757-200, flight ET-908 from Bamako (Mali) to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) with 150 passengers, had taken off Bamako on time and was enroute overhead the Chad, when the captain decided to divert to Ndjamena (Chad) for a safe landing.
According to sources the aircraft reached Addis Ababa with a delay of 9 hours. Passengers reported that the airplane already had experienced some electrical problems during departure from Dakar (Senegal, first leg of flight ET-908 from Dakar to Bamako). The problems worsened leading to an announcement by the captain that they diverted to Ndjamena because of a problem with the weather radar.
Ethiopian Airlines reported, that their Bo…
People's Progressive Party (PPP) leader in Gambia Omar Amadou Jallow has said President Jammeh has woefully failed in tackling corruption in the country. Jallow is the least pleased with the way Jammeh hires and fires Ministers without justification. - Jallow said a credible government would have explained the circumstances surrounding such massive sacking of Ministers and if need be investigate and prosecute those linked to corruption related practices, he told the Voice of America.
“These are all whitewashing policies because I didn’t see any effective means—that he is using to eradicate corruption. If he wants to eradicate corruption, the Ministers who are sacked hav…
- Climate change research conducted by Scholars from the University of Edinburgh, spearheaded by the Institute for Applied System analysis has predicted a better future for developing countries.
The study shows that financial help is urgently needed now so that developing countries including the Burkina Faso, Bangladesh, Cape Verde Islands, Central African republic, Djibouti, The Gambia, among others, which it said can prepare for potential climate change disaster.
According to the study published in the proceedings of the National Academy of sciences of the United States of the America, if enough aid is given over the next two decades, then economic development may begin to offset rising…
The 22 members of the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (WOZA) who were arrested on the 2nd February in Pumula have been release without charge. The women were arrested in Bulawayo a suburb of Bulawayo for discussing about the constitutional reform process in the country. - They stated that they have a right to freely participate in the reform process.
According to Assistant Inspector Chimani, the arrested women had already been released; he further apologized for arresting them, after he denied having knowledge of the situation.
Chimani revealed that the officers concerned did not know that they were WOZA members.
The women groups acknowledge the professionalism of the police, but call on …
The International Criminal Court still resolute to pursuit a decision it has taken to arrest the Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmad AL-Bashir who remains a fugitive of justice. - President Al-Bashir has been the president of Sudan since 1993. He is suspected of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committed in Darfur in the past five years. The warrant of arrest for Al-Bashir is the first ever issued for a sitting head of state by the ICC.
According to a press release from the ICC, the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) accepted the prosecutor's appeal against the decision of Pre-Trial Chamber I not to include the crime of genocide in the arrest warran…
- Gambian lawyers call for action against rights violations
Legal practitioners in the Gambia have call for action against human rights in the country amid public criticism against the Bar Association for their ineffectiveness in fight against human rights.
Members of the Gambia Bar Association made this revelation during an intense debate the debate was about whether the lawyers should speak against violations of citizen’s rights at the start a seminar on legal practice in Banjul. They stressed that it is important to secure public confidence.
Awa Ceesay-Sabally, a senior legal practitioner gave a glimpse of her part in human rights issues. She stated in April 2001, som…
- The campaign for ailing President Umaru Yar'Adua's resignation seems to be coming to an end after a Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, the Nigerian Federal capital city, on Friday gave the cabinet 14 days to decide on his fate after two months of his absence in the country.
The decision came amid a court case filed against and protest by the Nigerians led by prominent figures like Femi Falana, president of the West African Bar Association and Professor Wole Soyinka calling for President Ya’Adua’s resignation whom they said is unfit to for the position.
According to the Guardian of Nigeria fresh controversy has been thrown up in legal circles over the two months absen…
- The trial of 16 men accusing of Engaging themselves in an unlawful activity which could destabilize the fundamental, political, constitutional, economic and social structures of The Gambia has began in the a trial within a trial (voir dire) at a special criminal court in Banjul.
The men including Kemo Konteh and Sam kambai whose names were repeatedly mentioned in the trail nine rebels from the Senegalese southern region of Casamance, who were convicted on similar charges by the Banjul Magistrates court.
