Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issues
Issue No. 132/2007,  9 - 11  November, 2007
Editorial

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL 
SHOULD ADVISE  THE PRESIDENT     
Chief Manneh’s case will again be  brought up before the ECOWAS Court. The 
government should examine what it had  gained by detaining Rambo for over a 
year. The danger of long detention without  trial is the possibility of sickness 
and even death while in detention. Such  developments become tragic. Human 
right Law protects both state and person. A  State which respects human rights is 
protected form having a record of  maltreating its people with impunity. 
In short, if a police officer abides  by the constitutional provisions and 
inform a suspect of the cause of his or her  detention within three hours and 
enable the person to gain access to a legal  counsel, no person will disappear 
or be tortured. The role of a Republic is to  protect the sovereignty of the 
people .This requires leaders who consider  themselves as servants of the 
people; Section 72 of the Constitution states that  ‘’The Attorney General shall be 
the principal legal adviser of the state’’
We  therefore hope that the person in charge will be afforded all the support 
 necessary to fulfill the terms of her oath to perform her duties without 
fear or  favour, affection or ill will.

Former SoS’s Wife Convicted
By  Fabakary B. Ceesay
Mrs Ndey Njie, the wife of the former Secretary of State  for Youth Sports 
and Religious Affairs, was on Wednesday 7 November convicted by  Principal 
Magistrate B.Y Camara of Banjul Magistrate Court.
Delivering the  judgment, Magistrate B.Y Camara pointed out that the accused 
person, Mrs. Ndey  Njie, was charged with common assault contrary to section 
227 of the Criminal  Code, Cap 10. He stated before the court that Mrs. Ndey 
Njie,on the 14 May,at  the police headquarters unlawfully assaulted one Mrs. 
Nyarra Adams by slapping  her on the face. Magistrate Camara said the prosecution 
had a task to prove its  case beyond reasonable doubt. Magistrate Camara 
indicated that the prosecution  had called five witnesses to prove its case. He 
noted that the witnesses  included the complainant, Nyarra Adams, her husband 
Saikou Lamin Adams, Sergeant  Lamin Cham, Police Commissioner Essa Badjie, alias 
“Jesus,” and Assistant  Superintendent, Malanin Ceesay; that their evidences 
before the court  corroborated each other; that the accused person indeed 
assaulted the  complainant. He said most of the witnesses produced by the 
prosecution are all  senior security officers who testified that they witness the 
case before the  court. Magistrate Camara said that on the side of the defence 
they have called  only two witnesses to defend their case; that Mr. Abdoulie 
Faal and Mr. Musa  Njie all testified that they heard the complainant using foul 
words towards the  accused person’s father; that there was a quarrel, but no 
assault has taken  place. Magistrate Camara ruled that it is the conclusion of 
the court that the  prosecution has proved their case and therefore convicted 
the accused as  charged.
Mitigating on behalf of the accused person, Counsel Haddy Dandeh  Njie 
pleaded that the accused is 30 years old and is currently taking care of a  
twelve-year-old girl. She said the accused has never had a tussle with the law.  
Counsel Njie added that the accused regrets and expresses embarrassment to the  
fact that she was standing trial at a court.
Magistrate Camara said the  behaviour of the accused was stupid for her to 
act in such a manner at such a  place, like the police headquarters. He noted 
that it was lack of discipline for  one to behave in that way knowing that one’s 
husband is a high-ranking  government official. He therefore sentenced her to 
a fine of D7,000 dalasis and  another D5,000 dalasis to compensate Nyarra 
Adams for causing embarrassment to  her in front of  the police officers and in 
default to serve 12 months in  prison.

Stakeholders Comparative 
Studies On Jetty Project  Validated
By Modou Jonga & Amie Sanneh 
A one-day consultative  workshop to validate the comparative studies of the 
fisheries Jetty landing fees  and fuel under the Gambian Artisanal fisheries 
Development Project was on  Thursday 8 November held at the Corinthia Atlantic 
Hotel in Banjul.
In his  welcoming remarks, the Permanent Secretary at the Department of State 
for  Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly matters, Mr. Lamin 
Nyabally  said the essence of the Gambia Artisanal Fisheries Development Project 
(GAFDP)  is to improve fisheries facilities and infrastructure. Mr. Nyabally 
expressed  hope that the discussion on the GAFDP comparative studies will be  
meaningful.
The Director of Fisheries Mr. Adiatou E. Njai  said   the main objectives of 
the project are in five components, namely, the  improvement of fisheries and 
infrastructures, strengthening of fisheries  Department, strengthening 
monitoring, control and surveillance, credit program,  and project management.
Speaking further, the Fisheries Director noted that  the fisheries Jetty will 
be managed by The Gambia Ports Authority on behalf of  the Fisheries 
Department based on a management Agreement that spells out the  terms and conditions 
of management.Mr Njie said the GPA signed this management  agreement  in 2001. 
On the study report of GPA, the Fisheries Director  said the objective of the 
consultancy on the comparative studies, was to conduct  comparative analysis 
of the fisheries port landing fees, fuel price tariffs and  incentive in The 
Gambia and Senegal in order to recommend to Gambia Government  the right levels 
to apply to ensure the competitive and profitability of the new  Banjul 
fisheries Jetty. Mr. Njai revealed that the consultant, Mr. Abdou Njie of  Sahel 
Management International, has successfully completed the study after  exhaustive 
investigation and analysis of the data collected in Senegal and The  Gambia. 
He concluded that the one day consultative meeting is a testimony of the  
success of the comparative studies of the fisheries Jetty project.
In his  opening statement, the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Water 
Resources and  National Assembly Matters, Yankuba Touray, noted the significance of 
the  fisheries sector in the national development efforts. SoS Touray 
underscored his  Department’s resolve in achieving a significant reduction in poverty 
through  increased food security, employment opportunities and Foreign 
Exchange earning  by means of sustainable management, exploitation and utilization of 
fisheries  resources. He said the construction of the Banjul Fisheries Jetty 
would cater  for landing and cold storage facilities among other things; that 
the fisheries  Jetty Project will create a window of opportunities for private 
sector  investment. The SoS called for the application of appropriate and 
competitive  prices in order to optimize the number of vessels using the Jetty 
thus making it  profitable and expressed hope for the efficient 
operationslization of the new  Banjul Jetty.

