By Omar Bah
Pa Samba Jow, a prominent human rights activist, has said considering “geographical and historical contexts” Senegal is the ideal place to try former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh for his alleged crimes.
Casamance, the southern region of Senegal was reportedly used as a theatre of play by Jammeh’s death squad, the Junglers for kidnappings, drug trafficking, killings and dumping of bodies.
Jow said because Senegal successfully hosted former Chadian President Hissène Habré’s trial, ideally, one would think that they already have the experience and mechanism for such a trial.
“So, Senegal would be an ideal country, but I doubt the new government will want to host such a trial. What is however important, is that for Africa to end the vicious circle of abuse and impunity, leaders like Jammeh, who violated human rights, must be prosecuted,” he said.
He congratulated the attorney general for pushing hard to secure Ecowas’s approval for a hybrid court.
“The real question, however, is what is next. The Barrow government has been given all the necessary tools to ensure that there is much-needed justice for the victims. Whether they will do the needful is on the minds of all Gambians, particularly the victims. Jammeh and all those who committed those unspeakable and heinous crimes must face justice,” he stated.
Also reacting to the Ecowas decision to approve The Gambia’s request for a hybrid court, Baba Hydara, son of the murdered journalist Deyda, said the decision by Ecowas was welcome by the whole victim community. He said his family is particularly delighted that the decision coincided with the anniversary of Deyda’s death.
Hydara said it is wrong and disappointing that all these years the perpetrators of these heinous crimes are roaming the country’s streets freely.
“It took too long that some of the victims who were waiting for justice ended up passing away without having the opportunity to see Yahya Jammeh in court. A classic example is the family of Chief Ebrima Manneh,” he added.
He said now that Ecowas has given its commitment, the onus is on the government to show willingness to pursue the process to ensure that Jammeh is brought to justice.
“As a victim, I want to advise the government to ensure that there is no delay in ensuring that we have closure to what happened to our family members,” he said.
To avoid impunity, he added, Jammeh and his accomplices should be brought to justice without delay.
Former Gambia Bar Association president Salieu Taal, in his reaction said: “I am elated and deeply proud that as a country, we have relentlessly demanded justice and criminal accountability for the gross human rights violations alleged to have been committed between July 1994 and January 2017. In record time, we have secured the required mandate from Ecowas to establish a special tribunal in The Gambia to hold perpetrators criminally accountable for the serious abuses committed under the Jammeh regime.”
He commended the leadership role the Bar Association played in advocating for the establishment of a hybrid court as far back as 2019.
“Together with victims and civil society, we proactively initiated the process, conducted the necessary studies, convened stakeholders to build consensus, and brought in relevant expertise. With the political will and support of the government, we have now crossed a significant milestone: obtaining Ecowas backing for the establishment of this special tribunal.”
He extended his gratitude to the minister of justice, President Barrow and the government for demonstrating the political commitment necessary to secure the Ecowas decision.
