Press release
Acting in accordance with Section 22 of the TRRC Act, 2017 and in consultation with the executive secretary of the TRRC, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mr Abubacarr Tambadou has appointed Musu Bakoto Sawo as deputy executive secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission.
Ms Sawo is a law lecturer at the University of The Gambia. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa from the University of Pretoria and a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of The Gambia. Musu is the national coordinator of Think Young Women and programme officer for The Girl Generation in The Gambia.
Among other notable achievements, she was co-recipient of the 2017 Vera Chirwa Award by the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria in recognition of her advocacy for the rights of women and girls in The Gambia, and for being a leading African voice in the fight against harmful practices especially FGM. In 2018, Queen Elizabeth of Britain awarded her the 52nd Commonwealth Point of Light in honour of her exceptional voluntary service in promoting women’s empowerment and campaign to end FGM.
Reacting to her appointment, Musu said, “I am honoured by this opportunity and pray that I remain grounded and true to the objectives of the TRRC while in office. My aim is to have an inclusive TRRC that takes into account all the different dynamics that may exclude certain voices, i.e. women and girls. I am excited to begin this journey and I am hopeful that the TRRC will take the most appropriate measures to ensure that the victims of human rights violations under the past regime get the justice they desire.”
“I think we are very fortunate to have Musu Bakoto Sawo on our leadership team,” Said Dr Baba Galleh Jallow, executive secretary of the TRRC. “Musu brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in human rights law, democratisation, and gender and child rights advocacy which will be invaluable to our work at the TRRC. Her appointment also demonstrates our commitment to promoting the voices of women, young people and children, especially girl-children in our TRRC process.”