BEACH BOYS COMPLAIN OF MALTREATMENT BY SOLDIERS AND  GTA
By Isatou Bittaye
The boys at the beach, commonly called “Bumpsters”,  have raised their 
dissatisfaction over the manner they are treated by the  soldiers and staff of the 
Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) at the beach. Speaking  to this reporter, 
Ebrima Darboe, a beach boy, said they depend on the beach to  earn their living, 
but that they are being denied the freedom to do so by the  GTA and soldiers at 
the beach. He said that he has a Bar where he sells soft  drinks and beer and 
that he does not hustle or rob the tourists, but the  soldiers treat him like 
a “bumpster”. He said they always disturb him at the  beach. Ebrima 
complained that the GTA set rules for them, which according to him  are not reasonable, 
citing the GTA identity card as an example. He said that  being at the beach 
could sometimes bring opportunities for them, as they can be  fortunate to 
have a sponsor.
Ebrima added that they are not “bumpsters” who  harass or rob tourists, but 
are there to help tourist’s in order to get  something from them for their 
living. He said that he is a bar-keeper and some  of his friends are fishermen 
and juice pressers, that the only solution to their  problem is for the soldiers 
and the GTA to leave them to have their freedom at  the beach. He added that 
they are also urging the government to establish  factories such as fishing 
companies, etc as an alternative where they can be  employed to enable them to 
contribute to the development of the Gambia.
He  called on the Hotel Managers to employ them in their hotels as 
entertainers.  Sheriff Ceesay, another beach boy told Foroyaa that their main problem is 
the  soldiers.
He explained that they depend on the beach to make ends meet, but  the 
soldiers always disturb them. He said the soldiers sometimes arrest and  detain them 
at their camps for 72 hours, punished them by forcing them to do  hard work 
or even beat and torture them to stop going to the beach. He said this  cannot 
stop them from going to the beach..
Sheriff said they sometimes have  good opportunities at the beach, but these 
opportunities sometimes slip away due  to the treatment meted out to them by 
the soldiers. He also called on the  government to create employment for young 
people and for society to also change  their perception that youths do no want 
to work, but rather prefer to sit at  street corners drinking green tea 
(attaya). Sheriff challenged that everybody  wants to leave a happy life and 
develop his family and the nation. He said that  people should have sympathy and 
respect for each other. He agreed that there is  occasionally one or two bad boys 
who cause trouble but that this is not a  general problem that should be used 
as a pretext to deny them the  beach.
Mr. Amadou Ceesay, the Director of Human Resources at the GTA,  told this 
reporter that the tourism industry needs to be regulated in order to  achieve the 
desired objectives. He said that the GTA understands that the  frustrations 
of the boys are as a result of poverty, but they will not allow  them to wreck 
the industry.
Mr. Ceesay said the GTA introduced the identity  card to make sure that only 
people with bona fide businesses are allowed to go  to the beach. He said 
before the ID card is issued to anybody, the person must  register with GTA. He 
added that they have established the Tourism Security Unit  (TSU) for the safety 
and well being of the tourists and they operate within all  areas frequented 
by tourists. Mr. Ceesay said the GTA understands that the  “bumpster” problem 
is a social problem and decided to tackle it in two  approaches. He said the 
GTA has created employment schemes such as the official  tourist guide scheme, 
which was introduced in 1997, that the scheme is a poverty  alleviation 
scheme that trains and employs “bumpsters” as guides. He said they  also conduct 
sensitisation programmes on the TV and radio and also go to schools  to 
sensitise people on the negative effects of bumpsters and try to introduce  people to 
ways they can contribute positively to the nation. He said that the  reality 
is that everybody cannot be employed in the tourism industry and the  beach 
boys “bumpst negatively”’. He said some juice presser’s method of  operation 
at the beach is unhygienic and can cause health problems to the  tourists. He 
said they don’t allow juice pressers to operate in an area where  there is no 
tap. He said they have allocated places where they should operate  but some 
boys do scatter along the beach.
He added that he received e-mail  from a tourist that some boys were trying 
to harass her at the beach, which he  said could drive tourist from the Gambia 
and that will be a great loss to the  economy.
On his part, Lt. Ousman Bah, the head of the Tourism Security Unit,  (TSU) 
said the unit is mandated with the responsibility of clearing the industry  with 
all forms of illegal acts such as hustling, robbing, prostitution,  
bumpsting, drug dealing and other criminal acts under the Gambia Tourism  Offences Act. 
Lt. Bah said they are trained professionally to deal with people,  either 
Gambians or non-Gambians, and are to make sure that nobody harass or rob  
tourists. He denied the allegation that they arrest and beat or torture people,  but 
noted that they arrest people they found hustling tourists and detain them  
for 72 hours.
He said during the 72 hours of detention, they normally ask the  arrestees to 
perform cleansing exercises because they committed offences and  that is 
their form of punishment and they feed them with three daily meals,  which is 
sponsored by GTA. He said some boys did not have the valid documents to  be at the 
beach and the TSU now has a drug squad and immigration unit and they  monitor 
drug dealers and people without valid documents. Lt. Bah noted that they  
have rules governing them to provide a safe and secure environment for people  
doing business in the tourism development area. He said they operate from  
Atlantic Hotel to Sanyang on a daily basis to protect tourist, which is their  
responsibility, and the national interest is paramount since tourism contributes  
a lot to the country. He said some boys do not want their presence at the 
beach  but they use dialogue to enlighten them on the importance of tourism.
Lt. Bah  said they are trying to introduce a plan whereby anybody arrested 
will be taken  to GTA to be recruited in their cleansing team. He said they know 
they are  dealing with their own brothers but it is their responsibility. He 
said they are  trying to build and foster civil-military relations and people 
should understand  that it is their mandate to control and secure the beach.

