The new Gambian government has announced it is setting up a truth and reconciliation commission, the Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou, has said. The commission will provide reparations to the victims of alleged human rights abuses committed during the government of previous leader, Yahya Jammeh.

Tambadou said during a conference on 22 March that consultations were taking place to identify appropriate people who could be appointed as commissioners, Fatou News Network reported.

He added the government would first study similar commissions established in the past.

The commission was first proposed by The Gambia's new President, Adama Barrow, who defeated Jammeh in presidential elections held in December 2016.

Barrow said he would set up the commission to promote reconciliation in the country which, according to some, is divided due to ethnic tensions exacerbated during Jammeh's rule.

Jammeh, who ruled Gambia for 22 years, has often attracted criticism for – among other things – persecuting homosexuals, activists and political opponents and inciting ethnic hatred.

Gambia faced a political deadlock when Jammeh refused to relinquish power following his defeat in December's presidential elections. He eventually went into exile in Equatorial Guinea following pressure from world leaders and a military intervention by Economic Community Of West African States (Ecowas) troops. </s> Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, who is also a presidential candidate for the Alliance for Patriotic Re-orientation and Construction (APRC), smiles during a rally in Banjul, Gambia, November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Thierry Gouegnon

BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambia said on Thursday it would set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and offer reparations to victims of former President Yahya Jammeh's government, which is accused of the torture and killing of perceived opponents.

Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou said in a statement the government will also probe the finances of Jammeh, who fled into exile in January to Equatorial Guinea after a rule that began in 1994 when he seized power in a coup.

Jammeh lost an election in December to the now President Adama Barrow but refused to accept the result. He only stepped down after pressure from regional leaders who sent troops to Gambia to force him to leave. [L5N1GN4WN]

Since his departure Barrow's government has taken steps to restore the rule of law and strengthen the judiciary.

"A Truth and Reconciliation Commision with appropriate reparations for victims will be set up within the next six months and public hearings will be expected to commence by the end of the year," Tambadou said.

The government would first study other such commissions. South Africa established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission after apartheid ended in 1994 and other African countries have set up similar bodies.

The aim is to encourage people to confess crimes committed under the previous government and for victims to air injustices they suffered. Reparations can also be set. </s> BANJUL, Gambia (AP) - Gambia will set up a truth and reconciliation commission to look into crimes committed by the former regime, and it will offer to pay reparations to victims, Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambedou announced Thursday night.

The government of new President Adama Barrow has promised to reverse many of the actions taken under former leader Yahya Jammeh, who was accused by rights groups of overseeing abuses of opponents during his 22-year rule. Jammeh flew into exile in January under international pressure after a political standoff when he lost the December election and refused to step down.

This tiny West African nation is under pressure to act on the new government's promises as calls for justice grow. Last month, nine former high-ranking officers with the National Intelligence Agency were arrested and charged with murder in the death of an opposition activist.

The justice minister said the truth and reconciliation commission will be established in the next six months.

Barrow has said is too soon to tell whether Jammeh could face trial at the International Criminal Court or elsewhere. Jammeh is now in Equatorial Guinea, which is not a state party to the treaty that created the ICC.

"We aren't talking about prosecution here. We are talking about getting a truth and reconciliation commission," Barrow told The Associated Press in an interview in January. "Before you can act, you have to get the truth, to get the facts together."

Many Gambians were arbitrarily detained for years, often without access to family members or lawyers. </s> Gambia to set up truth commission to probe Jammeh’s Rule

The Gambia will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate abuses committed during ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s rule, the justice minister has said.

The finances of Jammeh would also be investigated, Abubacarr Tambadou added.

People would be encouraged to confess to crimes, and victims would be offered compensation, he said.

The former regime was accused of widespread torture and enforced disappearances during its 22-year rule.

There were also unconfirmed allegations that more than $11m (£8.8m) went missing from The Gambia’s state coffers following Jammeh’s departure in January.

He fled to Equatorial Guinea in January after regional troops entered the tiny West African state to force him to accept defeat to property developer Adama Barrow in elections the previous month.

“A Truth and Reconciliation Commission with appropriate reparations for victims will be set up within the next six months and public hearings will be expected to commence by the end of the year,” Tambadou said in a statement.

Former intelligence chief Yankuba Badjie was arrested in January, making him the first of Jammeh’s security officials to be taken into custody by the new government.

No official reason was given for his arrest.

