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     The Editor-In-Chief of The Voice Newspaper, Musa Sheriff, has been charged with "false publication and broadcasting" after he reported to the police this morning. He is detained. Sheriff, who was interrogated last Thursday (Sept. 26) over a September 23rd story which claims President Barrow has chosen a successor as part of an exit plan, was asked to report to the police today (Monday). He was arrested and detained upon arrival at the Police Headquarters in Banjul.  The deputy editor of The Voice, Momodou Justice Darboe, who was also interrogated last Thursday, was arrested, detained and charged with false publication and broadcasting. He was released on bail on Saturday (Sept. 28).  The Gambian President, Adama Barrow, had earlier threatened a [civil] defamation suit against The Voice Newspaper, according to reports quoting his lawyer on Sept. 25, before the police intervened and turned the matter into a criminal case. "We maintain that the journalists have not vio

     As part of their efforts to enhance the education of girl children, Shine Lights In Girls Education with support from their German counterparts on Sunday made a presentation of school materials to 72 girls across four regions in the Gambia, namely: Kanifing Municipality, West Coast Region, Lower River Region, and Central River Region. The ceremony which was held at the Governor's Office in Brikama is the fifth edition of the annual gift which began in 2019 with only six girls. Presiding over the ceremony, the president of the organization, Mr Ebrima Fadera emphasized the need for the beneficiaries to perform satisfactorily in school noting that girls could drop out of the sponsorship package if they're for poor academic performance. " It is not our responsibility for girls to learn, that is the responsibility of parents" He added that the Organisation is donating school materials to empower girls but parents have a role to make good use of the opportunity to ensu

The Gambia Press Union (GPU) condemns in the strongest terms the arrest of Momodou Justice Darboe, the Deputy Editor of The Voice Newspaper over a September 23 rd story which claims President Barrow has chosen a successor as part of an exit plan. Darboe and Musa Sheriff Hydara, the paper’s Editor-In-Chief, were called for questioning at the Police Headquarters in Banjul on Thursday September 26 and grilled separately for more than two hours, just a day after President Adama Barrow threatened the newspaper with a defamation suit.  The story in question, reviewed by the GPU, does not carry any defamatory statements. It upholds the principles of balance and fairness in news reporting as provided for in the Cherno Jollow Charter of Ethics for Journalists (the code of conduct for Gambian journalists) and had provided space to two senior officials of the President’s party, the National People’s Party, to reply to the claims. The paper also carried a story on September 24 in which the ruli

The ongoing Bell Football Tournament is approaching its climax as the Black Star FC and Tungina FC won semifinal matches. Alfusainey Sillah of Tungina FC scored the lone goal of the first semifinal match between Tungina FC and NEMA FC in the 12th minute of the game. NEMA FC was unfortunate to equalize, and the match ended 1-0 in favor of Tungina FC. The second encounter was between Black Star FC and Sitako Academy. There were no goals during the full-time but the Back Star FC qualified for the finals following a 5-5 penalty shout-out. Therefore, Tungina FC and Sitako Academy will lock horns at the finals at a date yet to be determined. NEMA FC and Sitako Academy were the best losers of the tournament A cross-section of the community of Kombo East witnessed the semifinals amidst an ambiance from spectators.  All matches were played at the Kuloro Football Grounds on Tuesday the 24th of September,2024.

  The Gambia Environmental Alliance (GEA) commended the recent decision by the  Government of The Gambia to uphold the protection of Abuko Nature Reserve, as  confirmed in a clarification from the Ministry of Lands, Regional Government, and  Religious Affairs. The government has made it clear that no part of the reserve will be  de-reserved for any development project, demonstrating a strong commitment to  environmental preservation. “We applaud the government's stance on safeguarding this crucial ecological site.  Abuko Nature Reserve plays a vital role in maintaining biodiversity, regulating the  local climate, and serving as a key floodplain. The decision to keep the reserve intact  aligns with The Gambia's national conservation laws and international environmental  commitments.” the release said. GEA called on the government to take all necessary step in restoring Abuko Nature  Reserve to its full vitality.  “We recommend the following. Rehabilitation of the Reserve: Invest

The trial of alleged jungler Micheal Sang Correa originally scheduled to start on Monday, September 16th, 2024, in the US Court District Court in Denver, Colorado, in the U.S.A. has been postponed after one of the requests made by Correa’s lawyer to the court was approved. Last week, Michael Correa’s lawyers explained to the court that they intended to present testimony from two witnesses that will show that he (Correa) was forced to commit the acts of torture he is accused of carrying out. However, according to Correa, Jeng and Hydara refused to travel to the United States to testify unless the U.S. government provided them with immunity from prosecution. The United States declined to offer them immunity.  Correa then asked the judge to dismiss the case against him, arguing that the government was not helping these witnesses to attend. On September 10, the court denied the request to dismiss the charges against him.  Correa then asked the court to delay the trial to allow his lawyer t