Lawyer  Tambedou Defends Omar Ndow
By Fabakary B. Ceesay
The economic crime trial  involving the former Managing Director of Gamtel, 
Mr. Omar Ndow could not  proceed on Wednesday 7 November at the Banjul 
Magistrates Court. The prosecution  was supposed to reply to the “no case to answer” 
submission by the defence on  the last sitting date. Holding brief for ASP 
Momodou Bojang was Corporal 1831  Sanyang, who informed the court that ASP Bojang 
was involved in another case at  Kanifing Magistrates Court. Corporal Sanyang 
told the court that it is  impossible for ASP Bojang to make it to the Banjul 
Court. He applied for and  adjournment to enable ASP Bojang to be available.
The defense counsel,  Sheriff M. Tambedou, argued that if the prosecution has 
no reply to his  submission, he would urged the court to deliver a ruling on 
the matter. Counsel  Tambedou added that the prosecution did not advance any 
genuine reasons for  their absence. Mr. Tambedou said instead of appearing 
before a Principal  Magistrate, he went to attend a case before a first class 
magistrate. Principal  Magistrate B.Y. Camara ruled that the case is a sensitive 
matter and for the  cause of justice to be served, he would adjourn the matter 
to a short date. He  noted that the reason advanced by the prosecution is not 
reasonable enough.  

TRIBUTE TO THE LATE BABOUCARR GAYE
A MENTOR, FRIEND, COLLEAGUE  AND FATHER
Baboucarr Gaye, one of the titans of the Gambian Media, was a  courageous, 
honest, and very principled journalist who had contributed  enormously towards 
the growth of the media in the country your untimely death  has sent shock 
waves through many in The Gambia and beyond.
We have lost a  hero, a champion, a fighter for freedom of expression and 
human rights.  Baboucarr you are gone but your deeds will remain with us. You 
will always be  remembered by the old, young and the interested readership.

Though once a time he was a gem
A man of manly manners made
A king  and a champion all in one
Of fresh and newly blood and bones  

Here before us lies the past
Now stripped of any presence  kept
A history stripped and only left
With memories lit in faded  colors

Though of an era past and distant
He was a thing dearly  desired
More than gems and diamonds too
No price ever could match his  worth

Here before us indifference lies 
In a static state and  stagnant
In this world, lifeless and listless
Lethargic, languid and  torpid

Once in him was greatly action
Ambition, toughness and  talent
In many ways inspiring and funny
He loved to fly, though now he  lies

Here before us lies the fresh
Yet we think and talk of  greatness
Could he then be gone and done
By just an end to the flesh he  wore


