NDAM deputy leader says Jammeh should be prosecuted

By Amadou M. Jadama A prominent human rights activist and leader of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM), Ousainou  Mbenga has called on the Gambia Government to seek support to  extradite  former President  Yahya  Jammeh for prosecution. Mbenga made this suggestion while speaking to journalists at the Banjul International Airport on Friday upon his arrival from the US. “Former president Yahya Jammeh should be extradited and tried for the alleged human rights abuses he committed over the past 22-years. I don’t want him to be tried at The Hague,” he told journalists. He said African leaders who violate humanity should be tried in Africa. “We Africans should solve our own problem the African way and not otherwise. Just imagine for 22 long years Gambians have been forced to live in hell marked by disappearances, killings, and torture,” he said. He added that the families of the victims want to know what happened to their love ones, and “we have to know the people who disappeared and what happened to them because they are our own brothers and sisters. “Gambians should ensure that 22-years of Yahya Jammeh’s misrule, violation of human rights are never repeated,” he added. When asked whether he will work with the new government, he said: “No. I’m not here to look for a job. I want to be part of the development and advancement of the Gambia. On December 2 Gambians made history, by voting dictator Jammeh out and bring a new government into power”. He said the new government should come up with a solution to solve the problems and build a better Gambia that will gain respect in the world. “The world was proud of the Gambia because we set an example in the just concluded election. Which is very uncommon in Africa, the young people should ensure that they participate fully as the creams of the nation,” he noted.]]>