The International Center for Transitional Justice in partnership with local youth-led CSOs just concluded a 10-day nationwide caravan tour in the West Coast Region, Lower River Region, Upper River Region, North Bank Region, and the Central River Region under the project, “Empowering Gambian youth to voice their demands to duty-bearers on issues of governance, reconciliation and prevention.
The project, which aims to promote youth constructive participation in governance, Transitional Justice, and Nation Building is funded by UNPBF under the Youth Promotion Initiative priority. The tour engaged youths in these regions on their civic and political rights to empower them to participate and engage in policy-making, governance, and post-TRRC processes on the recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) and the government white paper, which outlines actions to be taken in pursuit of justice and accountability from past traumatic abuses of the former Yahya Jammeh’s administration.
These actions include prosecutions for perpetrators of Jammeh-era crimes, reparation for victims, security sector reform, and institutional change. However, it is important to note that young people, mostly those in the local communities in rural Gambia have limited knowledge and accessibility to the recommendations of the TRRC and government’s implementation plan. As such, the caravan aims to provide an inclusive platform to help people understand and be informed about the nature of the TJ processes to enable peacebuilding for sustainability and nation-building. In respect of this, ICTJ and partners made a summarized version of the TRRC recommendations and the government white paper which we shared with some of the schools, the local governors, and the Alkalos in the different communities. Also, to foster a relationship between local government authorities and the youth, our partners paid a visit to the regional governors and area councilors, in these regions to discuss the value of young people in progressive development and their constructive participation in policymaking.
Reiterating the need for reconciliation and peacebuilding, the governor of Basse commended the work of the TRRC and the government white paper, praising the participation of women and young people in nation-building.
Abdoulie Bojang, father of one of the victims who lost his life during the April 10 and 11, 2000 student protest brutally repressed by the Gambian security officials, encouraged youths to be willing to learn more about their rights and responsibilities to “participate in developing their respective communities.” He said the government and its agents all belong to us youths, so let’s join hands and hold them accountable to develop our nation.”
The team engaged with the youths of Sintet and some of the victims of the Jammeh Witch-hunt exercise. During our briefing with the community leaders, the Alkalo highlighted the importance of youths in discussing issues affecting their well-being and development. He went on further to acknowledge the good work of the caravan and urged for more engaging activities to enable the youths to join in these discussions.
We acknowledge the work of the youth advocates who worked very hard to engage the local communities on the Gambia’s TJ processes. We also commend the support of the community leaders who have been welcoming and supportive of this initiative. Therefore, we urge all Gambian youth to get involved in these discussions to help implement the recommendations of the TRRC and promote social cohesion and peacebuilding.
The Gambia
Monday 29, July 2024.