Baboucarr rest in eternal peace. Till we meet  again

From your daughter, and colleague
Agi cox -  Bah

FOCUS ON POLITICS
IN THE 1988 KUKOI SCARE, 
ACCUSED  PERSONS ALLEGED SEVERE 
TORTURE UNDER DURESS
We have been focusing on  politics in this column and this compels us to 
follow the narration of political  events from the Pre-colonial period to the 
Post-Independence era. We have  successfully covered the narration of events up to 
the year 1988.
In the last  issue, we have stopped where we said Mr. Sisoho expressed his 
concern, among  other things, that for Foroyaa to associate Mr Tombong Saidy and 
Amadou Kabir to  MOJA may make things difficult for them.
Let us continue from where we  stopped
The treason trials concerning one Musa Sanneh, Amadou Badjie, Adrian  Sambou 
and Ousman Sanneh continued. The concern of the PDOIS supporters at the  time 
was the alleged link that was being portrayed in court by the prosecution  
appearing to link Kukoi to PDOIS.
However, the trial revealed glaring  allegations of torture by the accused 
persons. The allegations made were so  serious as to attract the attention of 
the international media. For example, by  about 9 May, the BBC attended the 
trial and reported on the allegations of  torture by the accused persons. 
According to the BBC report, all the accused  persons alleged that their statements 
were obtained under severe torture on  several occasions. The prosecution 
objected to the allegation, which led to a  trial within a trial to determine 
whether the accused persons were indeed  tortured. 
In his testimony in court, Amadou Badjie ,one of the accused  persons, told 
the court in minute details how he was tortured by Deputy  Commander Sainey 
Mbye and six other officers, all of whom he pointed out in  court, one after the 
other. Badjie said Mbye ordered him to be stripped to his  under-pants, which 
was done. He also said a Jola officer was chosen (since he  was a Jola) to tie 
his hands together at the wrists. Badjie said Mbye then  ordered the same 
officer to push an iron rod between his knees and elbow joints,  saying the 
officer does not need to worry whether Badjie was hurt or not in the  process.
Badjie alleged that after the rod had  been forcefully inserted  through his 
knees, each of the two ends was placed on a chair with him thus  trussed up 
and dangling above the two chairs. He said that whilst in this  position, Sainey 
Mbye had a small blue machine brought and placed on a nearby  table. Justice 
Ayoola who presided over the trial within a trial did not give a  ruling on 
the case at the time.
In the case of Musa Sanneh, who also alleged  the same torture, Ayoola 
dismissed his statement and upheld that of the  statement of the police. The police 
demanded for the examination a private  medical doctor  to establish whether 
Badjie was indeed tortured or not.  Interestingly enough, the period coincided 
with the Second Conference on Human  and People’s Rights organized by its 
Secretariat and was to be held in the  Gambia to consider the progress made since 
it was adopted by the many African  heads of State that attended it. That 
conference was preceded by a demonstration  involving Mr. Jabel Sallah, who at the 
time had just won the Banjul South Seat  in the 1987 general elections. Mr. 
Jabel Sallah during this conference boldly  appealed to participants to have 
due regard for human rights and to stop the  practice of persecution of those 
with opinions different from that of the ruling  parties and governments, 
freedom of the press, human rights and the means of  survival.
By April 1988, reports of an agreement between the United States of  America 
and The Gambia Government reached the news stands that Banjul  International 
Airport was to be used as an emergency landing site for the US  space shuttle. 
This not only infuriates some Gambians but also frightened many  and became a 
subject of intense debate. 
Observers had also noticed that just  within a short time after the 
agreement, the US Assistant Secretary of State for  Security arrived in Banjul on an 
official mission. Some believed that the two  events were related. They 
expressed suspicion that the Americans were concerned  about their own security and 
global strategy. They further suspected that the  whole thing might have been 
part of the East/ West struggle for global  domination, which could entangle 
small Gambia in that imbroglio. They asked what  guarantees did the Gambia had 
that the Americans would not utilize the  facilities as a military surveillance, 
and listening centre and whether such a  centre would not become a military 
target by the Russians or any other  belligerents in times of conflict.
Many questions were equally raised as to  what Gambia could benefit from such 
a facility, apart from, maybe a few dollars  for rentage and possibly putting 
our regime in the good books of the US  government. 
Critics of the Agreement said Gambia purports to be a  non-aligned state and 
as such, we should keep clear of all super power  rivalries. According to the 
Nation, the Gambia had the trend to lean on the West  on certain fundamental 
issues when it had been clearly established that the  West’s stance was purely 
on political rather than moral grounds. They cited some  cases  when the 
Gambia voted at the UN and other international forums  condemning the Soviet Union’
s invasion of Afghanistan whilst Gambia never  publicly condemned the American 
invasion of Grenada or Libya or their aggressive  policies in other parts of 
the world.
The rumour of Kukoi coupled with the  treason trials of the four men linked 
to Kukoi made many observers to feel that  the threat made by Kukoi could 
indeed be true. The Nation Newspaper reported  several incidents in Banjul, which 
stunned many people. According to them, just  in the span of a week, people 
they described as desperadoes had ransacked the  Anglican Church in Serrekunda 
and got away with silverware as well as goods in  some Mauritanian shops in 
Banjul. They also succeeded in robbing many shops of  hundreds of thousands of 
Dalasis as well as carjacking a land rover headed for  the National Library and 
fired on the door of its store. This pattern of crime,  which was said to be 
repeated throughout the city of Banjul and the environs,  was said to have been 
extended, albeit, slowly to the rural areas, thus  introducing a new 
phenomenon.
The Nation observed that this was a situation  that was very reminiscent of 
the crimes and violent deaths just few months  before the coup d’etat of 1981. 
The Government was said to have appeared to be  indifferent to this situation 
because of the fact that they want to assure  world, donors and tourists that 
The Gambia was a peaceful country where nothing  of the sort, like violent 
crime, happened. The incident at the library meant a  lot of challenges to the 
security forces, the Nation newspaper warned.
The  issue of Foroyaa, the organ of the (PDOIS) which was refused entry to 
the State  House after the last  interview that Sam Sarr had with president 
Jawara,  compelled the Nation to make an assessment  of its performance and thus  
concluding that the paper was barely a year old but it seems to have made a  
tremendous impact on the regime’s attitude towards the press. Its appearance,  
the Nation wrote, had resulted in the regime adopting a somewhat defensive  
posture towards the local press in general and the Foroyaa in particular. As a  
result of such a defensive posture assumed by the regime, certain things that  
everyone took for granted had either been stopped or undergone some changes. 
For  example, it had been customary for the president to call a press 
conference  whenever he returned from an overseas trip involving all local journalists 
and  to discuss not necessarily everything but issues pertaining to the trip 
in  question. But this, the Nation stated, has even changed.
According to the  Nation, they have also observed that whether it is  as a 
consequence of the  appearance of Foroyaa or a mere co-incidence, but the 
president seemed to have  abandoned the idea of calling press conferences every time 
he returns from  overseas, and when he does, questions are restricted to the 
trip in question. It  also appeared that they want to exclude Foroyaa 
reporters from all press  conferences organized by the State. The Nation also cited 
another circumstantial  victim of the Foroyaa syndrome appeared to have been the 
popular radio Gambia  programme “press Review” in which they used to 
broadcast a sampling of editorial  comments of the various local papers and some 
international publication. This  programme was stopped shortly after the 
appearance of Foroyaa, apparently  because they did not want to quote an opposition 
paper like the Foroyaa on the  air. The Nation opined that they would have been 
comfortable if they had  continued the programme and excluded Foroyaa from the 
review but that they  thought the easiest way to solve their problem was to 
discontinue the programme  altogether. As regards the president’s press 
conferences, there appeared to be a  conspiracy to bar Foroyaa reporters from 
attending. The Nation recalled that the  last time a Foroyaa reporter attended such a 
press conference, the president  seemed to have been personally offended by 
his style of questioning and at one  stage, he even requested an apology from 
the reporter for a remark he had  made.
Since that day The Nation observed there appeared to be an orchestrated  
campaign to exclude Foroyaa reporters from all press conferences. It was  reported 
that during a press conference organised by Dr. Asamoah, the Ghanaian  
Foreign Secretary, during his recent visit to Banjul, the Foroyaa reporter was  
refused entry to state house to attend the press conference. When the press  
attaché at the president’s office was approached, he said it was the minister of  
External Affairs who organised the press conference and he, could not do  
anything about that.
When the president called his last press conference and  invited all 
accredited journalists the Foroyaa reporters, Mr. Sam Sarr and  Halifa Sallah were 
again refused entry to state house. There was no reason given  for refusing them 
entry, despite the fact that both reporters were accredited  journalists. This 
was the time when the PPP used to complain why the PDOIS was  putting on both 
the political and journalist caps.

