By Amadou Jadama
The community of the victims of the Jammeh regime has warned that giving ‘the lack of seriousness’ on the part of the Gambia government in implementing the recommendations of the TRRC, especially the reparations issue, most victims would end up taking their cases to the Ecowas Court.
They made this declaration on Friday during a victims-stakeholders dialogue on the implementation of the government’s white paper, held at Bakadaji Hotel.
Mamudou Sillah, brother of Cadet Amadou Sillah one of the soldiers summarily executed on 11 Nov. 1994, said victims should open their eyes and demand action and not just attending workshops and seminars.
“Let us work with the civil society organisations to put pressure on the government to ensure that victims are compensated. If the government continues to drag its feet, let us start consulting lawyers and sue the government at Ecowas court, or to any other court to ensure we have justice. I have no hope that this government will wipe our tears, because in the first place, the people who committed these crimes against our loved ones are still working in the government,” he said.
Mr Sillah said the fact that President Barrow has never bothered to meet or visit the victims is enough conviction that his government does not care about the victims.
Sillah argued that government cannot claim not to have money to compensate victims when it is busy buying expensive vehicles for officials in addition to other frivolous expenditures.
Mariama Fatajo, daughter of Siaka Fatajo a victim of enforced disappearance on 27 February 2017, said her family’s biggest worry is that they don’t have information as to what happened to their bread winner . “I am calling on the government to tell us the whereabout of our father,” she urged.
Also, speaking at the forum, Isatou Kanyi widow of former CFF staff Kanyi-Ba Kanyi, and one Kumba Secka of Kerr Morti Ali, both expressed similar remarks and called on President Barrow to do something about their cases.
