By Abdoulie John
The spokesperson of the collective Team Gom Sa Boppa, Yusuf Taylor, said Monday that the ongoing Security Sector Reform (SSR) is not on the right track, casting doubt on a gov’t initiative geared towards revamping the country’s security apparatus.
“From what we are seeing, the ongoing Security Sector Reform (SSR) is yet to make an impact,” he told reporters during a news conference jointly organised with #Occupy BAC and which was held at Alliance Franco-Gambienne, located along Kairaba Avenue.
Gambian authorities have launched series of constitutional and institutional reforms aimed at putting the country on the path of a modern democracy. However, clouds of uncertainty continue to hang over these processes as two people died in connection with alleged police brutality.
Taylor said Gambians expect true change in the security sector that would reconfigure the relationship between security forces and the people they are supposed to protect. He then cited the gruesome crimes being highlighted at the truth commission, deploring that some of the rogue elements who committed these crimes are still serving under the banner of the police or the army.
“The SSR needs to have immediate reform or else the public confidence will continue to erode,” he warned. “We want genuine and meaningful change in the security system.”
Meanwhile, Team Gom Sa Boppa and #Occupy BAC issued a statement containing 10 point demands, urging Gambian authorities to “collaborate with civil society to immediately meaningful security sector reforms” in order to restore the confidence in the security sector. The two collectives called on government to commission an independent inquiry panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the deaths of Kebba Secka and Ousman Darboe. “Security personnel must desist from unlawful arrests, torture and brutal treatment of people,” the dispatch added.
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