Sainey Senghore, survivor of April 10/112000 student’s demonstration has urged The Gambia government to declared day as national holiday throughout the country in remembrance of the fallen victims.
Senghore made the call in Jareng, Brikamaba and Bansang Upper Basic Schools in Central River Region where the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission’s (TRRC) outreach team recently engaging Gambian students on the mandate and functions of the truth commission as well as the ‘Never Again’ Campaign.
“Am appealing to the government of The Gambia to consider April 10th and 11th as a national holiday or a school holiday,” Senghore said.
He stressed that if government is not in any position to considering the students massacred as a national or school holiday a national prayers of one minute silent should be organised each year to remember the April 2000 Students massacred orchestrated by Yahya Jammeh’s regime, suggesting that a national monument should be preserved for the fallen victims in remembrance of their stance for the country.
A dozen students were killed on April 10/1, 2000 for demonstrating against rape and torture of their colleagues. However, their protest led to the use of force by the security forces leading to the death of over a dozen students.
The TRRC is mandated by the National Assembly to probe into the atrocities meted out to Gambians during the 22years dictatorial rule of Yahya Jammeh and has since embarked on series of activities to establish the truth behind all the cruelties including an outreach and is currently on national tour to sensitize Gambian students on the mandate and functions of the commission.
“When we heard that some of our colleagues were gunned down around Banjul and KMC for merely protesting against rape and torture of our fellow students we decided to joint and showed solidarity with them. It was during the showing of our solidarity with our colleagues when we were shoot at by soldiers and apparently I was shoot on my leg,” Senghore recalled his ordeals to students as part of the Never Again Campaign.
Senghore was a grade 10th student of Essau Senior Secondary School on that fateful day of 11th April, 2000 when about nine of his colleagues were gunned down around the Kanifing Municipality and Banjul.
He said he was gunshot by soldiers who barricaded the road leading to the school, adding that though he sustained the highest degree of injury but many other students too were affected.
“This is nineteen years on we (victims) have no action for our case and many of us have been insulted. We are very glad to welcome the TRRC here in Brikamaba, we have been following its proceedings on the screens but for them to visit schools and talk to us, we are ready privilege that we are honoured,” said Isatou B. Fofana, Head Girl Brikamaba Senior Secondary School.
She preached that in order to foster national reconciliation and unity, alleged perpetrators must come out and speak the Truth and seek forgiveness to the victims’ families, stressing that failure to speak the truth at the commission will hamper their work of reconciling the differences among Gambians.
“‘Never Again’ should we allow what has happened here during dictatorship to repeat here. Gambians should not allow worshipping just one man any more in this country, “she said.