OJ Jallow faces backlash for suggesting reparations over the prosecution of ex-Gambian dictator

OJ Jallow faces backlash for suggesting reparations over the prosecution of ex-Gambian dictator

Gambian politician Omar Jallow is facing resentment for suggesting that reparations should be the priority for victims of former strongman Yahya Jammeh instead of prosecution of the then autocratic ruler.

Omar Jallow, a former agriculture minister is a victim of Jammeh-era abuses. He was arrested at least 14 times, tortured, and suffered injuries, one of which left his right eye half-blind.

Jallow said imprisoning Jammeh would make achieving reparations difficult for the victims, emphasizing that each Gambian who suffered under Jammeh is adequately compensated and promote non-reoccurrence instead of retaliation is more important.

“If you bring Yahya Jammeh and take him to court and put him in prison, then there will be no reparations but if we have enough money and give D5 million to all the families who lost their loved ones, D3 million to those who were tortured and D2 million to all those who illegally lost their jobs, then we will have the peace we need,” Jallow said in an interview with the Standard Newspaper.

Activists are criticizing Jallow’s statement as misguided, stating that prosecutions are as important if not even more critical than reparations for Yahya Jammeh and his cronies, who put Gambians through untold suffering.

Jammeh’s victims include 44 West Africans, mostly from Ghana who were summarily executed and disposed of in a well in the southern Gambian region of Foni.

A truth commission to investigate rights violations by Jammeh’s regime is ongoing and seeks to establish an impartial historical record of human rights violations. The commission is to also consider reparations for the victims of abuses, seek prosecution of abusers, promote reconciliation and non-reoccurrence.

Over the years Jammeh’s victims have held various protests demanding the relevant authorities to prosecute Jammeh, who is currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea.