(JollofNews) – The European Union announced aid worth 225 million euros (S$340 million) for The Gambia on Thursday (Feb 9) as President Adama Barrow warned that the nation was “virtually bankrupt” due to economic mismanagement by the former regime.
The EU froze assistance to The Gambia in December 2014 over the dire human rights record of ex-president Yahya Jammeh, whose security services were accused by rights groups of extrajudicial killings, torture and forced disappearances.
Barrow’s victory over Jammeh in December’s election is seen by foreign donors as a new chance for human rights and the rule of law to be better respected in the tiny west African nation.
Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, hailed “a peaceful democratic change in The Gambia” and said the bloc was “fully committed to engage with President Barrow and his government”.
Immediate financial assistance of 75 million euros would target food insecurity and unemployment and help improve the nation’s roads, the European Commission said in a statement.
A further 150 million euros would be disbursed following a future visit by an EU delegation, it added.
Barrow said in a speech at the signing of the aid deal that The Gambia had just two months of foreign exchange reserves left, and described “an economy that is virtually bankrupt and in need of immediate rescue”.
“Most public enterprises are debt-ridden and underperforming including the energy sector,” he said, adding that youth unemployment had rocketed.
Specific funding worth 11 million euros will go towards creating jobs for young people in a nation that currently sends the highest per capita number of migrants across the Mediterranean to Italy.
“To stem the current migration trend, it is crucial to step up job creation and create more meaningful income opportunities at home,” said Trade Minister Isatou Touray.
Jammeh is accused by Gambians of land grabs and taking over businesses for his personal gain, while new Interior Minister Mai Fatty alleged last month the ex-president took US$11 million from state coffers before heading for exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Foreign Minister Ousainou Darboe said human rights concerns would be “speedily addressed” by the new administration, and that the process of rejoining the International Criminal Court would begin soon.
The Gambia notified the United Nations in November that it would withdraw from the ICC on Jammeh’s orders.
Why are they saying Yahya stole money from the Gambian gov? http://www.channelstv.com/2017/01/24/gambias-central-bank-account-intact-barrows-spokesman-says/
http://www.reuters.com/article/gambia-politics-cenbank-idUSL5N1FD599
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-4149080/Gambias-central-bank-intact–says-President-Barrows-spokesman.html
or are these reputable news feed lying again?
€300m for gay marriage gay laws in The Gambia from today none in this government can speak out against gays in The Gambia they accept and act against those who criticises homosexuality , €300m or Islam we have to choose one unfortunately we will go for the money, shut up Islamic council ,, make sure never free money you have to sacrifice 🙁 shame poor countries
#peace= where in this article did they say the money is for gay rights? Homosexuality has been in this world since the prophet’s time and it is not the only sin forbidden by Islam. The supreme Islamic council and Islamic scholars in the Gambia have to work very hard to gain people’s respect because they have not been upholding morality and ethics of Islam in Yahya’s time. Most of them have deliberately lied about the teachings of the Quran just to please Yahya in order to receive brown envelopes from him. They idly stood by and watch whilst Yahya and his criminal gang mete out horrendous atrocities on innocent defenceless Gambians. I believe those crimes have far wider impact on Gambians than certain individuals’ sexual preferences. In a democracy people’s rights are protected and one of those rights is the right not to be discriminated against because of one’s sexuality. We may not agree with it but that’s democracy. We cannot choose which rights to protect and which to abuse because it’s a slippery slope once we start doing that. We either protect all rights even the ones we don’t like or abuse all rights including the ones we held esteem. Personally, I will protect everyone’s rights. I do not agree with some of the views express on this forum but I will defend the rights of anyone to freedom of expression. It should not be hard for Islamic scholars to be consistent in what they preach, let them just preach what’s in the Quran and stop being hypocrites. They can’t preach against gays one minute and the next minute praise people who have children outside wedlock and those who torture, rape and kill innocent Gambians because later will give them money. Where was the Supreme Islamic Council when Imam Baba Leigh was detained and tortured? Where were they when Imam Ba Kawsu was being persecuted? Let me tell you where they were, licking Yahya’s backside. So president Barrow should not listen to them because they are a bunch of hypocrites.
Quite right @Buba Sanyang. This peacemaker of a grim reaper needs help. He should know about the doom on Loth is not a recent history at all if he is interested in having an idea when it all started.
