NHRC Trains Security Officials to Implement TRRC Recommendations and Security Sector Reforms

The Gambia's NHRC Chair - Mr Emmanuel Joof (c) Yusef Taylor

By Edward Francis Dalliah

The Gambia’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) conducted a three days training of security personnel on Thursday 16th May 2024 as recommended by the now defunct Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) report. The training which focused on human rights, humanitarian law and the handling of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence cases took place at Metzy Residence Hotel in Kololi.

The training which brought together several government departments in the security sector sought to enhance the capacity of government officials to address human rights violations including Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), a niche area with limited training modules.

Giving his remarks in the opening session, the Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, Mr Emanuel Joof highlighted that the workshop represents a significant step towards achieving the goals of improved human rights and respect for the rule of law in The Gambia. In this regard, he urged security personnel to remain “firmly grounded in the principles of human rights and the rule of law to fulfil their duties, [saying] to whom much is given, much is expected”.

Chairperson Joof added that The Gambia has “made remarkable strides in recent years towards strengthening [its] commitment to human rights and justice following our two decades when human rights violations were rampant in this country”.

Citing the TRRC findings, Joof highlighted that it “revealed how widespread and systematic human rights violations [were initiated] by the security forces”. The TRRC is a defunct Commission enacted by the National Assembly to investigate the human rights violations that occurred under the leadership of former President Yahya Jammeh from 1994 to 2016.

Some of the violations indicated in the TRRC detail how the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) was used as a private spy institution on citizens, reporting directly to the Office of the President to detain, torture and enforce the disappearance of former President Jammeh’s perceived enemies. Similarly, the Prisons were “used to instil fear and inflict punishment to those who opposed him or fell out of favour with him [Jammeh]”. None instilled more fear than former President Jammeh’s murderous private assassin squad ‘The Junglers’ who executed and enforced disappearances of numerous perceived opponents of the former President. In short, the entire Security Apparatus were compromised including the Police, the Army and others.

After the conclusion of the TRRC, the Government issued a list of 90 adversely mentioned persons of which 42 were from the Gambia National Army, 17 from the NIA, 11 from the Judiciary, 9 from the Police and 6 from the Prison Service. Some of the violations committed include the execution of soldiers after the 11th November 1994 Attempted Coup, the unlawful killing of former Finance Minister Koro Ceesay, the killing of over 15 people at the 10th and 11th 2000 student demonstrations, attack on Political Opponents, the Media, Jungler Assassinations, Killing of the West African Migrants and much more.

The TRRC recommended that The Gambia Government should provide a series of training to security personnel of various security institutions on human rights, the Geneva Convention, the Rome Statute, crowd control, journalism and freedom of expression, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and much more.

Mr Joof highlighted that human rights are a work in progress, citing that even though achievements have been made, “instances of human rights violations, including acts of sexual and gender-based violence continue to pose some significant challenges within our society”.

The National Security Adviser, Mr Aboubacarr S Jeng spoke on the significance of the training in progressing security sector reforms in the country when he said: “With the ongoing reform, concrete steps have been taken in collaboration with the NHRC to review and update parts [that are] specific to human rights in the training curricula of the security institutions”.

“Therefore, this training of trainers is an important step in the right direction to ensure both respect for, and application of, human rights by personnel of the security sector” he added.

Mr Jeng also highlighted that the training is a fruit of the TRRC recommendation tabled before the government, thus bringing together the Ministry of Justice and the NHRC to ensure regular training on human rights for officials of the security sector.

Representing the Ministry of Justice, Ms Saffie Nyeng expressed delight in achieving this milestone. She noted that their “aspiration is becoming a reality as [they] have passed the preparatory stages which were a bit challenging but with the collaboration of partners, [they] were able to come together in making sure the activity [commenced]”.

Ms Priscilla Yagu Ciesay who is part of the team of consultants revealed that “the development of the module and the training manual for The Gambia Security Service is designed to empower --- State Security Personnel with the knowledge and tools to uphold human rights in their day-to-day work”.

She explained that the module was subjected to several reviews which include the review of existing literature and materials that were available in the country among the different State actors and further review by the NHRC with various security personnel at a mini-validation.

All these activities culminated to “this point where we would validate all of those modules developed and at the end what we hope to have [will be added] to the report [which] will be sent back to the Human Rights Commission for them to further send it to [other] partners. And [we] will have a generic manual on human rights, international humanitarian law as well as components on sexual and gender-based violence”, noted Ms Ciesay.