AS LEGISLATORS  GIVE POWERS 
TO PRESIDENT JAMMEH
Aspiring Council Candidate Changes  Course
By Musa Jobateh
An aspiring disabled candidate for the Local  Government election slated for 
February 2008, for Latrikunda Ward, Saineyba  Saho, on Monday announced his 
decision to discontinue his aspiration as a  candidate due to the new local 
government law passed by the NAMs in the  parliament on Wednesday, November 1st.
In an interview with Foroyaa at his  Latrikunda resident, Saineyba Saho who 
was confident that he was the choice of  the people in his ward, disclosed that 
with the existence of the new local  government law, his candidature will be 
useless. Mr. Saho said he did not want  to fail the confidence bestowed on him 
by his people. He asserted that it is of  no significance to be given power 
by people and not have a room to demonstrate  it, only because it will be “
seized” by an individual.
“It is very  undemocratic for the president to be given such absolute powers 
to dismiss or  dissolve any councillor elected by people, because he (the 
president) was  elected by people, that’s why he is occupying his office as the 
head of state,”  said Mr. Saho. He continued “I have all the skills and 
potentials to develop my  ward to modern estate, but it is still useless as I will 
not be given the chance  to work according to my own will.”
Saineyba Saho who strongly believes that  disables can also deliver 
positively and contribute equally to national  development. He said “In fact this is 
one factor that motivates me to aspire to  contest for the local government 
election, to show the whole world that home is  not the only place for the 
disabled.”
Mr. Saho finally thanked all those who  were supporting him and called on 
them not to be discouraged. He said his doors  are open for them any time they 
want to exchange views, as he is part and parcel  of them. 

Protection From Violence, Exploitation 
And Abuse  Of Children

(Courtesy of unicef)
In this edition of children’s  corner, we still continue on the 2006 unicef 
children’s report. This time around  is the protection from violence, abuse and 
exploitation of children, which still  remains an obstacle in the lives of 
children worldwide.
Disasters,  emergencies and trauma were no strangers to children in 2006. 
Armed conflict  disrupted children’s tranquility from Afghanistan to Sri Lanka to 
Sudan and  beyond. Natural disasters ripped apart children’s lives in 
Ethiopia, India,  Nepal Pakistan, Peru and the Philippines. Famine and floods crept 
across the  Horn of Africa. And displaced persons languished in camps in such 
countries as  Chad, Romania and Somalia. Young people toiled in the worst forms 
of labour,  young women suffered the indignities of sexual harassment and 
discrimination,  and girls and women endured the horrors of rape and sexual 
assault in nearly  every corner of the globe. The UN Secretary-General’s Study on 
Violence against  Children released in 2006 documents the atrocities children 
experience on a  daily basis.

Through it all, when disaster strikes, UNICEF is on  the ground to provide 
basic services and attempt to transform crises into  opportunities.
Life-saving supplies were brought to families living in Chad  after fleeing 
the slaughter in Darfur (Sudan). Safe water, soap, blankets,  vaccinations and 
high-protein biscuits will stave off disease and death until  the displaced 
can return to their homeland. Some 2.1 million people displaced  within Darfur 
received essential health-care services, and 1.2 million children  received 
polio vaccinations and vitamin A supplements. While basic supplies and  services 
continue to sustain life in the camps, the children of southern Sudan  have 
reached a crossroads. With three quarters of an estimated 8 million people  in 
the area unable to read or write, the UNICEF-sponsored ‘Go to School’  
campaign in 2006 beckoned children into classrooms so they can ‘rise from the  ashes’
 after two decades of war.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo,  where it is believed that between 
8,000 and 11,000 children continue to be  associated with armed forces and 
groups, UNICEF responded within 48 hours to  violence that erupted in July in the 
eastern part of the country.
A convoy of  trucks, escorted by armed UN peacekeepers, delivered biscuits, 
salt, beans,  wheat, cooking utensils and plastic sheeting for shelter. 
Throughout 2006,  UNICEF helped demobilize and reintegrate children used by armed 
groups and  forces by providing education, recreation and counselling to former 
fighters,  and counselling, medical care and vocational skills to girls and 
women who had  been sexually exploited.
Within 24 hours after Java (Indonesia) was rattled  by an earthquake, UNICEF 
was there to provide devastated communities with safe  water, sanitation and 
hygiene kits. Within three days, children were playing and  receiving 
psychosocial support in child protection centres, and less than two  weeks later, 
students were being schooled in UNICEF-supplied tents.
At the  beginning of the conflict in southern Lebanon in July 2006, UNICEF 
collaborated  with the Lebanese Red Cross to deliver crucial assistance to 
displaced children  and families in hard-to-reach areas. Later on, UNICEF aided 
non-governmental  organizations’ mobile primary, health and immunization clinics, 
and  child-friendly recreation and psychosocial programmes. UNICEF also 
supported a  major Back-to-School’ drive and mine-risk education initiatives.
Turning  catastrophe into triumph has been the goal of UNICEF’s rebuilding 
process in  countries ravaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Throughout 
India, Indonesia,  Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Thailand, communities have ‘built back 
better’. In the  Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, for example, doctors, 
nurses and anganwadi  (childcare) workers, were trained in the Integrated 
Management of Neonatal and  Childhood Illnesses strategies. UNICEF also helped 
establish a Sick Newborn Care  Unit to provide tertiary care to infants. In 
Malaysia, trauma recovery work is  conducted with children and adolescents through 
arts and leadership  workshops.
In 2006, UNICEF appealed for $1.2 billion to ensure the protection  of women 
and children in 53 emergencies. Not quite half that sum was raised by  
November, leaving UNICEF to respond only to the most urgent needs of children  and 
women in crisis. With a commitment to humanitarian relief reform UNICEF has  set 
out to better predict and respond to emergencies. Along with other agencies,  
UNICEF has implemented the ‘cluster approach’, a collaboration between 
service  providers, in Cote d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 
Indonesia,  Lebanon, Liberia, Somalia and Uganda. As long time leader of the global 
cluster  of UN agencies for nutrition, water and sanitation, and for common 
data services  and now as a partner in developing a global education cluster, 
UNICEF will  continue to strengthen its humanitarian response and follow its Core 
Commitments  For Children in Emergencies.

