UDP/NRP ISSUE JOINT STATEMENT

Representatives of the two main opposition parties in The Gambia, the UDP and
the NRP, headed by their party leaders, Ousainou Darboe and Hamat Bah,
yesterday, issued a joint statement "on the grave and regrettable events" of
Monday and Tuesday, April 10 and 11, which they claimed "led to the death of
over 15 school children and the maiming and injury of scores of others."

The discussions of the two political parties took place against the backdrop
of the speech of President Yahya Jammeh on Sunday, April 16. The full text of
the statement is reproduced below.

"The president's remarks have not revealed anything new. To the contrary, it
has brought up more questions than answers. During his absence and in the
aftermath of the brutal massacre of the innocent children, several
secretaries of state made various inconsequent statement notably that:

- the shooting started from the demonstrators.

-Some unscrupulous elements took advantage of the situation.

- The armory at Serrekunda Police Station was broken into and arms stolen and
used during the demonstration.

One particular secretary of state affirmed her support for the use of fire
arms by the security forces against the students whom she described as
'vagabonds, bandits and criminals.'

All utterances made by government officials laid emphasis only on material
damage, completely ignoring the loss of precious human lives. The UDP and NRP
vehemently condemn the wholesale massacre of our kids and no trumped up
pretext can justify the shooting of innocent children exercising their
constitutional and civic rights.

The most crucial point that the Gambian public wanted to hear is who gave the
order to shoot. If it was not the president, did he condone it and if he did
not, what is he going to do about this grave misjudgment. His statement that
he was 'constantly working with (his) government on the evolution of the
situation on the ground" is not helpful at all because this means that he was
aware all along of what was happening to the children.

The Gambian nation wants to get to the bottom of this matter and in the
interest of peace and reconciliation, the government and Jammeh in
particular, must be seen to be taking tangible steps to redress the
situation. These must include:

- release of all students presently in custody in connection with the
demonstration;

- release of parents and guardians arrested after the demonstration;

- release of post mortem reports of children who have been killed;- release
of an update on the national death toll taking into consideration those who
later died in hospital and in the provinces;

- setting up an independent commission of inquiry composed of men and women
of high integrity and assisted by senior and experienced members of the Bar
Association, to look into all aspects of this matter.

In order to give the commission a fair chance of succeeding, government must
refrain from making further comments on the events surrounding the student
demonstration and the subsequent deaths of the children. These statements
will (not) only inflame the already critical situation but would tend to
prejudice the outcome of the commission's work.

Finally, the UDP and NRP wish to reiterate their shared belief that true
democracy in word and in deed is the solution to our problem of governance.

Government must show therefore proof of willingness to work towards the
healing process. High-handed and strong arm tactics by government agents will
not help the situation. The ball is in the government's court and if it does
not play it rightly, it will bear the full responsibility."



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