The Gambia’s transitional justice programme promised ‘Never Again’, but for those trapped within the walls of its prisons, it is more or less the same old story.

They left for the oil-rich Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with giggles and big dreams for their babies and sick parents. But they were brought back quietly, broke and traumatised.

Some said that is so because top gov’t officials who reportedly benefit from contracts they award on behalf of security institutions are blocking draft laws meant to modernise and give these agencies greater autonomy in how they operate. 

The Government has quietly divided and doled out a large tract of land - equivalent in size to more than 30 standard international football fields - believed to be carved out of the Tanji Bird Reserve by President Jammeh. The new owners - well, those named so far - include lawyer and politician Essa Faal; a Senegalese businessman and financier of President Barrow, Khalilou Wague; and a Gambia-based Indian businessman, Nandkishore Rajwani, who reportedly uses different names to amass land from the state.

The government made more than 126 changes when revising the draft constitution. About half of these concern provisions related to anti-corruption, human rights and checks on the president’s power. Almost all of them were gutted, and now Mr. Ibn Chambas is pushing to succeed where former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan fell short