ECOWAS marks historic turning point by approving the creation of a Special Court for The Gambia.
The Conference of Heads of State of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), meeting on Sunday in Abuja for its 66th ordinary session, took a historic decision by approving the creation of a Special Court for The Gambia.
This jurisdiction, a first in the region, will be tasked with trying those responsible for serious human rights violations committed between July 1994 and January 2017, a period marked by the presidency of Yahya Jammeh, defeated in December 2016 by Adama Barrow.
This initiative builds on the recommendations of Gambia’s truth commission (TRRC), established by the government in 2018.
In its November 2021 report, the TRRC called for reparations, institutional reforms and prosecutions of those most responsible for crimes such as torture and inhumane treatment.
The tribunal, which will integrate elements of national and international law, will be based in The Gambia, with the possibility of holding hearings in a third country in the event of security constraints. It will bring together Gambian, regional and international judges and experts.
President Adama Barrow welcomed this major step forward, expressing his gratitude to ECOWAS and its partners for their support.
Gambia’s justice minister Dawda Jallow reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring justice and reconciliation for victims while working to build a more equitable society.
