For 21 years the small West African State of the Gambia has been held hostage by their government. The fundamental primary duty of any government is to protect the lives, liberty and security of its citizens. The highest moral duty of any government is to protect its children and the most vulnerable; the young, the elderly, the disable mentally and physically in society. The ultimate success and failure of any society is measured by its ability to love and nurture generations of heritage that will be the responsible bearers of that nation.
Gambia government’s seeds of impunity; complete disregard for life, liberty, dignity and freedom of the Gambian people were implanted on April 10th & 11th, 2000 student demonstration in the Gambia. This was the day when President Jammeh and his government tested the moral fortitude of Gambians. This was the day the government did a litmus test on Gambians’ faith, the love for their children and their courage to stand up for what is morally right to protect innocent citizens. April 10th & 11th was the day Yahya Jammeh got complete taste of the level of tolerance Gambians will accept from him no matter what.
The fundamental questions to ask are what is more precious than the lives of children to families and to the government? If a people cannot defend the lives and liberties of their children, what else could they defend. Certainly not their liberty, dignity and political sovereignty. Jammeh knew right then that if he takes away the lives of school children standing against his authority and no one stands to defend it, then there was nothing else the people will defend against the government. This gave him total impunity to impose on the people what he wants, when he wants it and how he wants it. That is how Jammeh took control of the lives of Gambians and everything Gambian for 21 years. It is the highest moral failure of a people and nation.
The Gambian people and every sector of society and institution in the country; from religious leaders, community leaders, the bar association, workers’ union, the press union, teachers’ union, student union transport unions, independent civil societies to political parties all are culpable of the highest moral failure to defend Gambia’s children who were massacred with live bullets and some maimed for life. Not a single institution came out to defend the liberty of these children or demand the government to fully investigate and bring to justice the culprits who shot dead 14 innocent students and a Red Cross volunteer on April 10th & 11th 2000. Not a single institution; political or otherwise filed a lawsuit to demand Gambian courts to take a position and hold the government accountable for failure to exercise restraint in protecting the lives of school children. In any decent society with abiding faith, sense of patriotism and love for the young and most vulnerable in society, citizens would have challenged the courts at the very least to compensate the families of those who lost their lives in the hands of the security and take full responsibility for medical treatment and life sustenance of those injured. Instead families have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves and their victims.
April 10th & 11th is the darkest day in the history of the Gambia and will forever be remembered as the highest moral failure of the Gambian people. It was the beginning of impunity that has manifested itself in every sector of society. It was what gave president Jammeh the license to arrest, detain, imprison and kill any citizens without due process and or accountability. It all started on that faithful day when precious lives of children were riddled with bullets in broad day light. That event was what emboldened Yahya Jammeh to believe that Gambia belongs to him and that he grands and take lives as he wishes. The Gambian people must stop the excuse of playing victim to Yahya Jammeh. The government no matter how long must be held accountable to the lives and liberty of these young children. The families must be fully compensated and the surviving victims giving the medical treatment they deserve. The buck begins and ends with every Gambian to stand up and demand the full and unconditional accountability on Yahya Jammeh, Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy, the then interior minister and the House of Parliament who are all culpable in enabling Yahya Jammeh to continue to oppress the Gambian people with impunity. Decent Gambians will always remember these heroes who stood up when no one will and paid the ultimate price. It is not enough to remember them, but we must do whatever we can to ensure that justice is rendered on behalf of the victims. May the victims’ souls rest in eternal peace.