By Mustapha Jarju
The peace advocators from the Patriotic Youth Association Gambia and Beautiful Minds of Africa had held a peace dialogue with the leadership of the United Democratic Party at Lawyer Ousainou Darboe’s residence in Pipeline.
Musa Saidy the president of PYAG said: “as advocators we are very concern about the current situation, we want the party hierarchy to talk to their supporters to restrain from all forms of violence, stay home and wait for executive to deals with the situation peacefully.”
Mr. Amadou Sanneh, UDP executive member and former Finance Minister under President Barrow elaborated on how to maintain peace in a fragile environment, adding there will be no peace without effective justice delivery the country has to change from the dictatorship to democracy.
“But what we are seeing today is that we are going back to dictatorship as the security forces behave in the same manner as during Jammeh’s regime which is unacceptable”, he said, adding that it’s unbelievable to see our owned paramilitary brutalizing their own people whom they should protect, peace shouldn’t be oppressed.
Mr. Kemo Bojang UDP national youth secretary general said, they are peace loving and law-abiding people. He added that, Gambians lack trust in their security forces, noting that whatever the party encounter whether good or bad they all converge at their party leader’s resident which is not new and this time around is not an exception, he said.
Mr. Bojang said, what the police did to the UDP supporters at the party leader’s residence is deliberate brutalized of UDP supporters.
Mr. Alagie S Darboe also member of UDP said the two (2) security officers who recorded themselves on video celebrating unpleasant action towards UDP supporters is uncalled for. He said tribal sentiment by some people against the UDP they’re uncalled for. He said the large gathering of their supporters is due to misunderstanding of EU statement about the results.
He blamed the DIG for castigating violence because according to him the DIG shouldn’t be on the ground at Lawyer Darboe’s resident during the incident but the commissioner operations he said. Darboe added that the security forces that throw teargas at their supporters’ abused rights because the militants are always peaceful.
National Assembly member under the UDP flag Honorable Sulayman Saho who as well at the meeting added his voice