President Yahya Jammeh ruled The Gambia for 22 years before stepping down in 2017. Credit: UN Photo/Erin Siegal.

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Table of contents:

• The follow-up
  • Sudan’s ‘March of Millions’
• What everyone is talking about
  • Gambia’s women speak up
• What we are talking about
  • Kenya stays coal-free… for now
• Continental Health Corner
  • Africa’s new epidemic
• Hear this word
  • Don’t judge by one game
• Report of the week
  • Ending illicit financial flows
• What else?
  • If you have time, read these!

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Free segment: What everyone is talking about

The Gambia’s women speak up

The essentials: A beauty queen has accused former Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh, of sexual assault. Fatou Jallow alleges Jammeh raped her in the Gambian state house while he was in power and when she was only 18. But it’s not just her. Human Rights Watch says three more women have stepped forward to reveal they were also assaulted by Jammeh while he was president.

The context: The allegations were made public following rights groups’ investigations into Jammeh’s exploitation of women. The ex-dictator has been accused of human rights abuses including forced disappearances of opposition figures, summary executions, arbitrary detention, torture and, now, rape. Jammeh allegedly abused several of the ‘protocol girls’ who worked with him. The dictator also forced many people to take an experimental HIV cure, leading to the death of some patients. He was forced to step down in 2016 following Adama Barrow’s victory at the polls.

The good: The women were able to speak up about their assault thanks to the Gambian Truth, Reparations and Reconciliation Commission set up by President Barrow. The Commission is helping a deflated Gambia heal from the rule of Jammeh’s brutal junta. Although hurtful, seeking out the truths of atrocities committed by the regime is important to seek redress. The Commission is recording rights violations on a massive scale: Victims and former officials have testified against Jammeh since the Commission’s first sitting this January.

The bad: Yahya Jammeh, who is in exile in Equatorial Guinea, may be shielded from trial. While other West African leaders stepped in to ensure he released power to Barrow in 2016, Equatorial Guinea contributed by agreeing to house the dictator. No surprises there. Its head of state, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is also a dictator.

The future: Human Rights Watch advocates are collecting more evidence and pushing for Jammeh’s criminal prosecution. There will likely be more allegations of sexual abuse and rights violations as the Commission’s investigations continue. President Barrow says the state will pursue possible extradition after the Commission presents a report.

• Gambia: Women Accuse Ex-President of Sexual Violence (Human Rights Watch)
• A Beauty Queen Accuses Former Gambian President of Rape: ‘I Literally Stumbled Out of There’ (The New York Times)
• Gambia’s ex-president Yahya Jammeh accused of rape and sexual assault (CNN)
• A former beauty queen accuses Gambia’s former dictator of rape (The Economist)
• Q&A: How Jammeh rape allegations were uncovered (The Mail & Guardian)
• Gambian pageant winner accuses ex-president Yahya Jammeh of rape(The Guardian)

Discuss with @Shollytupe on Twitter

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The Africa Insiders’ Newsletter is a collaboration between AfricanArguments.org and @PeterDoerrie, with contributions from @_andrew_green, @shollytupe, and assistance from Stella Nantongo. Part of the subscription revenue is funding in-depth and freely accessible reporting and analysis on African Arguments.