President Barrow’s Saddest Day

President Adama Barrow has described the Faraba incident, which led to the killing of three civilians, as one of the “the saddest days” of his life.

“We cannot afford a repetition of what used to obtain [to take place] in the new Gambia. Yesterday was the saddest day of my life since I became President of this country because it [the incident] made me reflect deep and hard about what we went through to achieve the freedom we enjoy today.”

The President made the remarks during a solemn visit to the victims of the violence and their families at the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul on Tuesday. The visit accorded the President and his senior officials the opportunity to empathize and offer the full support of the government to provide full medical treatment at the expense of the state.

President Barrow said what happened in Faraba is deeply regrettable and unacceptable by any standard. He promised never to be repeated under his watch.

“The loss of lives has changed the whole game. However, it saddened me and I was completely disappointed in the attitude of the police who did not act professionally in handling the crisis,” President Barrow told representatives of the Faraba Banta community while announcing that a thorough investigation has been launched to leave no stone unturned in ensuring justice and accountability.

President Barrow took time to chat with some of the patients, enquiring about the kind of treatments given and how they are responding to it.

Nfally Jarjusey who spoke on behalf of the Faraba Banta Community held that the President’s visit and encouragement mean a lot to the community and expressed huge appreciation and gratitude for the gesture.

“Lives lost cannot be returned but coming here to show sympathy and solidarity with us goes a long way towards the healing,” Mr. Jarjusey said.

Nfally Fadera

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