A wave of protests in Gambia over the sale of assets once owned by ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh resulted in the detention of at least 27 protesters and two journalists, police confirmed Monday. All those arrested were later released.
The unrest erupted in Banjul, the West African nation’s capital, following a report by local journalists accusing the government of offloading Jammeh’s properties at undervalued prices. The demonstration was spearheaded by a civic group known as Gambians Against Looted Assets, or GALA, AP reported.
Responding to the public backlash, the government issued a statement Monday defending the transaction process.
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“At all times, the government acted within the confines of the law and in the public interest,” the Ministry of Justice asserted, adding that the sale followed a “legally grounded process.”
GALA, however, rejected the government’s stance, criticizing law enforcement for blocking their right to assemble.
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“We condemn the (Inspector General of the Police) denial of our rights to protest and we will take none of it. We call on all Gambians to stand in opposition to this unlawful behavior of the police and come out in the thousands to take to the streets,” said Omar Saibo Camara, the group’s spokesperson, at a recent news conference.
In the aftermath of Jammeh’s ousting, a government-backed commission was established in 2017 to investigate the financial activities of the former president and his close circle.
By the conclusion of its work on September 13, 2019, the commission reported that Jammeh had siphoned as much as $362 million from the national coffers.
His 22-year rule was marred by a legacy of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, torture, forced disappearances, and executions, according to rights groups. Journalists, political adversaries, and LGBTQ individuals were among those persecuted.
Yahya Jammeh is currently living in exile in Equatorial Guinea.
