.... you can't handle the truth!!  At least that was a movie.

May the dead rest in peace.


Malanding


  Gambia, Ghana reaffirm bilateral relation

<http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/gambia-ghana-reaffirm-bilateral-relation#map>Africa 
<http://observer.gm/africa/news> » Gambia 
<http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/news>


Tuesday, July 07, 2009
Following a review and discussions on the findings of the joint 
UN-ECOWAS fact-finding team established in August 14, 2008, at the 
request of the governments of The Gambia and Ghana to facilitate efforts 
by both governments to bring about the peaceful resolution to the 
disappearance and killings of 8 people found within the territory of The 
Gambia.

The ministers of Foreign Affairs, Interior and Justice of both countries 
met recently at the headquarters of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, 
Nigeria, under the aegis of the UN and ECOWAS, to discuss and reaffirm 
their commitment to strengthen their traditionally cordial bilateral 
relations. They agreed that both governments extend their condolences to 
the families of the deceased and work towards strengthening the already 
existing cooperation in the exhumation and repatriation of the bodies to 
their families in Ghana so that they would be given fitting traditional 
burials.

Consistent with the findings of the fact-finding team, the two parties 
reiterated the fact that the Government of The Gambia is not directly or 
indirectly complicit in the deaths and disappearances of the Ghanaian 
nationals concerned. However, The Gambia Government agreed to make 
contributions to the families of the deceased found in its territory in 
conformity with the African traditional values shared by both countries. 
Both sides pledged to pursue, through all available means, to arrest and 
to prosecute all those involved in the deaths and the disappearance of 
the said late Ghanaians and the other ECOWAS nationals, especially those 
identified as culprits, according to the report.

The two countries agreed further to follow-up any future leads in the 
case of those suspected missing. And in recognition of the discovery 
that these Ghanaians and other ECOWAS nationals were victims of a human 
trafficking scam, and because of the regional dimension of the problem, 
both governments called on the ECOWAS member states to intensify efforts 
to identify and punish known traffickers with the support of the 
international community.

The two governments commended the facilitation of the UN and ECOWAS and 
the work of the fact-finding team.  They expressed optimism that the 
findings of the report and the implementation of the decisions of their 
meeting will help to restore and strengthen the traditionally cordial 
bilateral relations between the two countries.
Author: *by Musa Ndow & Augustus Mendy*

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