Sheriff Kijera, chairman of the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations, says he is disappointed that President Adama Barrow met with Sam Sarr, a former aide of ex-President Yahya Jammeh at State House. 

Mr Kijera, a victim of the Jammeh dictatorship, said the meeting “should not have happened in the first place. We have all heard about the various statements made by Samsudeen Sarr with regard to the entire transitional justice process particularly the TRRC.

“For the president to go that far, I think it’s disappointing and it raised a big alarm as far as implementing post-TRRC recommendations is concerned. 

“For a government to entertain such an enabler of Jammeh is dangerous. Sarr has rubbished all the efforts of the Ministry of Justice, the government and the TRRC despite the various testimonies that we have heard from perpetrators.”

Mr Kijera added that the recent statement from Defence Minister Sheikh Omar Faye, another former of the Jammeh regime, and Mr Sarr’s meeting with the president have raised concerns about the government’s intention towards implementing the TRRC recommendations.

He said the victims of the Jammeh regime were being shunned by the Barrow government for their political gains. 

“If the president is reluctant and feels quite sensitive to meet the victims, I don’t see any reason why he should entertain the enablers of Jammeh at the State House.”

Mr Kijera said President Barrow’s overtures to the former president and his APRC party are “politically motivated”. 

“We are in an election year and they will do anything to win this election by any means necessary,” he said.

“The Adama Barrow government is now from one scandal to another – I don’t know what is wrong with them – there is so much incompetence at the level of the presidency as far as handling sensitive issues of the transitional justice process is concerned. If the president is reluctant and feels quite sensitive to meet the victims, I don’t see any reason why he should entertain the enablers of Jammeh at the State House,” he said.

Kijera said the president’s actions clearly demonstrate that he has a political agenda to appease the APRC and Jammeh.

“That is the simple fact. We are in an election year and they will do anything to win this election by any means necessary,” an unhappy Kijera said.

Kijera said the president’s actions clearly demonstrate that he has a political agenda to appease the APRC and Jammeh.