Residents of Sambang Fula in Niamina have recounted experiences of victimisation during the era of former President Yahya Jammeh, as the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims’ Center) continued its Musical Caravan outreach involving community dialogue and public engagement.

More in the news report.

The Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims’ Center) has completed Phase Two of its nationwide Musical Caravan outreach across the North Bank Region (NBR), Central River Region (CRR), and Upper River Region (URR), marking a major milestone in efforts to deepen grassroots engagement on transitional justice in The Gambia.

More in the news report.

As the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission was winding down, there was significant uncertainty around the government’s pledge to fund victims’ reparations. Our reporter spoke to the Chair of the Reparations Committee, the then Chairperson of the Victim Center, the Association of Non-Governmental Organisations, and the Technical Director of the Women’s Association for Women and Victims Empowerment (WAVE).

Now that reparations payments have recommenced, the government has still not fulfilled its promise to fully fund the reparations commission.

This publication was first issued in 2020. More in this report.

The Coordinator of the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims’ Center), Mr Kebba Jome, has criticised the government for failing to implement key recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), notably the declaration of April 10th or 11th as official school holidays to commemorate the 2000 student massacre. More in the news report.

Bakary Camara, the Alkalo of Sarra Kunda village in The Gambia’s North Bank Region, has revealed his alleged arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, and forced exile under the regime of former president Yahya Jammeh, declaring himself ‘the first victim of Jammeh-era abuses in the community’. More in this moving story.

Communities and victims across several villages in The Gambia’s North Bank Region (NBR) have voiced growing frustration over what they describe as ‘the slow pace of justice for human rights violations committed during the 22-year rule of former president Yahya Jammeh,’ questioning the government’s commitment to implementing key accountability measures.

More in the news report.

The Gambia’s Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victim Center) has issued a statement calling the government into action and to commemorate the 31st anniversary of the massacre of soldiers on 11th November 1994 by the former regime of President Yahya Jammeh. More in this press release.

The Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations hosted a radio show in Jarra Soma as part of it’s ongoing musical caravan promoting the Afican Unions Transitional Justice Policy and the Government’s White Paper on the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission Recommendations. More in the report.

As part of the nationwide outreach on the implementation of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) recommendations, the Victim Center musical caravan visited Upper River Region (URR) North under the theme “Sensitisation of Victims on the Contents of the Government White Paper on the TRRC Recommendations to Enhance Justice and Accountability.” More in the report.

The Victim Centre is well into its musical caravan in its quest to raise awareness of the government’s White Paper responding to the recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC).

During the tour, victims continued to demand reparations and prosecution of perpetrators identified in the report. Meanwhile, the Minister of Justice has responded to a parliamentary inquiry on the government’s disbursement of funds to the newly established Reparations Commission. More in the report.