Ghana signs
compensation package with Gambia on the murder of six
Ghanaians
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot
Accra, July 3, Ghanadot - The Government of Ghana has signed a compensation package
with its Gambian counterpart for the families of six
Ghanaians identified in the Gambian killings.
Ghana’s Deputy Minister for Information, Samuel Okudzeto
Ablakwa, however stated that the package does not prevent
the two countries to call for further investigations.
The agreement was signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Regional Integration, Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni and his
Gambian counterpart Dr Omar Alieu Touray, and witnessed by
Mr Ojo Maduekwe, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, who
is also the Chairman of ECOWAS Council of Ministers and Dr
Asha-Rose Migiro, Deputy Secretary General of the UN.
The President of Ghana, Professor John Evans Atta Mills and
President Yahyah Jammeh of Gambia reaffirmed their
condolences to the bereaved families after the signing
ceremony in Sirte, Libya.
The two presidents are attending the 13th Ordinary Session
of the African Union and the asked the issue to be put to
rest for the two countries to forge ahead.
They described the event as unfortunate and expressed thanks
to the United Nations and the Economic Community for West
African States (ECOWAS) for their roles in establishing the
facts of the unfortunate incident. "We are happy to see
light at the end," President Mills said.
"Let's move on from here.... Truth never hides. Like a cork,
it will come to the surface when submerged."
While expressing his condolences to the families, President
Mills called on the two nations to look ahead and forge
ahead together to reach the ultimate goal of improving the
lot of their peoples. "Let's move on, time is not on our
side," President Mills said. President Jammeh, who described
Ghana as Gambia's best friend, recalled the friendly
relations between the two countries and the mutual
assistance each had given the other.
He said the issue had been blown out of proportion for
political gains and was emphatic that the killings had not
come from Gambian security forces.
While the government of Gambia suspected ritual killings,
Ghanaian leaders staying in both Ghana Town and the Ghana
Embassy in Gambia denied knowing the victims with the
explanation that the victims had no identification.
President Jammeh said there was an initial allegation that
150 Ghanaians had been killed but the report showed that six
Ghanaians and two other nationals were killed.
President Jammeh said the issue was the greatest accusation
he had faced since his assumption of office.
"We have been treated as villains even at the Commonwealth,"
President Jammeh said, adding that he would not hesitate to
admit the killings if Gambia security forces were
responsible.
"There are about 10,000 Ghanaians making a living in Gambia.
I've always been consoled by my clear conscience. We have
death penalty in Gambia but we have never implemented it.
This issue has hurt me so much."
"We are very grateful that this chapter is closed. We have
forgotten all we have gone through," President Jammeh said.
Under the MOU, the two nations agreed that their governments
would co-operate in the exhumation and repatriation of the
bodies of the victims to their families in Ghana so that
they would be given befitting burials.
The Report of the UN-ECOWAS Fact Finding Team, commissioned
on August 14, 2008 at the request of the governments of the
Gambia and Ghana, acknowledged that the "Gambia is not
directly or indirectly complicit in the deaths and
disappearances of the Ghanaian nationals concerned."
Nevertheless, the Gambian government agreed to make
contributions to the families of the six Ghanaians found
dead in its territory in conformity with African traditional
values shared by both countries. Both Ghana and Gambia
pledged to pursue, through all available means, the arrests
and persecution of all those involved in the deaths and
disappearances of the Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals,
especially those identified as culprits in the report.
Both countries agreed to follow up on any other future leads
in the case of those suspected missing.
The Report recognised that the dead and the disappeared were
victims of a human trafficking scam and because of the
regional dimension of the problem, both governments called
on ECOWAS member states, with the support of the
international community, to intensify efforts to identify
and punish known traffickers.
The two governments commended the facilitation of the UN and
the ECOWAS and the work of the fact-finding team. They
expressed optimism that the findings of the report and the
implementation of the decisions of their meeting would help
to restore and strengthen the traditional cordial bilateral
relations between the two countries.
However, civil society organizations in Ghana led by the
Commonwealth Human Rights are further pushing for more
investigations to ascertain the mysterious murder of the
Ghanaians.
Ghanadot
