By MUHAMMED S. BAH
The Vice President Fatoumatta Tambajang Jallow said Government will established a commission of enquiry to look into what she referred to as “Radical causes” in the situation of Fara Banta.
“We are going to investigate and take relevant actions as established by the commission” Madam Jallow remarked.
The Vice President told Journalists after a closed door meeting with lawmakers that the president will inform the General public, that nobody gave the command for the use of arms and live bullets.
Madam Jallow said the investigation will be expeditious and that it will start in earnest. She added that the Executive will inform the general public the time frame of the investigation.
“This investigation is not going to be like the past when government said they will investigate and sometimes is just dies like that,” the Vice President told the Press.
She said the investigation will start in earnest and the results will be shared to the public.
She noted that Gambia Government is aware that, “we are signatory to many conventions, such as the African Union protocol which is ‘saying silencing the guns by year 2020”.
The Vice President added that The Gambia is a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and houses the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
The Vice President said, the issue is not just a matter of arresting, but rather the government wants to stabilize Faraba to be a social cohesive community like any others in the country.
She said government will definitely look at the root causes and take actions.
“We were called by the National assembly as an executive because we are accountable to them and we came to answer, it was a family meeting and the resolution was how do we move as a nation,” she disclosed.
When asked what would happen if a police officer is found wanting after the investigation, the Interior Minister Ebrima Mballow said then the rule of law will be taken into consideration.
On Tuesday 19 June, in the morning Law makers convened a meeting and summoned the executive which was attended by the Vice President Fatoumatta Jallow Tambajang, the Interior Minister Ebrima Mballow, Minster for Regional Government and Lands, Lamin Dibba and the Inspector General of Police Landing Kinteh. The meeting relates to the recent incident in Faraba Banta that led to the death of two people with several others sustaining injuries. The media was barred from entering and to cover the proceedings. The engagement was expected to last until 12 noon but had gone beyond that.
