Gambia Will Remain Prominent On EU’s Agenda

UK Minister for Africa, James Duddridge

The United Kingdom government has promised to ensure that the Gambia remains prominent on the European Union’s agenda. This assurance — made to the Campaigan for Rights in The Gambia UK(CHRG) — came after the EU Parliament issued a joint statement condemning the Gambia government’s excessive use of force against the peaceful opposition protesters. 

“The UK’s position on this issue is firm: human rights are universal and must apply equally to all people,” the UK Minister for Africa James Duddridge said. “UK will therefore, continue to urge the Gambian government to fully guarantee the fundamental rights of all Gambian people”.

Responding to concerns of Rt Hon Tom Brake MP, Liberal Democrat Foreign Affairs spokesperson and former deputy leader of the House of Commons at the request of CHRG-UK on what the UK government is doing to put pressure on the Gambia government to release peaceful protestors, Minister Duddridge said his government has raised the issue through the ongoing EU-Gambia Article 8 Political Dialogue on human rights on April 26, 2016.

“We will continue to press the Gambian government on this. We have raised our concerns on a number of occasions with senior members of the Gambian government. I share your concerns about Gambias poor human rights record.As the only EU member state to have a resident ambassador in Gambia, the UK plays a leading role in campaigning for human rights in The Gambia and in ensuring that the issue remains prominent on the EUs agenda”.

Mr Duddridge said following the Gambia government’s crackdown on peaceful protestors, the UK Ambassador to the Gambia immediately raised UK’s concerns with Gambian Foreign Minister.

“On the multilateral front the UK has voiced its concerns at the United Nations when the Gambia’shuman rights records was evaluated as part of the Universal Periodic Review. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office also focus on Gambia`s record in its 2015 Annual Human Rights and Democracy Report.”

Minister Duddridge also pointed out that the UK support a number of projects in the Gambia to tpromote democracy and human rights. “These projects range from supporting the training of women, paralegals and law enforcement agencies on human rights. At a local level, we have also supported projects in human rights based approach to citizen participation in local government.”

Rt Hon Brake was delighted about the progress being made on the Gambia.  “I am pleased to hear that Mr Duddridge tells me that the ambassador in Gambia immediately raised our concerns with Gambian Foreign Minister. I am also pleased to also hear that the UK is supporting human rights projects within the Gambia,” Hon Brake said.

Ends

4 Comments

  1. Yes and yes to peaceful Human rights witch mean respect for everyone’s religions and opinions not just ur gay law to Muslim country’s like Gambia

  2. Thank you, Mr. Duddridge for the evident consistence in the U.K’s efforts in making Gambia prominent on the E.U’s agenda. It is quite evident since projects like the Vso in the Gambia that the U.K has been second to none in the Gambia’s human resources development processes after Independence. One simple example of the latter is the amount of scholarships, students visas and family reunion visas the U.K has issued to Gambians over the last half century. For such being my observation, is why I considered the the A.U, the ECOWAS, the international community, the U.K and the U.S just competent enough, to be allies in restoring a civil democratic society in the Gambia. I think the U.K and the U.S have a much more clear picture or, care more about the Gambia and Gambians than many E.U countries, some of which through experience, demonstrate lack of respect to the likes of Gambians, sometimes even through social media and public institutions and facilities.
    Far from this @Soninke’s meddling hypocrisy , Gambia has always been a free country where people can belong to any faith that suits their religious taste. I rather worship the mountains and clouds, where religion is used as a tool for generating hypocrisy and hatred in the midst of un-alphabetised and impoverished population. My guess of people like @Soninke is that, he may have destroyed his very families first in the Gambia to have this lenght of horns protruding his head top. The believe that your devotion to God will make you realised your evil heart’s desire will send your soul straight into the furnaces of hell. Your rare personalities in the Gambia are the most stumbling block in the process to restore a democratic civil society.

  3. Ggapm, I acquiesce fully to your line of reasoning regarding the aforementioned UK stance on the arbitrariness taking place in Gambia. The rare likes of people conferring on themselves such names as soninke (name associated with our proud ancient African mythology) , are bound to discredit any efforts geared towards restoring sanity. They will dismiss the west as imperialist and insult any african who dare not share their grievances of victim-hood and the inevitable appetite for revenge at all cost up to self destruction.
    The future of the Gambia has just slipped away from them and no amount of propaganda or Santa-Yalla will bring an established peace while they reign in the Gambia through brute force.

    Game Over!

  4. Kinteh, I think this point has been well propounded in Hon.Ousainou Darboe’s letter of moral upliftment to citizens. This should be every sane Gambian and Africans point of consciousness, [when one hears racist western leaders in their inverted racial undertones of arrogating basic universal values to their particular race, Gambians, and any under similar fascist outfits, can only nod in shame of resignation for forfeiting our rights to such values.] This is exactly what I couldn’t write for me all the while.
    @Soninke I guess, is mythical in person and I am just trying to get him real. He is the one who makes you look like a hypocrite yourself and so is why God curses hypocrisy. They will lie, they will be scrupulous, they will be greedy and they will be every evil but, would not like to look like one, if not to make you look like one. Hypocrisy in a small country like the Gambia is disastrous and underdeveloping.

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