Five notorious cases for The Gambia’s TRC:

Opposition member Solo Sandeng allegedly beaten to death in detention in April 2016

Journalist Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay allegedly forced to drink cooking oil and beaten unconsciousness in detention in July 2015

Ex-army chief of staff Ndure Cham allegedly ordered to dig his grave and shot dead in 2013 for plotting coup

Journalist Ebrima Manneh missing since he left his newsroom on July 2006

Newspaper editor Deyda Hydara shot dead in his car in December 2004 </s> BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — Gambia says it will set up a truth and reconciliation commission to look into crimes committed by the former regime, and it will offer to pay reparations to victims.

The government of new President Adama Barrow has promised to reverse many of the actions taken under former leader Yahya Jammeh, who was accused by rights groups of overseeing abuses of opponents.

This tiny West African nation is under pressure to act as calls for justice grow. Last month, nine former high-ranking officers with the National Intelligence Agency were arrested and charged with murder in the death of an opposition activist.

The justice minister says the truth and reconciliation commission will be established in the next six months. </s> These are external links and will open in a new window

The Gambia will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate abuses committed during ex-President Yahya Jammeh's rule, the justice minister has said.

The finances of Mr Jammeh would also be investigated, Abubacarr Tambadou added.

People would be encouraged to confess to crimes, and victims would be offered compensation, he said.

The former regime was accused of widespread torture and enforced disappearances during its 22-year rule.

There were also unconfirmed allegations that more than $11m (£8.8m) went missing from The Gambia's state coffers following Mr Jammeh's departure in January.
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He fled to Equatorial Guinea in January after regional troops entered the tiny West African state to force him to accept defeat to property developer Adama Barrow in elections the previous month.

"A Truth and Reconciliation Commission with appropriate reparations for victims will be set up within the next six months and public hearings will be expected to commence by the end of the year," Mr Tambadou said in a statement.

Former intelligence chief Yankuba Badjie was arrested in January, making him the first of Mr Jammeh's security officials to be taken into custody by the new government.

No official reason was given for his arrest.

After his election victory, Mr Barrow pledged that his government would not seek vengeance against officials of the former regime, and would instead set up a South Africa-styled Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal wounds of the past.

In a 2015 report, campaign group Human Rights Watch said Mr Jammeh's regime "frequently committed serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture against those who voiced opposition".

Torture methods included the "electroshock of body parts, including genitals and dripping melted plastic bags onto the skin", it said. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption Yahya Jammeh first seized power in a coup in 1994

The Gambia will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate abuses committed during ex-President Yahya Jammeh's rule, the justice minister has said.

The finances of Mr Jammeh would also be investigated, Abubacarr Tambadou added.

People would be encouraged to confess to crimes, and victims would be offered compensation, he said.

The former regime was accused of widespread torture and enforced disappearances during its 22-year rule.

There were also unconfirmed allegations that more than $11m (£8.8m) went missing from The Gambia's state coffers following Mr Jammeh's departure in January.

He fled to Equatorial Guinea in January after regional troops entered the tiny West African state to force him to accept defeat to property developer Adama Barrow in elections the previous month.

"A Truth and Reconciliation Commission with appropriate reparations for victims will be set up within the next six months and public hearings will be expected to commence by the end of the year," Mr Tambadou said in a statement.

Former intelligence chief Yankuba Badjie was arrested in January, making him the first of Mr Jammeh's security officials to be taken into custody by the new government.

No official reason was given for his arrest.

Five notorious cases for The Gambia's TRC:

Opposition member Solo Sandeng allegedly beaten to death in detention in April 2016

Journalist Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay allegedly forced to drink cooking oil and beaten unconsciousness in detention in July 2015

Ex-army chief of staff Ndure Cham allegedly ordered to dig his grave and shot dead in 2013 for plotting coup

Journalist Ebrima Manneh missing since he left his newsroom on July 2006

Newspaper editor Deyda Hydara shot dead in his car in December 2004

Jammeh's inglorious end

After his election victory, Mr Barrow pledged that his government would not seek vengeance against officials of the former regime, and would instead set up a South Africa-styled Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal wounds of the past.

In a 2015 report, campaign group Human Rights Watch said Mr Jammeh's regime "frequently committed serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture against those who voiced opposition".

Torture methods included the "electroshock of body parts, including genitals and dripping melted plastic bags onto the skin", it said.

The regime relied heavily on its intelligence agency to target opponents, and was also accused of running paramilitary hit squads.

