Justice takes a back seat as old Gambian foes unite

In a dramatic political about-turn, Gambian President Adama Barrow has joined forces with the country’s former ruling party ahead of the December elections. Barrow’s surprising new ally – the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction – was headed by former President Yahya Jammeh until his exile in 2017. Jammeh had refused to accept Barrow’s victory in the 2016 presidential elections that ended his 22-year rule. The alliance has angered survivors of human rights abuses committed while Jammeh was in office. In 2017, Barrow set up the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission to investigate these atrocities, promote national reconciliation and advise the government on prosecutions, amnesty or reparations for the accused. In a Daily Maverick analysis, Chido Mutangadura notes that during the public hearings, several witnesses directly implicated Jammeh in atrocities. ‘Barrow’s latest political manoeuvring comes just weeks before the commission’s third attempt to submit its final report to him. Many hoped the commission’s task of compiling 16 volumes of reports dating back to 1994 would be the first step to ending impunity by prosecuting crimes committed under the previous government.’

Official court documents of the US District Court of Maryland acquired by The Point confirmed that the Jammeh family in Equatorial Guinea have been served with US court documents requiring their response to lawsuits of forfeiture against properties in the US. Sources also confirmed that President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo confirmed that the documents were indeed sent to the Jammeh residence in his country. Legalbrief reports that Jammeh is accused of having stolen millions of dollars from The Gambia’s coffers to fund a life of luxury. After leaving office, his assets were frozen by many countries and he went into exile in Equatorial Guinea. In addition to charges of corruption and human rights violations, he is also accused of having raped a number of young women. The court document, titled, ‘United States motion for entry of default judgment and final order of forfeiture’, filed in the District Court of Maryland explained that various efforts were made, as required by law, to formally serve notice, soliciting response from Jammeh’s family and a trust established in the US to purchase a Potomac property were all unsuccessful.