Gambia: That Elusive Opposition Coalition Flag Bearer Have Finally Been Unveiled!

The much-anticipated and long awaited convention on opposition coalition has finally come to an end at the Kairaba Beach Hotel on Sunday 30th October, 2016. After a lengthy voting process, Mr. Adama Barrow of the United Democratic Party emerged victorious canvassing about 62% of the votes. Announcing the results, the chairperson for the occasion, Mrs. Fatoumatta Jallow-Tambajang revealed that a total of 490 votes were registered, out of which, 2 were declared null and void.

Mr. Barrow who secured 308 votes was respectively followed by Mr. Hamat Bah of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) with 75 votes, Mr. Halifa Sallah of the Peoples Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) with 65 votes and Dr. Lamin Bojang of the National Convention Party (NCP) with 40 votes. Surprisingly though, the independent candidate - Dr. Isatou Touray didn’t show up for the occasion, reasons of which are yet to emerge.

Convention on Opposition Coalition, Kairaba Beach Hotel - 30/10/16. Photo source: Gainako

As it stands then, 51 year old Adama Barrow who hails from Mankamang Kunda in the Upper River Region will lock horns with the incumbent; and possibly with the independent candidate - Dr. Isatou Touray and of course Mamma Kandeh of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) who had earlier pulled out of the coalition talks. It all depends however on whether all of them will make it through the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) nominations which is slated to take place between the 7th and 10th November, 2016.

While I deeply regret the fact that there is going to be more than one opposition candidate contesting the December 1st polls, I sincerely congratulate Mr. Adama Barrow for his victory and optimistically looking forward for him to replicate his triumph come December. I also wish to commend all the opposition candidates, civil society activists and all stakeholders who took part in this very difficult process. You have all done your best in the only way you know how! Therefore the onus is now on the Gambian electorates to repay your sacrifices. May December 1st 2016 usher in the 3rd Republic in our dear fatherland!

Rejoinder

The independent candidate Dr. Isatou Touray has since agreed to rally behind the coalition of opposition parties, meaning only two candidates are up for the running against the incumbent. Meanwhile the IEC has given the go-ahead to all three candidates aspiring to vie for the presidency. So all eyes are now firmly fixed on December 1st.

Gambia: Commemoration of Africa Humans Right Day

H.E. Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs.

Banjul 21st October, 2016: Today the African people commemorate the Africa Humans Right day across the continent under the theme, “women rights - our collective responsibility.”

On this occasion, H.E. Dr. Aisha Laraba Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs issued a statement on behalf of H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission describing this year’s theme as timely and appropriate. Timely in the sense that it coincides with the Declaration of the African Union’s Heads of State and Government of “2016 as the African Year of Human Rights with Particular Focus on the Rights of Women”. It is, therefore, a clarion call on Africa to do more to promote women’s rights, particularly the rights to development. It is in this context that the African Union Commission has concluded that the AHRD theme for this year is a reflection of a ray of hope that through empowerment of women in Africa, sustainable peace and development will be ushered in.

The Commissioner for Political Affairs stated that on 21 October 1986, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights came into force thereby forming the basis for the commemoration of the African Human Rights Day (AHRD). The AHRD, which is celebrated annually across the continent on 21st October, is an opportunity to reflect, take stock and recommit to the solemn declaration undertaken by the African leaders and the African people to promote and safeguard human and peoples’ rights on the continent. She further added that the commemoration is also to continuously awaken greater awareness of the African peoples and the international community on the value of life and humanity, and to renew our collective commitment to protect and uphold the fundamental human rights.

Dr. Abdulahi also indicated that despite all the efforts to promote and protect human and peoples’ rights in Africa, including women’s rights, the continent continues to face enormous challenges which if not urgently and adequately addressed, may erase the human rights gain recorded over the preceding decades. These challenges include, but are not limited to: inadequate allocation of resources to human rights institutions, inadequate capacity, insufficient political will, unwillingness by some States to cede part of sovereignty to supranational monitoring bodies, insufficient commitment by some States to domesticate and implement international and continental human rights treaties, persistent crisis and conflicts across the continent which result in loss of life, destruction of property and reversal of human rights gains, widespread poverty, ignorance and lack of awareness, vestiges of colonialism characterized by human rights unfriendly laws, bad  governance, corruption and disregard for the constitutionalism and the rule of law.

