By Mama A. Touray
Victims of human rights violation under Yahya Jammeh’s regime, on Friday at a programme dubbed ‘docudrama’ engagement session said President Adama Barrow did not wipe away their tears.
The exiled former President Yahya Jammeh has ruled The Gambia with an iron fist amid extrajudicial killings and human rights violation of citizens, political opponents, activists, and journalists during his 22-year reign.
Jammeh is now seeking sanctuary in the Equatorial Guinea following his defeat in the last presidential election in 2016 which ended his two-and-half decade of brutal rule and the ushering of new democratic dispensation under the regime of current President Adama Barrow.
Right groups and victims are still rallying support both local and international for the prosecution of Jammeh by the regime of President Barrow.
Recently at a programme held at Sir Dawda Kairaba Conference Centre, one of the victims of former President Yahya Jammeh alleged President Adama Barrow of not considering the pains they had experienced under the former brutal dictator.
“If the president feels our pain then today he should wipe away the tears of victims but it is the opposite, he did not wipe our tears he has never stood and asked victims how we are feeling. The people in the government that are not here today do not feel our pain because today the government consists of people who have put victims in difficult conditions. You feel pathetic but some in the government do not feel that way and left those victims to continue crying,’’ the anonymous victim tersely told the audience.
Manjanko Ousainou Bojang, a victim who also emotionally expressed his views, also said he has been attending such events but in the end it makes no impact since the government fails to consider their plight as victims.
“APRC government is the same government that is in existence, we will talk all we could but still they will never do anything. We are crying everyday with our children but the government is not doing anything because the government of Jammeh is still there,” the distraught victim explained
Ya-Haddy, also a victim, said: “The ministry of justice is doing a lot, the government is taking responsibilities but there are some urgent needs from victims that need to be addressed and we need to look at the way forward both at the ministry level and civil society.’’