Recently, there has been a lot of talk in the country about the possible return to the Gambia of former president, Yahya Jammeh. In fact, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) has been heard talking about seeking a permit to protest and demand for his return to his home country as a citizen of the Gambia.
Additionally, an audio message purportedly from Yahya Jammeh to the executive of the APRC, the party he founded, has also been circulating and in it he appears to be urging members of his party and their supporters to protest and demand for his return.
After these messages went viral, the Victims Centre also wrote a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) urging him not to grant the APRC a permit to protest to demand for the return of Yahya Jammeh, claiming that it will jeopardize the reconciliation that the TRRC is seeking to effect.
It seems that most of the citizens are not aware of the agreement that was reached between former president, Yahya Jammeh and the international bodies (the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Government of the Gambia.
It was these international bodies who brokered the agreement which enabled the country to have a peaceful and smooth transition paving the way for the swearing-in of President Adama Barrow and his new government.
It is necessary that the Government of the Gambia make efforts to let the citizens know exactly what is contained in that agreement and how it will be enforced or implemented. There is too much speculation with some APRC members saying that they cannot be denied their right to freedom of assembly.
Other citizens, especially the victims of rights violations of his regime, are wary of his return as they claim that it will reopen old wounds which had already begun to heal. It is imperative therefore for the Government of President Adama Barrow to let the public know what exactly was signed in their name.
