Held at the Senegambia Beach Hotel, the training aims to fulfill key recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) while promoting accountability, non-recurrence, and justice in the post-Jammeh era.
Also, the initiative was in responds to a recommendation outlined in the Government’s White Paper on the TRRC report. It would be recalled that during the public hearings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, established in 2018 to investigate human rights violations during the Yahya Jammeh regime (1994-2017), the commission had documented enforced disappearances as one of the gravest violations committed under the former regime, describing them as tools of state repression.
Addressing the opening, Jainaba Johm, Vice chairperson of NHRC, described the event as an important step in ensuring that justice and security personnel are equipped with the requisite tools to prevent, investigate, and respond to cases of enforced disappearance.
“Enforced disappearance is the arrest, detention, abduction, or any form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the state, or by persons acting with the state’s support or consent followed by a refusal to acknowledge the detention or concealment of the person’s fate or whereabouts. It is, without question, a crime against humanity under international law.”
Madam Johm did not shy away from confronting the painful legacy of the Jammeh regime, adding that the then government used enforced disappearance as a brutal tool of repression.
“The TRRC has left a deep scar in the hearts of families who still don’t know what happened to their loved ones,” she said.
In a moment of solemn reflection, she called for a minute of silence, as many families still cling to hope however faint that their relatives may someday return.
“For years, some families hold on to hope, while others have given up, assuming their loved ones are dead. We must ensure that this never happens again.”
NHRC Vice Chairperson acknowledged the significant role that security and justice personnel played in past abuses and stressed the importance of educating them to prevent future violations.
“Many of those responsible for enforced disappearances were from the very institutions we are training here today like the Police, The Gambia National Army. May we never hear another officer say, I was just following orders.” she urged.
She welcomed the government’s ratification of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. However, she noted that domestic implementation remains pending, citing recommendations from the UN Committee on Enforced Disappearances.
To this end, she called for regular and specialized training for all personnel involved in detention and justice administration, including law enforcement, medical staff, judges and prosecutors.
“We are here not just to raise awareness but to cultivate accountability. Every justice and security officer must be fully trained in the legal frameworks that prohibit enforced disappearances and must act decisively to prevent them,” she added.
The NHRC official expressed her institution’s resolve to continue such trainings periodically in collaboration with Civil Society Organizations, the government and international partners.
