By Kemo Kanyi
The head of programs at the Victim Centre, Mr. Kebba Jome has expressed dissatisfaction with the slow pace of the implementation of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission’s (TRRC) recommendations.
It would be recalled that The TRRC has recommended 70 people to be prosecuted, who are alleged to have committed gross human rights violations in the Gambia under YahyaJammeh. The Ministry of Justice is spearheading this implementation process.
Addressing a press conference held on Tuesday Mr. Jome reiterated his office’s dissatisfaction over the slow process of the implementation.
According to him, the implementation process is very slow. He cited that out of 263 recommendations made by TRRC, only 9 of them have so far been implemented since May 2023.
He maintained that some of these recommendations could easily be implemented, but to their dismay, these are taking too long.
“The communication link between the Ministry of Justice and the Victim Centre, the Civil Society Organizations, and the Victim Led Organizations (VLOs) is honestly very weak,”Mr. Jome admitted when asked if the government has given any reason for causing delay in implementation.
For her part, Mrs. Saffie Nyang, a representative from the Ministry of Justice, said her ministry has a shared responsibility of the implementation process as dictated by the mechanism.
She expresses the hope that things will get faster as they now get someone who specialize on the matter. ‘’We hired a special adviser who will be advising the Attorney General on transitional justice,’’ she disclosed. She talked about the creation of a special dedicated unit under the Ministry of Justice called the Post TRRC unit, which is headed by the special adviser so with those things in place, she said, they would be moving at a faster pace.
“Band from public office has now become law. This is a framework to band people from holding public office in line with TRRC Recommendations. Special prosecutors’ office bills and special accountability mechanism bills are also on track for enactment. The initial validation workshop was held with victims and other relevant key stakeholders, and we have received feedback from them,’’ Mrs. Nyangexplained.
Other speakers during the press conference included Mr. Basiru Bah, the representative from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).