Dawda Jallow, Minister of Justice
By Buba Gagigo
During the annual Press Conference organized by the Victims Center, Mrs. Saffiatou Nyang, representing the Ministry of Justice, disclosed that the government had instituted a special task force dedicated to addressing cases of missing individuals.
The press conference, organized by the Victim Center in The Gambia on Tuesday, aimed to deliver comprehensive updates on the progress in implementing the recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). The event also included discussions on the government’s white paper concerning these recommendations.
Mrs. Nyang emphasized the ministry’s commitment to act on the TRRC’s recommendations by setting up a task force focused on missing persons. She explained, “The last time also we talked about the progress that we were working on setting up a task force on missing persons that has been done because the recommendations of the TRRC is that a special task force should be put in place that will identify suspected burial sites that will be able to coordinate the manner in which some of these extenuations would be done going forward and whatnot.
She further elaborated that in the last quarter of the previous year, the task force was successfully formed, comprising government departments such as the Ministry of Health, Foreign Affairs, the police, and other relevant institutions. The task force’s primary mandate is to develop a framework ensuring the organized and orderly conduct of examinations related to missing persons.
“So, towards the last quarter of last year, we were able to set up this task force comprising government departments like the Ministry of Health, foreign affairs, and the police and other relevant institutions. So they have the major mandate to come up with a framework that will be used to ensure that we carry out examinations in a very organised and orderly manner,” he revealed.
The press conference, attended by representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the National Human Rights Commission, and victims’ advocacy groups, fostered open dialogue. This enabled the exchange of views and clarification of key issues related to the TRRC recommendations and their ongoing implementation. Furthermore, it provided a valuable opportunity for the public to gain insights into the perspectives of both governmental and non-governmental entities actively involved in this critical process.