Samba Jow Criticizes Efforts to Justify Possible Coalition With Jammeh-Aligned APRC

By Fatou Sillah

Pa Samba Jow, a political commentator and human rights activist, has sharply criticized efforts to justify a potential coalition between the United Democratic Party (UDP) and a faction of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) aligned with former president Yahya Jammeh.

Jow, speaking on West Coast Radio, said he was stunned to hear Lamin Manneh, a senior executive of the U.D.P., publicly defend the prospect of an alliance with the APRC’s No To Alliance group, a faction critics say remains under Mr. Jammeh’s influence despite his exile in Equatorial Guinea since 2017.

“I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted when I heard Lamin Manneh, a senior executive member of the United Democratic Party, try to explain and justify attempts to form a coalition with APRC’s No To Alliance alliance,” Mr. Jow said.

He argued that the APRC faction in question remains under the influence of Mr. Jammeh and has failed to acknowledge abuses committed during his rule. “These are outfits that are owned and controlled by dictator Yahya Jammeh. And they continue to refuse to acknowledge even the most basic crimes committed against Gambians by Jammeh,” he said.

Mr. Jow added that it would be inconsistent for a party whose members suffered under Mr. Jammeh’s government to contemplate an alliance with his political allies. “A member of the United Democratic Party, a party whose members suffered massively under Jammeh, should never even entertain the notion of forming an alliance with Jammeh’s No To Alliance,” he said.

While acknowledging that APRC supporters are part of the Gambian electorate whose votes may be sought, Mr. Jow drew a distinction between voter outreach and formal political alliances.

“There is nothing wrong with trying to win the votes of every Gambian, but that cannot be equated with forming an alliance with a man who murdered Gambians, raped Gambians, and pillaged our resources,” he said.

He further warned that any political partnership with Mr. Jammeh’s camp could undermine prospects for justice for victims of past abuses. “If any party were to form an alliance with Yahya Jammeh today and win, the victims should kiss justice goodbye,” he said.

“We must never be so desperate that we will try to work with the devil,” Mr. Jow added. “Working with Yahya Jammeh, to me, is nothing but working with the devil.”