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General News on Friday, August 2nd, 2019
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2019-08-02
play the videoYahya Jameh is the former Gambian President
The families of the 44 Ghanaians who were mbadacred in the Gambia in 2005 and the only survivor, Martin Okyere, ask the Ghanaian government, under the leadership of President Nana Akuffo Addo, to have Yahya Jammeh's extradition court sentenced to justice. in Ghana for mercilessly treating these migrants under his supervision.
In 2018, a coalition of civil society organizations led by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (Ghana-CDD) was formed and launched a campaign to demand the transfer of Yahya Jammeh, former president of The Gambia , from Equatorial Guinea to Ghana. They sought to bring him to justice for the murder and enforced disappearance of 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia in 2005.
Since the launch of the campaign, the coalition has carried out a number of activities, including key institutions involved in the investigation of the disappearance of the 44. The Ghana Police Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General, civil society and individuals.
The group, in order to raise awareness about the "Jammeh Campaign for Justice", organized a forum in the Ashanti region, where the majority of the victims are from, in order to gather support within the framework of efforts to bring Yahaya Jammeh and those who bear the greatest responsibility for the mbadacre to justice.
Addressing the forum on Thursday, August 1 in Kumasi, Frankie Oduru, Program Director and Deputy Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, reiterated the mission and vision of the coalition, stressing the importance of the forum.
According to him, the ongoing reconciliation in The Gambia has given the coalition a further reason to continue its efforts for justice for the families of the victims.
"Some soldiers who participated in the mbadacre have already testified of what triggered the mbadacre, and they made it clear that it was an order of Yahaya Jammeh." to those we have, we can bring Jammeh to Ghana and ask for justice, "he said.
Add;
"We have launched this campaign since last year, we have contacted various civil society organizations and the government to be able to translate Jammeh to Ghana for trial." We wish to remind the President that, in the incident of 2005, he was then, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, we appreciate the efforts he made at that time.
"Today, he is the president, he has more power than in 2005. We have already petitioned the president and wait patiently for his response.We will continue until justice is done." We need the support of Ghanaians and we will be doing a national tour to raise awareness of the Jammeh to Justice campaign.
"Even some Gambian authorities have promised to help us and to ensure that Yahaya Jammeh is brought to court."
William Nyarko, campaign coordinator and executive director of the African Center for International Law and Accountability, called on the President of Ghana to listen to the calls of the families of the victims and various civil society organizations and to dispatch the government. former president of The Gambia in Ghana trial for ordering the killing of 44 Ghanaians. According to him, the time has come for the country's president to act because Yahaya Jammeh is no longer powerful.
"We will use all means, legal, diplomatic and political, for Yahaya Jammeh to be brought to justice.The longer it takes, the more the victims will suffer.Jammeh must be brought back to order now.
"It's the right time.We hope that the country's president will lead this campaign.Jammeh is no longer powerful and it should be possible to take him to Ghana"
The families of the victims could not hide their tears because they were testifying one after the other.
A mother of one of the victims asked the government to intervene and lead the campaign so that Jammeh would be brought to justice in Ghana.
"My son Eric, told me that he was going abroad to look for something to take home, but he never came back." Yahaya Jammeh, "That's it." Are you going to say, since you killed my son, come and kill me too, Mr. President please, do not let this problem slip in. Come to our help, "she said. cried.
Another woman who lost her son in the mbadacre revealed that having three meals a day had become a problem for her since her son's death.
"My son Akwesi will never come home, we all depended on him, but today, what I am going to eat is now a burden, we are really fighting," he said.
Martin Okyere, the only survivor of the mbadacre, after reporting on what happened in 2005, urged the president and parliamentarians to make this issue a priority. He begged the president to ship Jammeh to Ghana so that he would be tried in our court of law "
A minute of silence was observed for the families of the victims.
A similar forum will be organized in the different regions to raise awareness about the JammehtoJustice campaign.
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