It denied the allegation, insisting that it upheld the law. </s> The Gambia's president, Adama Barrow, has named senior politician Fatoumata Tambajang as deputy leader, as regional troops continued security sweeps to prepare for his return to the country from neighbouring Senegal.

The announcement of Tambajang's appointment will be followed by the unveiling of the rest of Barrow's cabinet later on Tuesday, according to presidential spokesperson Halifa Sallah.

Tambajang, a former minister and United Nations Development Programme staffer, was the architect of an opposition coalition that helped Barrow defeat longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh in a December 1 presidential election.

She made headlines last month when she told The Guardian newspaper that Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup, would be prosecuted for alleged crimes committed by his regime.

Following her comments, Jammeh, who had initially conceded defeat, announced he no longer recognised the result, triggering a protracted political crisis which ended when he flew into exile late on Saturday.

READ MORE: The Gambia - Ex-ruler Jammeh 'plundered coffers'

Barrow, who fled to Senegal earlier this month for security reasons, was sworn in as president on January 19 at The Gambia's embassy in Dakar.

His return date has not yet been fixed, and the appointment of his cabinet is aimed at filling a void created by his absence.

The armed forces have pledged loyalty to him, though troops from West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which entered the country last week to pressure Jammeh to step down, continued clearing the presidential compound in advance of Barrow's arrival.

They also took over a Republican Guard barracks training centre in Bakau, just outside the capital, Banjul.

On Sunday, a Barrow aide accused Jammeh of plundering millions of dollars from the state coffers in his final weeks in power before flying to Equatorial Guinea.

"Over two weeks, over 500 million dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn" by Jammeh, Mai Fatty said in Dakar. "As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress."

Jammeh also took luxury cars he piled onto a Chadian cargo plane, Fatty said.

'Torture, killings'

In addition to the accusations surrounding Jammeh's wealth, sections of the security services under the ex-ruler personal control have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention during his rule, rights groups say.

A truth and reconciliation committee is Barrow's "preferred method" of dealing with grievances against the previous government, according to his spokesman, but many Gambians take the harder line of his new vice president.

Critics have also raised concerns over a statement issued by the UN, regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union that seemed to offer Jammeh comfortable guarantees in return for his exit.

The statement said "no legislative measures" would be taken that against Jammeh or his family, noting that he could return when he pleased and that property "lawfully" belonging to him would not be seized. </s> Banjul. Gambian President Adama Barrow’s team announced Monday his vice-president would be a woman who has vowed to prosecute former leader Yahya Jammeh and take back assets she says were stolen from the nation.

The alleged plunder of some £11 million by Jammeh as he clung on to power in recent weeks has left the tiny African country in financial difficulty, a Barrow aide said. Barrow, who was sworn in as the new head of state on January 19 at his country’s embassy in neighbouring Senegal, has put off his return over fears for his safety.

As the nation waits, Barrow’s second-in-command was named as Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, who became a controversial figure after telling The Guardian newspaper Jammeh would be prosecuted for crimes committed by his regime.

Jammeh initially conceded defeat after the December 1 election, but the mercurial strongman announced he no longer recognised the result after Jallow-Tambajang’s comments, and after the election commission issued revised results which made Barrow’s win narrower, although still clear.

The timing of her appointment comes after an aide to Barrow has accused Jammeh of raiding state coffers during his final days in power.

“Over two weeks, over 500 million dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn” by Jammeh, Mai Fatty said on Sunday in Dakar. “As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress.”

A development expert who previously worked of the United Nations, Jallow-Tambajang is often described as the woman who persuaded The Gambia’s divided opposition parties to club together and field a single candidate -- Barrow.

She has also argued that a national commission for asset recovery should be established to take back land and goods Jammeh is accused of seizing for his own gain. Under the threat of a regional military intervention, Jammeh chose exile in Equatorial Guinea, which is not party to the International Criminal Court, and left The Gambia on Saturday.

That means he cannot be extradited in the event he is charged with crimes against humanity or other serious offences.

A truth and reconciliation committee is Barrow’s “preferred method” of dealing with grievances against the regime, his spokesman has said, but many Gambians take the harder line of his new vice-president. Sections of the security services were under Jammeh’s personal control and are responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention, rights groups say. (AFP)
The Gambia's justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou states that the country will establish a Truth and Reconciliation Commission "within the next six months" to investigate allegations of abuse dating from the time of former President Yahya Jammeh. According to Tambadou, public hearings are scheduled to get underway by year's end.