Kebba Ansu Manneh
The son of late Lt. Basirou Barrow has called on the government of President Adama Barrow to implement Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) recommendations.
He made this disclosure in an exclusive interview with our reporter recently where he stated that the government is yet to come out with any roadmap for the implementation, noting that many victims of the former government are still going through a traumatic situation, while many others need health care, education, and rehabilitation.
Aziz Barrow’s father the late Lt. Basirou Barrow was killed alongside fourteen (13) other serving personnel of The Gambia Armed Forces on November 11, 1994.
He described the reparations given to victims’ families as an insult from the government meant to cause dissatisfaction among victims, saying that giving a hundred thousand dalasi (D100, 000) to victims and their families who have been waiting for over two decades to have closure to their cases doesn’t make any sense.
“For me, I am not yet convinced that the government is committed to implementing the recommendations of the TRRC Report. Equally, I am not convinced that the government has the political will to prosecute perpetrators who bear the greatest responsibilities of crimes committed during the 22 years rule of the former President,” he said.
Aziz who works for the Victims’ Center stated that victims are yet to be informed by the government at what level it is with the implementation process, questioning that “if the government is saying the implementation process is going to be victim-centered, why is it failing to communicate with the victims on the progress of the roadmap for the implementation of the TRRC recommendations.”
“If you ask me whether the implementation process of the TRRC report is progressing, I will say it’s not moving and has not yet started. Sadly, instead of the government launching the implementation process, it has started rewarding perpetrators with ambassadorial positions. If the government is committed to implementing the recommendations, it wouldn’t have set such bad precedence at a time victims are so anxiously waiting for closure,” Aziz Barrow observed.
He added: “So far, the government is only able to give promises to the victims, and from what I know, it has not even budgeted for the implementation process nor any bill passed at the assembly to the effect. To be honest, as a victim, I have no confidence in the implementation process of the recommendations of the TRRC and I am not sure that there is a single victim in this country who will tell you that the government is keeping me updated on the implementation process.”
According to him, the way forward is for the President to come out and speak with the victims directly and assure them that his government is committed and serious to implement the report of the TRRC.
He lamented that President Barrow is yet to do so and has avoided mentioning the issue of victims on all of his platforms.
For his part, Adama Jallow, National Coordinator of, the Victims Centre for Human Rights Violations, noted that the victim’s center has been advocating for the authorities to come up with a road map that will guide the process adding that the road map would also outline a specific timeline for the entire process of implementation.
“Honestly, there is no road map that I have seen or heard [about] from the Government, and this is what we (Victims Centre) are yearning for as a victim-led organization. We would like the Government to come up with a road map so that all stakeholders can work towards the road map in terms of implementing TRRC recommendations. That is what we have been advocating for,” she said.
He added: “Secondly, the road map should also include the amendment of the 1997 constitution, which is still operational, and with that, it will limit the work of the TRRC.
Cases like extrajudicial killings, torture, and enforced disappearances are cases that are not in the 1997 Constitution, and if this is not addressed, it will affect the implementation process. As a victim-led organization, we are advocating for amendments too.”