By Momodou Darboe
The widow of Basirou Barrow, the slain leader of the 11th November 1994 foiled coup, has made an emotional appeal to President Adama Barrow not to allow the TRRC to fail in its mandate ‘as has been the case with the Janneh and the Constitutional Review commissions’.
With the 26th anniversary of the tragic summary execution of Basirou Barrow and other Gambian soldiers coming tomorrow, his widow, Sunkaru Yarboe, told The Standard that she is increasingly apprehensive that the outcome of the TRRC would not be taken seriously if the fate of the Janneh Commission and the Constitutional Review Commission is anything to go by.
“I yearn for justice and it would be very heart-warming if it is dispensed. However, my only worry is that nothing tangible came out from recommendations of the Janneh Commission. I am therefore making an appeal to President Barrow to ensure that the TRRC doesn’t suffer the same fate so that truth can be revealed and justice dispensed,” Yarboe posited.
“We are deeply concerned about the fate of the TRRC and it would be very disappointing and disheartening if nothing comes out of it at the end of the entire exercise. We are really worried and we contemplate about it a lot,” she added.
11 Nov. anniversary
Each year following the ouster of Jammeh, families of the 11th November victims observe the day by organizing a march past and associated events but late Basirou Barrow’s widow has expressed uncertainty that the anniversary would be commemorated this year as it obtained, considering the unpromising look of things.
“Since the defeat of Yahya Jammeh, the day is observed annually but things do not look promising the way they are. We are in uncertainty and I am not sure whether it would be befittingly observed this time around. There were plans for us to meet to see how to remember the day but nothing significant has happened yet,” she added.
Meanwhile, Ms Yarboe recounted how her family had endured hardships as a result of the demise of her husband.
“But thankfully, I was able to bring up the children in an upright manner. I instilled in them the virtues of hard work, discipline and sense of responsibility. My other child was nine when my husband was killed. He did not even know his father very well. The torment was overwhelming. I was, however, able to give them [children] a good education and upright upbringing,” she recalled.
She, meantime, urged the government to do its utmost in ensuring that TRRC succeeds in its mandate.