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY
THE WIFE  BATTERER
Part 3
The Terrorist
Dave saw the complimentary card that was  given to Rama. He burst into ‘flames
’. He went straight to Rama to enquire. “Who  gave you this card?” Dave 
questioned Rama. As she tried to explain he turned her  into a  punching bag. Dave 
gave Rama the beat of her life. She ran into her  room and locked it. Dave 
ran after her. He drummed the door and shouted from the  outside. “Open the door 
you harlot! That’s why I refuse for you to practice your  profession. How 
many more complimentary cards would you have received by now. I  swear I’ll kill 
you!” Daved paced up and down the inner corridor. Rama shook  like a leaf in 
her bedroom.  She cried herself to sleep.

A  Nervous Wreck
In the morning, all her body ached. She drank some medicine and  applied hot 
rob all over her body. She was ill.

The Gate Man,  Abdou
Abdou, the gateman is a great gossiper. The driver, Gibril reported for  
work. He dragged him aside and told him about the crisis.  “Gibs! Boss is  wicked 
oh! He turns madam into a punching bag. He gave her the beating of her  life. 
Boss have no respect for his wife. Poor woman E so nice! No problem”.  Gibril 
asked. “Did you try to separate them?” “Separate them! Do you want me to  
loss my job? Ah once tried it but Ah received a nasty slap for it. Boss  
threatened to sack me if ah interfere in eh life”. Gibril bit his lower lip.  “I’ll 
interfere if I am around. I’ll not watch him maim his wife. He does not  
deserve her. She is such a beautiful lady”. Abdou agreed. “You na graduate. You  
deh just pass time. As soon as you see another thing you go leave. But for me na 
 poor man with two village wives and fifteen children. Me papa, mama dey na  
village. They all look up to me”. “Where is boss?” “EH don left now, now, in 
a  hurry”. “What about Madam?” “Madam day na room”. “Okay! Let me go for  
keys”.

Gibril Knocks At The Door
Gibril knocked at the front  door. Rama came to open it with a plastic smile. 
“Are you okay madam?” Gibril  asked. “I am a bit feverish but I’ll take 
care of it. Its okay! Thank you”. She  brought in the keys. Gibril took them and 
thanked her. “Feek free! You can trust  me. I’ll always help you”. Gibril 
announced. “Okay!” Rama locked the front door  and went back to the house. 
Gibril went on some errands for his boss before  reporting back to the office.

Shut Herself In Her Room
Rama shut  herself in her room incommunicado. She drank her tranquillisers 
and mend her  bruises. Her face and body were all swollen.

Dave At Work
Dawda  was at work. He suffered from guilty conscience. He thought very hard. 
As usual,  he displayed his brutish tendencies before coming to work. He knew 
his wife was  hurt. He called for Gibril. “Rama is not feeling well. Take 
this money buy her  some groceries and ask her to see our family doctor”. Gibril 
went in a  jiffy.

Gibril Delivers Message
Gibril delivered Dave’s message  to his wife. He gave her the groceries and 
cash. “He asked me to tell you to see  your family doctor”. “Thanks!” Rama 
aid. Gibril left for the  office.

Rama Not Seen
Dave came back to an empty house. He  called her name over and over again but 
Rama was nowhere to be seen”. She must  have left for that witch’s house, 
Kate! Catherine interferes too much in my  marital affairs”. He headed for Katty’
s house.

At Kate’s  House
Dave drummed the Gate and shouted Katty’s name. The Gateman, Paul  decided to 
ignore him. But he persisted. Paul protested and came to him. “What  is it 
man? Can I help you?” he became sulky and rude. “No! You cannot help me.  Go 
and get your boss. I want to speak to her”. Paul went to call  Katty.

Katty And Ron
Kate and Ron came out to meet Dave. “What  is it? Can I help you? Why do you 
drum my gate to annoy me?” Catherine asked.  “Where is my wife? Why do you 
want to break my marriage, Kate? What have I done  to you?” Dave protested. “Am 
I your wife’s keeper? Who told you she is with me?  Are you man enough to 
hold a wife?” They quarreled bitterly, hauling tirades  against each other. 
Ronald intervened. He spoke first to Katty. “It okay! There  is no need to quarrel 
with him”. “But he accused me. How is he so sure that his  wife is with me? 
Am I his wife’s keeper? He have no respect for woman. He does  not deserve a 
woman not to talk about a wife. I am sorry Rone but I have to  handle this 
useless chauvinist”. Dave raised his hand to hit Katty. “Wife  batterer! Violent 
saddist! Hit me! That will be your end. You will rot in jail  and end your 
miserable life there”. Ronald spoke directly to Dave. “Boyfriend!  You have to 
take it easy with these women. It is not manly to beat your wife.  You are use 
to it. Look a your action just now. You want to hit a liberated  woman? You 
would have land yourself into serious trouble”. But you are not  restraining her. 
You watch Katty insulted my person”. Dave protested. “I don’t  own Katty. 
She owns herself. We are equal human beings in a positive  relationship. We 
respect each other’s position. I can only try to convince not  to force her”. 
David appealed directly to Katty. “Please! Can you tell my wife  to see me? I 
want us discuss family matters”. “That’s better approach. I’ll go  and tell her 
your message”. 

