AVLO Chair: “Slow Pace” of Govt’s Implementation of TRRC Recommendations is an Understatement for Victims
Ms Sirra Ndow © Askanwi
By Edward Francis Dalliah
Despite various human rights defenders giving the government credit for implementing only 16 out of the 262 recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC), the Chairperson of the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations (AVLO), Ms. Sirra Ndow, has expressed the victim’s dissatisfaction with the “slow pace” of progress.
In her opening remarks at the first-ever post-TRRC conference, held on Friday, 20th December 2024, at the Sir Dawda Kariba Jawara Conference Centre in Bijilo, Ms. Ndow argued that, for the victims, the “slow pace of implementation is an understatement.”
Ms. Ndow highlighted that many victims, already enduring deep pain, are struggling even more during the cold season. “I got a call yesterday from one of the victims, [who] was trying to get a hold of a doctor and said [to me]; this is a difficult period for me, the cold season,” she shared.
In November 2021, the TRRC submitted a total of 265 recommendations to the government. In response, the government published a White Paper outlining which recommendations would be implemented. This was followed by a five-year implementation plan (2023–2027) that outlines a series of actions to guide the process.
Justice Minister Hon Dawda A Jallow © Askanwi
The recommendations cover 22 thematic areas, including justice and accountability, reparations, institutional reforms, and memorialization. In the area of justice and accountability, some progress has been made with the enactment of the Special Accountability Mechanism Act and the Special Prosecutor’s Office Act in 2024. However, many mechanisms remain either non-operational or moving very slowly.
In the area of victims' reparations, there has been little visible progress. The government has assured that the Victims Reparations Commission will begin operations early next year, aimed at fast-tracking the payment of reparations.
Ms. Ndow pointed out that some victims are dying without receiving their reparations. She also noted the difficulties victims face in accessing medical support despite the establishment of a medical board to help them. “It took some time for the money to reach the medical board, and because of the processes, we still have the medical board not being able to give prescriptions to the victims,” she shared.
Though she applauded the government’s efforts on what they have achieved so far, she urged them to prioritize the needs of the victims over bureaucratic processes. “Yes, we need accountability and transparency, but there are urgent situations we should cater for,” she emphasized.
Watch her speech in the link below.
