In The Gambia, the Truth, Reconciliation and Equalization Commission closed its hearings on Thursday, May 27, beginning in January 2019. It investigated the human rights violations committed under the government of Yahya Jammeh. It must now report its conclusions and submit proposals to the current authorities.
For more than two years, the list of abuses caused by hearings broadcast live on television has been long: “witch hunts” against imprisoned and tortured opponents, murders of journalists and businessmen, massacres of migrants, rape or even forced treatment of HIV-positive people. people with a cure together by the head of state …
More than 370 witnesses were heard, including former government members, police and intelligence services and “jungler”, these militiamen whose unit is qualified “death squadron”. Each time, the leaders of the old regime shifted responsibility to one man, Yahya Jammeh, in exile in Equatorial Guinea.
The Commission must now prepare its report and present its conclusions to the authorities in early July. For the families of the victims, NGOs and civil society, the rest of the process is clear: there is a need for criminal proceedings against Yahya Jammeh and those responsible for the atrocities.
► To read also: In Gambia, the “jungles” break the law of silence
Human Rights Watch proposes the creation of a Gambia-ECOWAS hybrid court after the one who tried former Chadian President Hissène Habré. Extradition of the former president.
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