People across The Gambia are discussing the 2024 draft constitution as it moves toward an important vote next month. Former UN leader Mohammed Ibn Chambas, who represents the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), is working with many groups to help them reach an agreement.
The National Assembly will hold its second reading of the bill on March 27. This date creates pressure for Mr. Chambas as he meets with everyone involved. He has spoken with President Adama Barrow, opposition leaders, civil society organizations, the media, and National Assembly Members.
During a busy meeting yesterday with media, civil groups, and political parties, Chambas shared surprising news. President Barrow and opposition...
A report from the Institute of Security Studies claims that ECOWAS troops staying in The Gambia hurt the country's independence. These troops, called Ecomig, first came in January 2017 after former president Yahya Jammeh refused to step down when he lost the election.
Ecomig was meant to keep the peace during the change in power, but their stay kept getting longer. Many people believe these troops mainly protect President Adama Barrow instead of helping fix security problems, which makes more and more Gambians unhappy about foreign soldiers in their country.
The ISS report states that having these troops for such a long time stops The Gambia from running itself fully and making needed changes. "The mission came in January 2017 to...
The police leader, Mr. Seedy Touray, told people yesterday that his officers caught ten young people driving cars in dangerous ways. The police took these young drivers to court because they did stunts in Brusubi.
Many people see videos every day showing teens doing risky tricks with cars on roads. People worry about these actions and want the police to stop them. Mr. Touray said what these young drivers do is very bad.
Mr. Touray said police work hard to catch these drivers, but the teens keep changing where they do the stunts. He explained, "We learn they plan to meet at one place. We send police there, but the drivers go somewhere else. When we arrive, they have left. We did arrest many of them anyway."
The police leader thinks...
The police boss, Mr. Seedy Touray, had to fix a big problem yesterday. A police lady named Binta Njie posted something on Facebook about a man who was mean to people from Kiang. The man, Mr. Baboucar Bahoum, said the people of Kiang were not thankful after they did not vote for his party.
Ms. Njie comes from Kiang. She felt bad about what Mr. Bahoum said. She wrote on Facebook that his words could make people angry with each other. Her bosses at the police station did not like that she wrote this. They called her to talk about it.
Mr. Touray told people at a meeting that police workers must not talk about politics. He said every police person can like a political party but cannot show it. He said nobody was mean to Ms. Njie when they...
People from The Gambia went to Vienna, Austria. Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie led this group. They talked about nuclear energy with important people at the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The boss of the agency, Rafael Mariano Grossi, met with them. They talked about keeping nuclear materials safe. Mr. Njie thanked Mr. Grossi for the meeting. He said The Gambia wants to work with the agency. The Gambia cares about nuclear safety and wants good rules to help the world be safer.
Mr. Njie said, "We know our job matters, and we can be good friends to the agency." Mr. Grossi was happy to meet the visitors from The Gambia. He said it matters when people who make laws come to talk. These lawmakers help make rules about nuclear safety.
"This...
Gambians who live in the United Kingdom came together at Methodist Central Hall in Westminster to celebrate their country's independence from Britain sixty years ago. The Gambia High Commission in London helped make this big party happen.
Many important people came to the party. Some were from Africa, and some worked for the British government. High Commissioner Fatou Bensouda gave a big speech. She talked about how everyone needs to be kind to each other, just like their national song says. She asked people to think about the words in their national song and remember the long road to freedom.
Dr. Bensouda thanked the early leaders who helped The Gambia become free. She also said nice things about President Adama Barrow on this...
Mr. Seedy Keita, who takes care of money for The Gambia, met with seven important people from the African Development Bank. They talked about working together to help The Gambia grow stronger.
Mr. Keita thanked the Bank for building the Senegambia Bridge. This bridge helps people travel between countries and sell things to each other. The Bank also helped The Gambia make electricity that keeps the air clean.
The Bank gave money to farmers who grow rice. The farmers want to grow enough rice for everyone in The Gambia to eat. Mr. Keita said this helps the country a lot.
The Bank helped make computers work at places where taxes are collected. This made The Gambia collect 75% more money in less than two years! Mr. Keita said they need to...
The people of Senegal made a big step toward peace. The government of Senegal talked with a group called the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance. They signed a paper saying they wanted to stop fighting, which has gone on for more than 40 years!
Casamance is a special part of Senegal. It sits below a tiny country called Gambia. The land there grows lots of food. People from Casamance felt the main government did not help them. They wanted to run their area by themselves.
Back in 1982, people from Casamance marched to ask for help. The march turned into a fight. After that, many people grabbed guns and hid in the woods. They made a group led by a priest named Father Augustin. Since then, many people have died because of the...
NICE Trust taught reporters from the Hora Press Club in Mzimba how to find hidden stories. These reporters learned ways to discover important problems in their communities and how to show when leaders need to do better jobs.
Aaron Luhanga works for NICE in Mzimba. He said reporters help people know what happens with public services. "Reporters can find weak spots in how things work," Luhanga said. "They make sure leaders do what they promise and help people who cannot speak up for themselves."
Luhanga asked all reporters to be honest and careful when they write stories. He said people must trust what reporters say. Blessings Gondwe from Hora Press Club felt happy about what they learned. She said reporters will write better stories...
