Victims’ Center Deepens Grassroots Understanding of TJ Process After Second Musical Caravan
Victim Center Engagement © Askanwi
By Edward Francis Dalliah, Jr.
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.
Phase Two of the initiative was officially launched on 13th January 2026, following the successful completion of Phase One in 2025, which reached 37 communities across the Lower River Region (LRR) and West Coast Region (WCR). The second phase focused on popularising the African Union Transitional Justice Policy (AUTJP) and the Government’s White Paper on the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) recommendations.
The Musical Caravan uses music, community dialogue, and public engagement to bring conversations on justice, accountability, reparations, and reconciliation closer to grassroots communities, particularly victims of past human rights violations who have often been excluded from national-level discussions.
During the outreach in NBR, CRR, and URR, the Victims’ Center engaged dozens of communities as part of a nationwide program targeting at least 60 communities. In many of the areas visited, victims and residents expressed growing frustration over what they “described as the slow pace of justice for human rights violations committed during the 22-year rule of former President Yahya Jammeh,” raising concerns about the government’s commitment to implementing key accountability measures.
The expansion into the three regions was aimed at ensuring broader national participation in the country’s transitional justice process while strengthening community awareness of victims’ rights and state obligations under the TRRC recommendations.
The Musical Caravan forms part of a year-long project funded by the African Transitional Justice Legacy Fund, under the European Union–African Union Transitional Justice in Africa Initiative. The project seeks to raise awareness of both the AUTJP and the Government White Paper while promoting the meaningful inclusion of victims in shaping The Gambia’s post-TRRC transitional justice pathway.
Adopted in 2019, the African Union Transitional Justice Policy provides a continental framework for African countries emerging from conflict or authoritarian rule. It promotes a holistic approach to addressing past human rights violations by integrating truth-telling, justice, reparations, reconciliation, and institutional reform.
Unlike many international models, the AUTJP places strong emphasis on African traditions and community-based mechanisms, including local dialogue, mediation, and reconciliation practices, as essential tools for sustainable peace and healing.
As the Victims’ Center continues its engagement with communities across the country, the initiative reinforces key messages on accountability, victims’ rights, reparations, and guarantees of non-repetition as central pillars of The Gambia’s journey toward justice, healing, and national reconciliation.
