Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – A victim of abuses committed during the rule of former Gambian leader Yahya Jammeh has publicly challenged Foni Kansala National Assembly Member Almameh Gibba to prioritize truth and accountability over political loyalty, following the lawmaker’s defense of the ex-president and criticism of the country’s truth commission.
Sheriff Abass Hydara, who testified about his detention and torture before the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), accused Gibba of undermining victims after the lawmaker described the commission as a “man-hunting” and “politically motivated” exercise. Gibba had also cautioned against prosecuting Jammeh in Banjul, arguing that such a move could destabilize the country.
Reacting in an interview with The Standard, Hydara dismissed the remarks as revisionism, insisting that the testimonies presented before the TRRC were grounded in lived experiences rather than political agendas.
“Victims sat in that chamber, showed their scars, and named the men who beat them. That is not politics; it is life,” Hydara said. “When a National Assembly Member calls that process a witch-hunt, he is telling every victim that our pain was a performance.”
Gibba had further argued that Jammeh laid the foundation for national development and warned that prosecuting him could “terrorize the whole nation,” citing a survey suggesting public preference for reconciliation over prosecution. However, Hydara countered that reconciliation without truth and justice would amount to denial and impunity.
“Reconciliation without truth is amnesia, and reconciliation without justice is impunity,” he said.
Hydara also rejected claims that Jammeh should be viewed as a victim for surviving multiple coup attempts, pointing instead to those who suffered or died under his rule.
“Real victims survived Mile 2, Bambadinka, and the NIA, and many did not survive at all. Where are the dead you didn’t name?” he asked.
Addressing criticisms that the TRRC process was flawed because Jammeh did not testify, Hydara stressed that victims themselves took significant risks to come forward.
“We were there. We faced the cameras, risked retaliation, and told this country what happened when no one else would,” he said.
On allegations that the commission’s lead investigator had a controversial past, Hydara responded sharply: “A torturer was president for 22 years, which is worse?”
He urged lawmakers to safeguard the integrity of the TRRC process and avoid discrediting victims, warning that doing so would perpetuate the silencing they experienced under Jammeh’s rule.
“Parliament must not become a place where victims are vilified and branded as liars. If you do that, you finish the job Jammeh started—to silence us,” he said.
Hydara also rejected arguments that funds earmarked for potential prosecutions should instead be diverted to sectors such as health and education, noting that many victims continue to suffer physically and financially from past abuses.
“Use the money well, yes. But don’t use victims’ medical bills as an excuse to bury their cases. Justice pays that debt,” he argued.
He reminded Gibba that, despite any personal ties to Jammeh, his role as a national representative obliges him to stand for all Gambians, including victims such as slain journalist Deyda Hydara and political activist Solo Sandeng, as well as others who were killed, disappeared, or abused during the former regime.
“The heartbeat of this country is truth. If you stop it, the body dies,” Hydara said. “I’m asking the Honourable Gibba to prioritize the truth, even if it breaks his relationship with Jammeh.”
Hydara further accused the lawmaker of echoing the former president’s positions and attempting to shield him from accountability.
“I see most of what Gibba said came from Yahya Jammeh rather than himself,” he said, warning that such rhetoric undermines victims’ calls for justice.
Insisting that no individual is above the law, Hydara maintained that accountability must follow due process and that justice should precede reconciliation.
“Jammeh does not own this country, and Gibba does not own this country,” he said. “Justice must prevail and Jammeh must be prosecuted before reconciliation.”
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