I doubt if grumbling men like grim reaper/peacemaker; if he is a man…, are well at ease with their one and only ones ha ha ha. I am happy if my one and only knows where I am. You better show yours where you are#PEACE#. Please help him Buba, because not all of us have an ability to help people like SAD #PEACE# understand with their common sense.
Okay,according to Quran you can’t be Muslim and same time a gay, you can ask,,,,You can not swear with coran in the right hand and accept the homosexuality, which condemns homosexuality, you have to choose one, to be homosexual and another to be muslim but never both at the same time, it is clear and I do not say it myself
Who gonna make people Muslim. Is it an idiot lik yu. Are you gonna go against other citizens because they are not a Muslim or a Muslim of your idea. You cannot be a hypocrite an be a Muslim. Do you know it? Look at this dung head talking, ”I do not say it myself”! This is how people speek when they wanna soun like some kinda prophet or something come down on earth from the heavens. You sound like no one heard the Quran like you and one who depends on Western Union money transfers despite you lack appetite for the E.U Euros to the Gambia. Like guy, Bourne said up, if you are man, i doubt you cool with your wife. If you are really cool with her you won’t know the latter exists in the Gambia.
Be careful swearing by the Quran in your right hand for every little thing because if you do, perfection in all aspoects life is what would be expected to prevail in yourselve’s being otherwise doom.Probably a bit supersticious of myself to believe so but this is exactly my individual belief.
You probably need help from @Buba, outside the forums. You and myself likely can’t have a matured live debate. It will get messy as once upon a time I used to train my mule some vital lessons. I bet even those with a professional teachers certificate will find it heard to put something in your head #PEACE#. Thanks and keep it up Mr. Sanyang helping citizens like #PEACE#.
Bourne I doubt if anything can get through this guys thick skull but personally I would not let the likes of him to sow the seed of hatred in the Gambia because for evil to flourish, it only requires good people to do nothing.
Imams are strong like or not we will ask them to explain everything from A to Z if that hurts you then you know what to do, again hypocrite are always insult impose blaming and same time Democracy, what do think if we ask an referendum about ?? All western countries have done it asking citizens,Gambia is a Muslim country like or not it’s
#peace = there is a difference between condemning the act of homosexuality and persecuting gays. You are no better Muslim than me. Our only difference is that I believe that Allah will judge us all on our individual acts whilst you think you can play God on earth. Am guessing you are part of the few who has only recently started practicing Islam. The fact that you spelt Quran as “coran” shows that you lack the intellect to understand and apply Quranic verses in Islam. I do not have to ask Imams everything from A to Z because I can read and understand Islamic literature perhaps better than some Imams because some Imams only read the Quran but not Islamic literature which teaches us the adaptability of the Holy Quran to every generation. Let me give you few examples, cars, trains, planes printing press and internet, all these are not mentioned directly in the Quran but when one reads Islamic literature written by eminent Muslim scholars one will understand better how Quran dealt with such issues. Gambia is not a Muslim country, it is a majority Muslim country. You and people like you can spin that anyhow you like but it won’t change the fact that we are a secular nation where all are equal in the eyes of the law. Even if a referendum and the law forbids homosexuality, it won’t be up to me and you to enforce it but the police. You did not answer my question on where in the article above was gay rights mentioned? If you think by shouting Islam, Muslim and Quran will get you off the hook you are very mistaken. You can’t hide behind Islam to spew vile hatred of others. If you don’t have anything constructive to contribute to the topic being discussed then I suggest you give your pea size brain a rest. Wait till there’s a debate on the law regarding gay rights to make stupid comments.
Good governance http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/gambia-breaking-news-gambian-state-spends-over-d-1-million-dalasis-weekly-for-president-barrows-office-upkeep-at-kairaba-hotel/
#peace= President Barrow would not have been using Kairaba as his office if Yahya had done the right thing and handed over power peacefully and he and his supporters have not looted the state house bare. Before jumping to conclusions try and establish what’s the normal running cost of the proper state house. Pa Nderry said in his editorial that the people having hotel meals paid for them are staffers. He is just being sensational or just deliberately ignoring the fact that 10 of them are security personnel there to protect the president. Gambian soldiers have always have their meals at the expense of the state when on duty. If anyone should be investigated, it is the so call Secretary General. I cannot understand why president Barrow kept that man. This is the second time that this SG has been linked to controversial spending. The charges seem inflated. The Auditor General should look into it. President Barrow needs to make his own political appointments and get rid of all Jammeh appointments. Most of them are unscrupulous.