In conclusion, Dr. Abdullahi also added that in order to ensure that elements of the theme of this year have been achieved, the DPA in close collaboration and coordination with other AU Organs with a human rights mandate, has been carrying out a series of activities commencing in 2016 and spread across the next 10 years, which was declared by Heads of State and Government in Kigali, Rwanda in July this year as the “Human and Peoples’ Rights Decade in Africa”. These activities seek to initiate a lobby and advocacy campaign that generates increasing momentum, and reaches out to member states stakeholders and partners at all levels.

Source: au.int

Gambia: History Repeating Itself as Opposition Coalition Formula Brings Back Memories of 10 Years Ago

It is been widely reported on various online newspapers and social media outlets that opposition parties (bar the GDC) including an independent candidate, have finally agreed to an option on forming a coalition to take on the ruling APRC party for the upcoming December Presidential elections. The much anticipated negotiations concluded on Friday 14th October 2016 at the Kairaba Beach hotel. With agreement reached, the focus now shift on finding that almost-elusive unified opposition candidate amongst aspiring candidates to be the coalition flag-bearer for the December 1st polls.

In a statement issued to the press, the party leaders outlined that, they were “putting aside their differences in favour of the supreme national interest.” This agreement followed a week in which spirits were dampened as the talks once again became inconclusive. The latest setbacks were as as a result of UDP’s appeal for more time to consult with their executives prompting an unwelcome rescheduling of events. To say the negotiations were complex is indeed an understatement but the fact that some sort of consensus was finally met must be a welcome relief to all concerned.

Gambian Opposition Leaders & Activist. Source: Foroyaa

Although it is not the outcome most of us would have wanted, we still have to be contented with the result and commend the opposition leaders and civil society activist for their laudable efforts. We appreciate that such negotiations are always complex as participants tend to have different opinions about the modalities of how such unions should be formed. A party-led coalition, conventions and primaries were among the sort of formulas argued for. But what ever approach is taken, the ultimate goal remains the same.

Surprisingly, the difference in opinions at this round of talks pretty much resembles what happened during the formative years of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) some 10 years ago. Back then, the United Democratic Party (UDP), very popular at the time were accused of hampering efforts to form an opposition coalition for the 2006 Presidential elections as they thought they were capable of defeating the APRC on their own. Similarly, all fingers of blame are now pointing at the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) for being the only party who refused to sign the current agreement.

Like most UDP supporters back in 2006, the GDC surrogates are all pumped up with this wishful thinking that their party can unseat the incumbent on its own. I even once heard the party secretary in an interview with the Freedom Radio claiming that they can pull up 70% of the votes in this forthcoming elections, dream on I say! That is a very irresponsible thing to say even for a party militant let alone a party executive.

However, they have since come up with a strong worded statement to rebuff all accusations and put forward their stance and argument during the meeting  for the general public to see. Fair enough on their side but needless in my opinion! All we need is one single opposition candidate regardless of different points of view.

I must however reiterate that; it is against all odds for any single party to be able to unseat the incumbent on their own in this upcoming elections. So my appeal to the GDC is therefore to try and join the bandwagon for the sake of national interest. My understanding is, whoever emerge victorious in this conventions or primaries will just be a transitional leader. So even if the GDC candidate is not elected to bear the coalition flag this time around, there is surely plenty more time to come for the party. Please do not allow false hopes get in the way of your future aspirations. Please do not let yourself fall on the wrong side of history.

To conclude, the same appeal is also extended to all the signatories to the agreement. Please try and continue the dialogue with the GDC. Time is running out I know but it is never too late since the nominations are yet to take place. I am almost certain that, if more than one candidate is pitched against the APRC come December, it will simply be a case of history repeating itself all over again. Consequently then, the dream for a third republic in The Gambia will be laid to rest for the next five years at least. I genuinely hope that am proven wrong!

UNHCR: About 300,000 Cross the Mediterranean so far this Year

Geneva, 20 September 2016 - The number of refugees and migrants reaching European shores this year passed the 300,000 mark today, UNHCR figures show. This is considerably lower than the 520,000  registered sea arrivals during the first nine months of 2015, but higher than the 216,054 arrivals during the whole of 2014.

A closer look at the two main countries of arrival, Greece and Italy, reveals important differences. Arrivals in Italy this year follow the same pattern as last year, with 130,411 refugees and migrants entering in 2016, compared with 132,071 during the first nine months of last year. In both years, arrivals increased during May and peaked in July. However, more people arriving in Italy are staying there. As of today, asylum claims have more than doubled in Italy, in comparison to the same period last year. Over 158,000 people are currently accommodated in reception facilities in Italy.

