Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, The Gambia) – The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances has called on The Gambia to take urgent steps to strengthen its legal and institutional framework for addressing enforced disappearances, highlighting gaps in the country’s implementation of its obligations under international law.

The United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances has issued its concluding report on five countries, including Gambia, following their review during the Committee’s latest session. The report includes detailed findings on Gambia’s obligations under the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.

In its report following a review of five countries, including The Gambia, the Committee acknowledged the government’s efforts to align its national laws with the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. However, it noted significant shortcomings and urged authorities to take immediate action to close legal loopholes.

A key recommendation from the Committee is for The Gambia to criminalize enforced disappearance as an autonomous offense within its legal system, separate from other crimes, and also recognize it as a crime against humanity under domestic law.

The report stressed the importance of ensuring penalties that reflect the severity of such crimes while incorporating appropriate aggravating and mitigating factors.

The Committee also underscored the need for The Gambia to bolster its investigative mechanisms to locate victims of enforced disappearance and ensure prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations.

Special attention was drawn to cases from the period following the rule of former President Yahya Jammeh, whose regime was widely accused of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and disappearances.

Furthermore, the UN body emphasized the rights of victims’ families to be fully involved in investigations and to have access to all relevant information. It also called for the establishment of effective mechanisms to provide remedies and compensation to victims and their relatives.

This latest report intensifies pressure on The Gambia to expedite reforms, particularly as the country navigates post-Jammeh transitional justice efforts. The government’s response to these recommendations will be a key test of its commitment to upholding human rights and ensuring justice for past abuses.