The landmark Swiss conviction of former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko for crimes against humanity is monumental for Gambian victims of atrocity crimes during the rule of YahyaJammeh and is the beginning of the journey to justice in The Gambia.
Bai Lowe was convicted of crimes against humanity, murder, and attempted murder for his role as a driver for Jammeh’s hit squad known as the Junglers but as a junior officer and for Sonko, he served as commander of the State Guards Battalion, Inspector General and minister of Interior.
Despite those, who committed crimes against humanity, being allowed to walk freely in our society while the duty bearer failed to address prosecution as urgent, the two European countries have taken the lead in fighting for innocent people.
We welcome the conviction of Ousman Sonko, one of Gambia’s most powerful state officials, for crimes under the regime of exiled former President Yahya Jammeh, which is seen as a major step on the long road to justice for Jammeh’s victims.
Since Jammeh’s fall, Gambia’s government has brought only two prosecutions for Jammeh-era crimes. YankubaTouray was found guilty of murder and sentenced to death and the court sentenced Yankuba Badjie and Co. to death for killing Solo Sandeng.
We also commend Switzerland’s Federal Criminal Court and German court for sentencing Bai Lowe of crimes against humanity, murder, and attempted murder for his role as a driver for Jammeh’s hit squad.
In frank talk, it’s sad for a country that hosts the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS), and Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) to haverights abuse cases addressed by other countries.
We are still waiting for the Gambian government’s engagement with the West African regional bloc ECOWAS to set up a tribunal to try crimes committed under Jammeh.
The question that remains in the minds of ordinary Gambians is when will the government set up this court and when will it put the TRRC recommendations into action.?
Today, in The Gambia, everyone is looking up to the government’s reparations and many cannot see it forthcoming. As we monitor reparations cases in other truth, reconciliation, and reparations commissions, reparations have always failed. An example is the Republic of Chad. The victims of the late Chadian President Hissène Habré have yet to receive court-ordered reparations eight years after his landmark conviction in Senegal in 2016. Sadly, the victims’ leaders are passing away.
The Victims of Jammeh-era crimes are entitled to justice and Sonko’s conviction is a step closer to that goal. Justice delayedis justice denied.