It was a stiff encounter at the Kuloro Football Grounds as Jolakunda clashed with NEMA at 3 pm. The full ninety minutes was goalless but NEMA managed to book their ticket to the semi-finals following their win over Jolakunda in a 5-5 penalty shout-out. Meanwhile, the 5 pm encounter was between Bonto Koto and Sitako Academy. The players failed to capitalize on their goal opportunities during the full ninety minutes. Sitako Academy scored more goals in the 5-5 penalty shout-out thereby emerging as the win. Last week, Black Star and Tungina United won their first match of the tournament. The Semifinals for the tournament are slated for next week Tuesday the 24th of September at Kuloro Football Grounds

On this International Day of Democracy, the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) reaffirms its commitment to promoting democratic values and human rights across the continent. However, we express deep concern over the widespread violations of human rights that continue to undermine democratic principles. Civil liberties are increasingly under threat, with significant crackdowns on freedom of assembly, association, opinion and expression. Many organizations that advocate for human rights face dissolution, while numerous activists are detained for exercising their fundamental rights. This suppression of dissent creates an environment where fear prevails over open discourse and civic engagement. The situation is exacerbated by ongoing incidents of torture and arbitrary arrests in some countries including some North African countries, which highlight a troubling disregard for the rule of law. Vulnerable populations, including migrants, often face discrimination an

The first encounter was between Black Star and Bonto Kuta on Tuesday the 10th of September at 3 pm. Both teams displayed their soccer skills overwhelmingly, battling the rainfall. Unluckily for Bonto Kuta, they lost the match. The game ended 1-0 in favor of the Black Star Football Club. Meanwhile Tungina United won their first match of the tournament against Kaira-Kunda which was played at 5 pm. Both enthusiastic fans cheered the players during both matches. Players manifested utmost interest in the tournament and rainsfall wasn’t an obstacle. Last week, The Chief of Kombo East, Bakary Sanyang presided over the unveiling of the Bell Bottling Company’s juice drinks, the draw for the tournament as well as the presentation of Footballs, cups, and T-shirts to the eight participating teams(Jola Kunda, NEMA, Sitako, Bonto Koto, Bonto Kuta, Black Star, Tungina and Kaira Kunda.) The tournament continues next Tuesday the 17th of September at Kuloro.

  Over the past years, It has become customary of the police to insult, harass and above all to act indecent against civilians in the country. Few days ago, I was at a public institution in a nearby restaurant. I saw security officers from the Gambia Police Force (GPF) having a seminar. They gathered in droves, including the IGP and the top rank-and-files of the police force. At my vantage point, I heard one officer yelling to a waiter, telling him why he is frequently passing without serving him food. The officer was not properly seated in the right place where food was served. An old adage says, a starving man will forgo his self-interest only to get food. Another officer came into the restaurant, and rudely asked for milk. Then another one also bumped in with an incongruent tone of emotion, telling waiters to quickly serve the IG without any delay.  The modus operandi of the police towards civilians, bring to my recollection the police brutality under the ruthless hands of the exile

    Mr. Omar Conteh the Advocacy Communication officer of RAID-The Gambia, spoke of his organization’s commitment to launch a vigorous campaign against the consumption of Trans Fatty Acid Foods. He called on the Gambian government to formulate a policy framework to protect the population. Mr. Konteh made this appeal while delivering their findings on The Gambia’s Trans-Fatty Acid Foods landscape. The forum brought together members of the Association of Health Journalists in The Gambia. He noted that some of the Trans-Fatty Acid Foods landscape findings included a lack of specific policy and regulatory framework. Existing policies such as the Non-Communicable Disease Policy, National Nutrition Policy, and Food Safety Policy do not adequately address Trans-Fatty Acid Foods. Sally Jarju, The President of the Association of Health Journalists, encouraged his colleagues to take the initiative seriously and report on the issues in their various media houses. He assured RAID-The Gambia that

     Team Outpost  The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliaments on Thursday, 29th August 2024, convened a National Youth Dialogue at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Center in Bijilo. The delocalized meeting of the joint committee on Trade, Customs and free movement and social affairs, Gender Women empowerment and persons with disabilities and Legal Affairs and Human rights, Political affairs, peace, Security and African peer review mechanism (APRM), which was themed: "Parliament's role in the implementation of the protocol on the free movement of persons, rights of residence and establishment in the ECOWAS region." The youth dialogue tagged amalgamating youth forks under one umbrella for peace and nation-building within the ECOWAS member countries. On her part, Veronica Kadie Sesay, co-chair from Freetown who doubles as the Chairwoman of the Committee on Social Affairs, Gender and Women empowerment, said the number of migrants d

Team Outpost  On August 28, 2024, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament held its first-ever Free movement in action meeting at the Amdalie Karang border with officials and security personnel. This landmark event aimed to better understand the realities of implementing the protocol for the free movement of people, goods, and services. The fourth day of this significant engagement saw a focused discussion between border officials and security personnel from both sides of the Amdalie and Karang borders between The Gambia and Senegal. This cross-border convergence provided ECOWAS Parliament with a unique opportunity to engage local communities and stakeholders on the importance of the free movement protocol within the ECOWAS region, addressing both challenges and opportunities. Senator Melville Snow Jnr of Liberia, Chairman of the ECOWAS Parliament's Committee on Political Affairs, Peace, Security, and African Peer Review Mechanism, led the engagement. He em