Diaspora Gambians seek justice for Jammeh after defeat

By Alpha Kamara

DAKAR, Senegal

Gambians who fled the 22-year regime of Yahya Jammeh to settle in neighboring Senegal are calling for justice after his shocking election defeat last week.

Fatima Sandeng, 24, is the daughter of Solo Sandeng, an opposition leader who allegedly died in detention sometime this year, though the cause of death was not revealed to the public, and his body was not handed over to his family.

Fatima and Sandeng’s family fled to Senegal. For Fatima, justice for Jammeh is critical.

“Why shouldn’t he face justice?” asked Fatima. “He killed our people. He did a lot of bad things. People were arrested and tortured to death, including my father.

“Before we talk about reconciliation, he needs to face justice. I hope the president elect will listen to us and work in line with our desire to let Jammeh account for his deeds.”

Isha Daboh, 36, is a Gambian gender activist who has been living in Senegal for five years.

She told Anadolu Agency that women who protested Jammeh this April for electoral reforms were abused and imprisoned.

Those women and their families need justice, for there will be no reconciliation without justice, she stressed.

“As a woman, I hope the new president will listen to the plight of the women whose rights have been abused and violated,” she said.

Since last Thursday’s election, President-elect Adama Barrow has remained silent on whether Jammeh would face a trial or not.

“We contested the election on principles and we don’t have personal issues to settle with anybody. When we get there, we will follow the process as sanctioned by the Constitution,” he told journalists.

Jammeh came to power in 1994 through a military coup.

In June, an Amnesty International report urged Jammeh to release dozens of political prisoners and end a "brutal crackdown" of opposition leaders.The report also accused the police of beatings and arbitrary arrests of peaceful protesters and opposition politicians during demonstrations in April.

That same month, Jammeh jailed dozens of opposition leaders for protesting for electoral reforms in the capital.