Continuation of interview with Halifa  Sallah

Part 9
You and Sidia have been the focal points of PDOIS.  Recently you stood as a 
presidential candidate and some people have been  commenting on your relation. 
Can you throw light on this? 
My first mission  up country as a Social welfare officer in 1978 was in Wuli. 
I went to deal with  a fire incident at Medina. I proceeded with Sainey 
Snghateh who was the MP for  the constituency at the time to his village, Foday 
Kunda where I had the most  remarkable experience of my life. I met an old man by 
the name of Pa Foday. He  spoke broken English. I noted everything he said in 
my diary. As Amilcar Cabral  had argued the African intellectual could not 
truly serve his people until  he/she returns to the source, until he /she 
commits class suicide. I made it a  principle to take sociological data of every 
village I visited. I took note of  the social structure; some historical facts; 
the level of awareness of the  population; the land tenure system and the 
social amenities available such as  schools, health centres, the number of wells 
and other infrastructure. Pa Foday  gave me his account as a slave and how he 
was sent to Burma because of his  physical strength. He explained his heroic 
deeds and how their European  commanders admired them because of their valour. To 
cut matters short in order  to get to the point Pa Foday was promised the 
heaven and the earth by his  commanders for his bravery only to be returned to 
Foday Kunda to continue to be  a slave. I was also amazed by the sense of 
organisation of the youth led by  Hamme if my memory served me right: They had 
organised themselves into groups  with village youth ministers who carried out 
their different responsibilities  and took their roles very seriously. I developed 
friendship with the Youngman  until he went abroad. I visited the school at 
Sutu koba where I met the late  Mamadi Jabai who eventually became a PDOIS 
candidate. My notes were burnt by an  innocent loved one when we were arrested in 
1983 thinking that it could  implicate me. A whole sociological library 
regarding the Gambian country side  was reduced to ashes. When I started the Maggi 
elek programme on radio and was  approached by Lalo Samateh to do it in 
Mandinka I had to get a member of our  staff from Wuli, Mondo Singhateh to help me 
with the translation.This is why the  Mandika I speak is of Wuli origin. At that 
time I did not know Sidia. When  consultation began to establish PDOIS and 
Sam told me that he had consulted with  him I became very inspired that somebody 
from that neglected part of the country  had accepted to be a pioneer of a 
struggle to liberate the poorest of the poor.  When Sidia accepted to resign 
from the Civil service I personally felt that  PDOIS would find in Sidia an Ideal 
Presidential candidate who would know what  deprivation of a people really 
meant. Fortunately we all saw eye to eye and  Sidia was elected to preside over 
the affairs of the Central committee while I  was elected to look after the 
day to day affairs of the party. We wanted to  announce the development 
regarding the composition of the executive but Sidia  counselled that we should not do 
that since each of us would have to test  ourselves to know whether we could 
be equal to the task or not. More over each  was expected to fight 
shortcomings so that the people will find us to be  credible when they found out who 
constituted the party leaders. This is why we  ended up transforming party offices 
into an internal matter which led some  members of the previous regime to 
accuse PDOIS of not having  leaders.

Is that why Sidia continued to be PDOIS’Presidential  Candidate?
There is more to it than that. Any member of the Party could  present himself 
as a Candidate. People often do not consider matters in a  sequence. Prior to 
the coup Sidia stood as a presidential candidate only once,  in 1992 to be 
precise. The results were not unexpected because of the work of  liberating 
minds we had to shoulder. We had little resources and no Political  patrons. We 
were opposed to cheque book politics and had to move from village to  village to 
convince people. We knew that the work will be slow but sure. It is  
important to narrate what gave us confidence that we were changing the face of  
Gambian politics with tremendous resistance from those who did not want change.  
Every attempt we made to clarify issues they would come to distort and disfigure  
our programmes. When we had succeeded in gaining foot hole in Wuli and had  
intention to move in the same way in other areas the coup occurred. Many of the 
 strong youths who supported us and were keen in establishing party branches  
thought that revolution had come and that we were going to join the band 
wagon.  They abandoned us and supported the coup. When they discovered that we had 
 rejected the ministerial posts offered by the coup makers. We therefore had 
to  start from scratch again in 1996 under totally different  circumstances.

Would you clarify why Gambian intellectuals are not  promoting PDOIS? 
This is a matter of opinion. Many also were in readiness to  sacrifice. First 
and foremost it is important to tell you the type of people we  started with. 
In the first Parliamentary election in 1987 we put up five  Candidates Sidia 
Jatta, Sam Sarr, Dr. Baboucarr Gaye, Abas Manneh and Halifa  Sallah.

To be continued

Sheriff Minteh’s Murder Trial  Adjourned
As Defence Lawyer Fails To Appear
By Musa  Barrow
Magistrate Buba Jawo of Bundung Magistrates Court yesterday  adjourned the 
criminal case involving the state and Dodou Janneh (alias Dodou  Boy) till 
Tuesday 13 November 2007. The adjournment of the case was due to the  absence of 
the defense lawyers, namely Sherrif Tambedou, Lamin Jobarteh and  Lamin Camara.. 
Speaking before the court, the police prosecutor, Samateh  urged the 
Magistrate to call on the defence counsels to take the case with a  degree of urgency. 
Samateh asked why none of the three defence lawyers fail to  appear in court.
He further added that he had brought a witness who was due  to give evidence. 
When Magistrate Buba Jawo asked the accused Dudou Janneh his  opinion, he 
responded by saying that he could not proceed in the absence of his  defence 
lawyers. As a result, Magistrate Jawo adjourned the case until next  week. Readers 
would recall that this case has suffered two adjournments in a  row.

