Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – Tensions have flared between UN Goodwill Ambassador Jaha Dukureh and The Gambia’s Minister of Gender, Fatou Kinteh, following allegations that the minister downplayed the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in defending the country’s ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).

Dukureh, a prominent anti-FGM activist, has accused Minister Kinteh of sidelining CSO efforts while speaking at the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York.

“When Hon. Seedy Njie and the First Lady took the floor and acknowledged what civil society did, the Minister of Gender took the floor and stated that even without civil society, the president would have upheld the law,” Dukureh stated.

She further alleged that Kinteh misrepresented the recent civil society-led advocacy trip to Egypt, claiming it was organized solely by the government and its partners.

“The trip to Egypt was entirely my idea. At first, I wanted to take the National Assembly members to Saudi Arabia and even contacted the Saudi government. Even my team was against the idea,” Dukureh explained.

According to Dukureh, the minister sought to control CSO efforts by urging international donors to channel funds through the government.

“She asked the UN and donors to put their money in a basket fund so they can hold us accountable. What Fatou Kinteh did not take into account in that moment was how far we would take this. Sometimes they take our silence as weakness,” she asserted.

Did Minister Kinteh Try to Remove Dukureh as UN Goodwill Ambassador?

The dispute took a dramatic turn when Dukureh revealed that Kinteh had allegedly approached UN Women to file a complaint against her, reportedly in an attempt to have her removed as a UN Goodwill Ambassador.

“So our minister, instead of responding to what I said, went to UN Women to launch a complaint about me and get me fired as a goodwill ambassador,” Dukureh claimed.

She dismissed the alleged attempt as uninformed, stating that her role is voluntary and not tied to financial gain.

“They have done everything they can to slander me without understanding how I work. This issue is not about me personally but the fact that all of us collectively worked to ensure the law against FGM was not repealed,” she said.

“President Adama Barrow needs to hold his Gender Ministry to account. What they did today is wrong and unethical. Gambia deserves better than this,” Dukureh stated.

Civil Society Organizations Push Back

Gambian civil society organizations have also voiced frustration over how the Gender Ministry has handled the issue. Activists argue that CSOs played a crucial role in preventing the repeal of the anti-FGM law, a contribution they say was deliberately ignored by the ministry.

“We were led by TANGO and the Network. You all know what you did deep down to ensure we failed. Now international partners are looking at Gambia as a joke. We documented our efforts, and you cannot deny us of our efforts,” a CSO representative stated.

Dukureh’s allegations have raised concerns about the Gambian government’s approach to women’s rights and its relationship with CSOs. The apparent friction between the ministry and activists threatens to weaken the collective fight against FGM in the country.

Minister Fatou Kinteh and the Ministry of Gender have yet to respond publicly to the allegations. UN Women has also not issued a statement regarding the reported complaint against Dukureh.