In contrast, Greece saw a massive rise in the number of arrivals by sea last year, with 385,069 by the end of September. The surge began in August, with 107,843 arrivals, and peaked in October, with highest number of arrivals (211,663). This year, there has been a sharp drop from 67,415 arrivals during the month of January to just over 2,000 so far this month, bringing the total this year to 165,750, a 57% drop from the 385,069 arrivals registered in Greece during the first nine months of last year.

The main nationalities arriving in Greece (Syria 48%, Afghanistan 25%, Iraq 15%, Pakistan 4% and Iran 3%) are also different from those reaching Italy (Nigeria 20%; Eritrea 12%; Gambia/ Guinea/Sudan/Ivory Coast 7% each). In the Mediterranean as a whole, five nationalities account for 68% of all arrivals (Syria 30%, Afghanistan 16%, Iraq 10%, Nigeria 7%, Eritrea 5%).

Despite the number of crossings this year (300,000) being 42 % lower than during the same period last year (520,000), the number of people reported dead or missing so far this year (3,211) is only 15 % lower than the total number of casualties for the whole of 2015 (3,771). At this rate, 2016 will be the deadliest year on record in the Mediterranean Sea.

This situation highlights the urgent need for States to increase pathways for admission of refugees, such as resettlement, private sponsorship, family reunification and student scholarship schemes, among others, so they do not have to resort to dangerous journeys and the use of smugglers. At the same time, the plan agreed by the European Union (EU) and Member States a year ago to relocate 160,000 asylum-seekers mainly from Greece and Italy to other European countries need to be fully implemented. So far, less than 5,000 asylum-seekers have been relocated from Greece (3,791) and Italy (1,156), which constitutes only 3% of the original target. We have been calling on EU Member States to increase pledges, including for unaccompanied and separated children, speed up the registration and transfers of candidates, and for more nationalities fleeing war and persecution to have access to the scheme.

Effective relocation is key to increasing solidarity and responsibility sharing in Europe, and ensuring the better management of movements, including helping to address irregular secondary movement and reliance on smuggler networks. This is particularly vital given the humanitarian situation in Greece, and the increasing number of people staying in Italy and applying for asylum.

Source: UNHCR

Gambia: One of the most ‘Recalcitrant’ Countries Identified by US Homeland Security

The Republic of The Gambia is infamously occupying position number 11 on the list of nearly two dozen ‘recalcitrant’ countries identified by the United States department for Homeland Security. ‘Recalcitrant’ is a term referring to “refusal by home countries to take back their own citizens who are identified as illegal immigrants and therefore due for deportation.” This disturbing revelation was made by Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies as quoted in the Washington Times.

"The problem of countries refusing to take back their own citizens has been around for years, but it came into sharp focus earlier this year when a Haitian man was convicted of killing a young woman in Connecticut. That man, Jean Jacques, had previously served time for attempted murder but was out on U.S. streets because Haiti wouldn’t take him back, saying it questioned whether he really was Haitian. That’s the same excuse given in tens of thousands of other cases where home countries refuse to take back their citizens - including The Gambia."

So as result of The Gambia refusing to accept nearly 2,000 people the U.S. is trying to deport, the Obama administration has finally decided to pull the trigger and will deny visas to some Gambians hoping to visit the U.S., the State Department said Saturday. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson took the decisive move after years of prodding by lawmakers on Capitol Hill, signing a letter triggering the law that requires a halt in visas to countries that are refusing to accept their own citizens. Under the law the State Department had no choice but to comply (The Washington Times).

The move according to the Washington Times was first revealed by Sen. Charles E. Grassley, who said it was about time the administration targeted someone. He said he hopes more countries face the same punishment if they don’t begin to cooperate, and he said if The Gambia doesn’t straighten out, he hopes the U.S. broadens the visa sanctions to more than the government. “It’s time we make clear to these nations that blocking U.S. deportation efforts by refusing to take back their citizens has consequences,” said Mr. Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee (The Washington Times)

A State Department official is quoted in the same newspaper saying; “As of October 1, 2016, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia has discontinued visa issuance to employees of the Gambian government, employees of certain entities associated with the government, and their spouses and children, with limited exceptions.” The law appears to call for an even broader response  - the denial of visas to all Gambian citizens. But stripping government officials and their families of visas is still a powerful lever, the official said.

Source: The Washington Times.