April 2022
Dangerous speech alert: ‘Destroy, maim and dismantle’ ‘non-Gambian voters’
The statement made by Kambi— a former chairman of the National Youth Council (NYC)— on his Facebook page was flagged by Malagen media monitoring team as a dangerous speech.
Low turn-out, incidents of disturbances as voting gets underway
The exercise so far peaceful and orderly. But sporadic incidents of disturbances are being reported in some parts of West Coast and Lower River Regions.
March 2022
Datasheet: Women outmuscled in National Assembly race
After nine days of nominations, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has cleared 251 people to contest as candidates for the National Assembly elections slated for April 9. However, only 19 of them are women. Compared to 232 male contestants, female candidates represent a paltry 7.6% of the total number of candidates. Out of the 19 female candidates, 4 are incumbents - three were elected and one nominated.
Amnesty for Sabally ‘stains’ Commission’s ‘good work’
Gambia’s Truth Commission has wrapped up its last activities. On March 16, the Commission submitted its final decision on 25 amnesty applications received. Controversy erupts over recommendation of amnesty for Sanna Sabally, a former vice chairman of the military junta that took over power in Gambia in July, 1994. The Truth Commission said Sabally, jailed for 10 years and tortured by soldiers on orders of ex-president Yahya Jammeh, had killed 11 people prior to the coming into force of the Rome Statute which defines ‘crimes against humanity’. The Commission recommended for Sabally to do community service.
Factsheet: What you need to know as IEC begins nominations of parliamentary aspirants
In terms of electoral disputes, candidates who feel that the election processes are not free and fair can file a petition at the Supreme Court of The Gambia.
February 2022
Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism relaunches as Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development
By CJID The Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development [CJID], the parent organisation of Dubawa Ghana, has officially launched in Abuja, Nigeria. The Centre will help the West African news media community fulfil “a mission to improve governance, promote a community of informed citizenry, and entrench democratic accountability,” CJID Chief Executive Officer, Dapo Olorunyomi said at the launch dinner on Tuesday the 8th of February 2022. This mission, he added, has found expression in many innovative interventions, including Dubawa which is a transnational fact-checking product in Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Liberia. CEO of CJID, Dapo Olorunyomi The CJID, formerly known as the Premium Times...
January 2022
After 5 years in detention, no end in sight but Swiss authorities are determined to break the Ousman Sonko case
Yahya Jammeh— living in exile in Equatorial Guinea since 2017—has rule the small country with an iron fist. He stands accused on several human rights violations including murder of political opponents, journalists and rape. For several years, including for a decade as a minister—from 2006 to 2016— Sonko serves at his pleasure.
Minister, security chiefs, others who face risk of ban, prosecution
A cabinet minister and security chief are among nearly a dozen public officials who face risk of ban from holding public office. Some may at the same time be subjected to criminal prosecution. This is a punishment proposed to be imposed on them by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission. The TRRC last month wrapped up nearly three years of investigations into human rights violations that were reportedly committed during the tenure of former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh - July 1994 to January 2017. Nearly four hundred witnesses testified during the inquiry. The revelations in the TRRC...