The suspects who were arrested and detained two years ago at Darsilami Village in the Western Region of the Gambia enter into a trail within a trial to a certain alleged after the …
- The Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has renewed its commitment to conduct free and fair election in the tiny West African state, after introducing a biometric voter registration system that will cost over US$2,288,930.61.
However, despite this effort skeptics are still remain doubtful about whether the electoral body will be transparent since the President Jammeh has the powers to appoint and dismiss the IEC leadership.
Barely two weeks after the IEC invited two international companies CODE Incorporated Digital Registration Solution, a Canadian company headquartered in Ottawa and Zetes PASS of Belgium who are bidding for the lucrative biometric contract, public ru…
The commissioner of the African Union's Peace and Security Council, Ramtane Lamamra, has said the suspension of Guinea from the continental body would remain, pending the outcome of the junta's agreement to a transitional government amid hopes for lasting peace in the West African country. - The commissioner said Guinea will remain suspended until the restoration of constitutional rule; he maintained that African Union would not rush into lifting the suspension because the international community is committed to the restoration of democracy in Guinea through free and fair elections.
“I am afraid Guinea will remain suspended until the restoration of democratic order one has to be ca…
The Gambia Government will consider dropping criminal charges against some of its judicial staff undergoing trial, if they are exempted by an audit report currently under review at the Attorney General's chambers in Banjul. - The Director of Public Prosecutions, Richard Chenge told a magistrates' court in Banjul the trial that brought the number of suspects to six after adding Momodou Sonko, Pa Modou Njie and Alagie ML Sonko to the list of suspects is considering dropping charges against some senior judicial employees implicated in the corruption scandal that surfaced in October last year.
Chenge said they have received the auditor's report about the case, but added that they were reviewi…
- The government of the Gambia has warned that any airline to fly the said Abdullah Al Faisal to The Gambia will be impounded and those responsible will be charged for terrorist crimes against The Gambia and be prosecuted to the letter.
The warning came amid claims that Gambian authorities have accepted taking Mr. Abdullah Al Faisal who allegedly had links to Al Qaeda.
The Gambian authorities said in a press release jointly issued by the ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Interior there has never been any contact between the Kenyan and The Gambian government on the said deportation of Abdullah Al Faisal to The Gambia. Given government’s position of zero tolerance on crime,…
Immigration official in Banjul has denied media reports that Abdullah al-Faisal, a Jamaican-born Muslim cleric said to be notorious for preaching racial hatred, is being deported to The Gambia. - According to the Acting Director General of the Gambia immigration department Buba Sagnia the report is meant to tarnish Gambia’s image to the rest of the world. "It’s a lie that Abdullah al-Faisal has been deported to The Gambia." They just want to tarnish the image of our country," he stressed.
However, Sagnia has failed to explain to the media whether his department has investigated the matter or not, but he only stop at denying the reports, the lasts development has now raised ca…
- The Gambian leader President Abdoulie Wade is resolute to provide safe haven Gambian political dissidents in Senegal.
President Wade was speaking to local during a press conference in Banjul said he has given the Gambian authorities to arrest anyone if they identify as a criminal hiding in Senegal and take him or bring him or her back to The Gambia, but he quickly added that his government will never surrender Gambian political dissidents residing Senegal.
Commenting on the allegation of his connection with the infamous Gambia fugitive Kukoi Samba Sanyang whose attempt to overthrow the Sir Dawda Jawara president of the first Republic in 1981 cause the death of thousands of Gambians.
…
The relation between the Gambia and Senegambia has been in existence since time immemorial, the two countries that share the same cultures and ethnic groups were only divided by colonial masters. - The diplomatic ties between the two countries has been characterized with suspicion, the Gambia accused the Senegal of harboring Gambian dissidents in an attempt to topple President Jammeh, while Senegal on the other hand accused President Jammeh of aiding rebels in the Senegalese Southern Region of Casamance.
However, the peace deal preceded President Abdoulie Wade’s visit to Banjul this week after the Daily Observer a pro-government Newspaper publish letter, purportedly written by Kuko…
