By Nelson Manneh
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) has on Tuesday 13th June 2021, presented five organizations with awards to show appreciation for their support during the past two years of the commission’s existence.
The institutions that were awarded include the United Nations System, the United Nations Transitional Justice (UNTJ), International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and the Catholic Relief Service (CRS).
Adelaide Sosseh, the Vice Chairperson of the Truth Commission, said without the support of the partners, the TRRC would not have achieved its aims. She said many institutions helped the commission within the two and a half years, but the five mentioned above were the major partners of the Truth Commission.
Adelaide Sosseh TRRC Vice Chairperson
Haddy Jallow, the Director of Human Resources and Admin at the Truth Commission, said she has been working with all the partners of the Truth Commission, but the five organizations that were awarded were the major partners of the TRRC.
“These institutions have been supporting the commission, they provided series of training for the staff of the commission,” she said.
Jallow said it was the UN System that came up with the Transition Justice Program and supported their Diaspora engagements.
The TRRC is an independent Gambian institution with a mandate to conduct research and investigations into human rights violations committed under the presidency of Yahya Jammeh. The commission further aims to prevent a repetition of the violations and abuses suffered under the past regime by making recommendations to the government and citizens aimed at ensuring the crimes of the past never recur in The Gambia.
In pursuit of these aims, the TRRC facilitated community and national reconciliation, launched civic education efforts on peace and justice, designed individual and communal reparations, and shaped the scope of future prosecutions and amnesties. The Commission will promote national reconciliation and healing by assisting victims and their relatives.
