“Plans are still in place to carry this very important memorisation initiative that we believe will bring much needed closure to the victims of the former president and that will also serve as a testament of our resolve to ensure that these atrocities never reoccur in The Gambia,” he stressed.
The minister’s response came amid a question by the National Assembly Member (NAM) for Kombo South Constituency, Kebba K. Barrow regarding the status of implementation of the Never Again Memorial Arch and the inscription of the names of the victims of former dictator Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh on the arch.
“Following the release of the White Paper which conveys the president’s intention to rename the Arch, the government set to work on the elaborate implementation plan,” the Minister said. “This plan was finalised, approved by cabinet and released on 12th of May 2023. This plan recognises the fact that memorialisation will need to be elaborated and consultative. Accordingly, the plan envisages the setting up of a steering committee under the National Center for Arts and Culture NCAC to spearhead the memorialisation efforts in the third quarter of 2023. Consultation will also be held with victims and victims lead organisations on the development and implementation of the comprehensive national memorialisation framework.”
He assured that the government does not intend this to be the only memorialisation project “but intends to carry out several memorialisation initiatives across the country in consultations with the victims and victims led organissations and under the guidance of the steering committee.”
He also pointed out that the soldiers who lost their lives in Kartong and Farafenni attack were not recognised as victims. However, he recalls they are formally recognised as victims in the White Paper and their families will be entitled to any form of compensation that any other victims will be receiving.”