Brikama Area Council Management 
Committee  Inaugurated
By Modou Jonga
A twelve-member interim management committee of  the Brikama Area Council 
selected in conformity with the Amendment of the Local  Government Act was on 
Wednesday 7 November 2007 inaugurated at a ceremony held  at the council ground. 
The twelve-member interim management committee, are in  the persons of Mr. 
Abdou FM Badjie, Governor of Western Region as Chairman., Mr.  Landing Sanyang, 
Mr. Henry Jammeh, Mrs. Aja Ndey Jatta, Alhagie Babou Sarr, Mr.  Yuba Jarju, 
Mrs. Nato Camara, Mr. Yaya Tamba, Mr. Damba Kujabi, Mr. Ebrima  Beyai, Mr. Karamo 
Bojang and Mr. Lamin Waa Juwara.
In his inaugural speech,  the chairman of the interim management committee 
and Governor of the Western  Region, Mr. FM Badjie commended the president for 
the trust and confidence  bestowed on them. Governor Badjie noted the resolve 
of the members of his  committee in steering the affairs of the Brikama Area 
Council with commitment  and dedication.  He called for the cooperation of all 
stakeholders to  enable them to realize their aspirations.
Other speakers at the inaugural  ceremony included the Chief Executive of the 
Brikama Area Council, Mr. Momodou  Jallow, the BAC outgoing Chairman Mr. 
Ousman Gaye, amongst others. Mr. Seringe  Modou Joof, Public Relations Officer of 
the Brikama Area Council, chaired the  ceremony.

GACEM Case Suffers Setback
By Saikou Ceesay
The  theft case involving the seven employees of Gacem Company Ltd and the 
State  resumed at the Kanifing Magistrates Court before Senior Magistrate 
Abdoulie  Mbacke on Tuesday 6 November. The Gacem employees are accused of stealing 
forty  six bags of cement. Police Prosecutor, 870 Touray applied for an 
adjournment on  the basis that the first prosecution witness is absent. He said PW1’
s absence  coincides with his busy time to prepare some document. The case is 
to resume on  15 November for PW1 to be cross examined by the defence  counsel.

Basse and Kerewan Area Councils Form 
Interim  Management Committees
By Lamin Fatty & Sarjo Camara-Singhateh
The  Interim Management Committees set up by the president of the Republic of 
The  Gambia President Yahya Jammeh in accordance with the new amendment of 
the local  government act , was inaugurated on the 6 of November 2007 at the 
Basse Area  Council chambers. The ceremony was attended by the Chairman of the 
Interim  Committee Alhagie Omar Khan the Governor. The out going Chairman of the 
Basse  Area Council Kanimang Sanneh, the CEO of the Basse Area Council Foday 
Darboe as  well as other members of the council and the general public 
attended. The new  management committee is as follows: Assan Jawo a native of Jawo 
Kunda, Alhagie  Sanyang (Jum) of Kusun in Kantora, Muhammed Drammeh of 
Sanunding, Mariama  Drammeh of Pirai, Yerro Baldeh Mballow of Sare Bojo, Ansumana 
Drammeh of Diabugu  Batapa, Kassum Jallow of Farato, Muhammed Tunkara of Alungharr, 
Mbackeh Darboe  (Malamin) of Brifu and the Governor of URR Omar Khan acting 
as the Chairman of  the committee.
Addressing the members of the new committee, the  governor of URR, Omar Khan 
highlighted that the interim management committee is  charged with the 
responsibility of managing the affairs of the Basse Area  Council, such as to prepare 
the council for a better and more efficient  administration during the period 
leading to the forth coming local Government  elections scheduled for January 
2008. He urged them to take their appointment as  a challenge and live up to 
expectations. 
In another development, the North  Bank Region also inaugurated their interim 
management team as selected by the  president to run the Area Council in 
Kerewan until after the council elections.  They are: Sainey Dibba PRO AFPRC 
Hospital, Farafenni, Batch Cham Ngain Sanjal,  Amie Jallow Taliya, Kemo Kinteh of 
Kinteh Kunda, Samba (Batch) Cham of   Chamen, Nianija ,Karamo of Manneh 
Buniadu, Chief Queen Janneh Sitanunku and  Edward Seckan Governor of NBR as the 
Chairperson.

Gamstar and  Kanifing Go Headlong at SK West
By Modou Nyang
The Serrekunda West  Nawettan league final between Gamstar Giants and 
Kanifing United will be  replayed tomorrow. The first match between the two last 
Sunday ended in a  stalemate as there was no winner at the end of the match. 
Last years winners  Kanifing United are hoping to defend their crown whilst 
Bakoteh based Gamstar  Giants want to register their name on the league winners 
list.

SK  East: Bantaba Claim Knockout Cup
By Isatou Bittaye & Sulayman  Bah
Bantaba FC clinched the Serrekunda East Nawettan Knockout trophy in a  
dramatic 1-0 victory against Maccassa FC on Sunday.
The match kicked-off to  great expectation from both sides, cheered by 
enthusiastic supporters.  Maccassa’s much feared attacker Omar Jassey alias 
Waterman, attempted to steal  the show in the 1st minute after Bantaba took the 
kickoff, by seizing the ball  and cut through the defence but the goalkeeper denied 
him
Bantaba were on  alert and knew what was to follow if they give away the ball 
so easily. And they  responded quickly to the task in hand when Augustus 
Nyouki scored in the 10th  minute to put them ahead. Maccassa fought back very 
hard to level the score and  Waterman was on it again in the 24th minute but his 
effort was blocked by the  Bantaba defence.
Maccassa took to the field in the second period with more  determination to 
get back into the game and they had their destiny on their own  hands in the 
60th minute when they were awarded a penalty. Star player Lamin  Saho went 
forward for the spot kick but his effort went out wide adding to his  team’s 
frustration.
At the end Bantaba were handed a cash amount of D7, 000  together with a 
trophy and Maccassa went home with D5, 000. Bantaba’s lively  goalkeeper Modou 
Jauju was voted the most valuable player of the match and was  presented with 
D500 provided by the 1st Vice President of the Gambia Football  Association, 
Brigadier General Lang Tombong Tamba.
For the final of the  league competition on Sunday, AC Milan and Maccassa 
will battle it out for the  bigger prize for the Serrekunda East 2007 Nawettan 
zone. 





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