Darboe Says Justice Must Come Before Reconciliation, Pledges Full TRRC Implementation

By Seedy Jobe

The leader of the United Democratic Party, ANM Ousainu Darboe, has pledged to fully implement the recommendations of The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission within five years if elected president, arguing that lasting national reconciliation cannot be achieved without justice.

Mr. Darboe made the remarks in Switzerland during a fundraising event organized by the UDP’s GASH chapter, where he outlined his party’s plans for transitional justice, legal reform, economic empowerment, and electricity.

He said victims of human rights violations committed during the rule of former President Yahya Jammeh were still waiting for justice and promised that a UDP government would make their cases a priority.

“We want reconciliation in the country, but you cannot have that if justice does not take place,” Mr. Darboe said. “Give the person his truth; if you give him his truth, then we can sit and be together.”

He argued that appeals for national unity would have little meaning if the experiences of victims were ignored.

“You cannot sit on my truth and say, ‘Let us be one.’ No, that cannot work,” he said. “You offend me, then apologize; I forgive you, and we become one.”

Mr. Darboe said failing to address past abuses would amount to a betrayal of victims of the Jammeh era, adding that implementing the TRRC recommendations would require genuine political will.

He also pledged broad legal reforms, saying the UDP has the legal expertise necessary to review and repeal laws it considers unjust or outdated.

“Gambians will agree that UDP lacks everything except lawyers,” he said. “To change the bad laws within three years will not be difficult.”

Mr. Darboe also outlined an economic agenda centered on greater Gambian ownership of key sectors and strategic assets.

Citing the recent sale of Mega Bank, he argued that Gambians, including those living abroad, should have been given an opportunity to acquire the bank before it was offered to foreign investors.

He stressed that he was not opposed to foreign investment but said Gambian citizens should receive priority when strategic national assets are sold. Foreign investors, he said, should be considered when there is insufficient domestic capacity or interest.

“I am not saying we should deny foreigners, but before giving it to someone else, give it to the Gambian citizen,” he said.

Mr. Darboe warned that an economy whose most important sectors are largely controlled by noncitizens risks leaving Gambians economically dependent, even as he acknowledged the importance of foreign investment.

“Any country that has serious leaders gives its economy to its citizens to control,” he said.

Turning to infrastructure, Mr. Darboe pledged to resolve The Gambia’s chronic electricity problems within three years of a UDP administration taking office.

He invoked the late Gambian musician Tatadingding, recalling a song in which the artist lamented the country’s persistent electricity problems under successive governments and urged Gambians to give Mr. Darboe an opportunity to address them.

“Give the country to Darboe and let him solve the electricity problem,” Mr. Darboe quoted the late musician as saying.