The Gambia’s TRRC lead counsel Essa Faal has said they would “not be dictated to by anyone or any institution” on how they should execute their work.

Mr Faal made the statement after it emerged that Martin Okyere, one of the Ghanaian survivors of the 2005 killings of West African migrants by the Jammeh regime, had asked the TRRC to subpoena high profile witnesses including former Gambian Interior Minister Ousman Sonko, former Inspect General of Police Ensa ‘Jesus’ Badjie, and the UN West Africa envoy Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas to testify.

The TRRC lead counsel told journalists that the Commission “is committed to doing its work as expected and with [due] diligence.

“But I would say it quite clearly that the TRRC will not dance to [the] tune of any individual or institution. We will not be directed to or dictated by anyone as to what to do or how to do our work.”

“We would do it to the best of our ability, we would do what we believe is right. But we would not succumb to any pressure or direction from anyone as to what to do or how to do it,” he added.

The TRRC earlier said in a statement that it will be holding public hearings into the killings of 56 West African migrants in 2005 by security forces under the command of former president Yahya Jammeh. 

Reporting by Adama Makasuba