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Kumi
Ghana
57 Posts |
 Posted - 17 Oct 2007 : 07:51:24
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When President Kufour first addressed Parliament in 2001, five weeks after being sworn in as president, he said ¡°it is the responsibility of the state, the government and the community to take care of those who cannot stand on their own two feet. It is the mark of a civilized people to help the weak and the disadvantaged.¡±
Six years down the line it appears his government¡¯s commitment to the above statement has been subjected to serious test following what human rights groups say is the snail pace at which investigations are on-going into a number of human right related cases. Key among them for some groups is the death of the 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia.
The 44 Ghanaians and other African migrants said to be on their way to board a vessel from Gambia to Europe, were reportedly butchered to death in cold blood by the Gambian gendarmerie at the behest of President Yahaya Jammeh in July 2005.
The gruesome incident only came to light following the account narrated by the sole survivor of the incident Kyere, and subsequent pressure mounted by human rights groups to ensure that justice is served to Kyere and his departed colleagues.
Kyere, now 28, is on record to have accused the Gambian gendarmerie of cruelly killing the 44 Ghanaians as well as the others.
"I didn't know these people would do these things," Kyere said. "If anything, I thought they might collect money and send us back. We never thought these people would kill us."
Mr. Kyere said one night, himself and seven others were bundled into a pick-up vehicle, with their hands tied. When one of them complained of shoulder pain, a soldier cut off his arm and blood spurted into the back of the pick up.
According to him, as the pick-up went deeper into the forest, he loosened his knots and jumped out. Soldiers shouted and fired in his direction. As he cowered in the woods, he heard more gunshots and cries for help.
Government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, soon commenced an investigation into the matter. But it has been over two years and nothing concrete has come out.
The Regional Coordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) Nana Oye Lithur, one the several HR lawyers vigorously pushing for justice against the Gambian government says she is not happy with the way government is going about the investigation.
¡°¡...for how long are we going to wait, because we received a letter from the then Minister of Foreign Affairs Nana Akuffo Addo on 15 January where he said they were about concluding their investigation report,¡± she told the dailyEXPRESS ¡°¡ and in November they are even still going back to Gambia and still concluding their report.¡±
She said the current posture by government does not give enough weight to their commitment to unravelling the mystery surrounding the Gambia massacre.
¡°We are wondering why the Ghana government seems to be treating Gambia with kid gloves,¡± she said. ¡°We are not saying go out, declare war but at least we need to see that you¡¯re doing something about the situation as this silence and lack of proactive response is very worrying.¡±
Sources at the Foreign Affairs Ministry say officials are still putting pieces of information together following a recent trip to Gambia.
Oye Lithur however told the dailyEXPRESS ¡°it¡¯s important for government to be updating Ghanaians consistently.¡± She said the incident is a human rights issue and that it¡¯s a test case to show government¡¯s commitment to protecting its citizens which is enshrined in the constitution.
¡°You¡¯re supposed to protect human rights and this is a situation where people¡¯s human rights have been violated and, what action are you taking as a government,¡± she asked rhetorically.
According to her, two years is more than enough for the chapter on the Gambia mess to be cleared. Something she said has given Jammeh the right to act with impunity.
¡°If the African leaders are going to sit down and watch an African leader to violate people¡¯s rights with impunity then, we human rights defenders in Africa, particularly CHRI and African legal aid, will not sit down,¡± the affable Oye Lithur said.
She added that, ¡°what ever it takes to bring justice for this 44 we¡¯re going to do.¡±
According to her, other rights groups across the continent would be mobilised to put pressure on Yahaya Jammeh to ensure that his penchant for violating people¡¯s rights is brought to an end SOURCE http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=132448
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The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
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Janyanfara
Tanzania
1350 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2007 : 22:13:28
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I still cannot bring myself to belief that 44 Ghanians were killed in the Gambia.For what?Do they look like the escaped november 11 coupists to the killers? Or what? I just can't find myself to come to belief that people would be just so blood thirsty to kill defenceless people just because they are suspects of one thing or the other.NO WAY.
If this is indeed true,then the Gambia is worse than Myanmar(Former Burma).My friends, this is not only a human right issue, it is an international issue. The whole world should investigate this and bring all those responsible to book. Because how about if Ghana should do the same to Gambians?God forbid! |
Edited by - Janyanfara on 17 Oct 2007 22:15:59 |
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Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 17 Oct 2007 : 23:22:12
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To Kumi and entire Ghanaian Brotherhood.
Every sincere Gambian is in more pains than our brothers and sisters in Ghana are able to imagine. We are in pains for many reasons. Our country is being ruined and citizens butchered like wild birds. There is perpetual state of fear. The entire social fabric is broken into irrecoverable granules. We are in pain because a man of this greater insult is painting the country's image into his bad make. Our sorrow deepens as we encounter men in arms supposed to be our protectors now turned into butchers of humans. On this unfortunate occasion, it is our own Ghanaian brothers and other African nationals fallen innocent victims. Kumi, we join you in prayers. We stand by you to ensure that the tyranny is not only exposed but totally tackled for good. We know this is wrong and be assured that until the last bit of truth is tendered for competent examination, genuine Gambians are with our Ghanaian brothers and sisters to see the criminals face what they deserve. |
Karamba |
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