By Alieu Famara Sagnia
On Wednesday, 26 October 2016, the “Gambia Leaves ICC” was the front-page headline news of The Point newspaper in Banjul.
“As from today, Tuesday 25th October 2016, we are no longer a member of the ICC”, announced Sheriff Bojang, at the time the minister of Information in the government of Yahya Jammeh.
The announcement was in a televised statement over GRTS, according to The Point.
It added: “Minister Sheriff Bojang said the government has started to complete the withdrawal process as stipulated in the statutes that established the court.”
Actually, according to the said statute, it would have taken one year before the Gambian state could completely withdraw. Meanwhile, within that one-year period, the country was still bound by its obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute.
Bojang, The Point went on, “said the government’s decision to withdraw from the court is warranted by the fact that ‘the ICC despite being called the International Criminal Court is, in fact, the International Caucasian Court for the persecution and humiliation of people of color, especially Africans’ ”.
The court “showed its true colors…when it declared that the ICC will not indict Tony Blair for war crimes.”
The former British prime minister, Tony Blair, is today a highly-honored guest whenever he comes to Banjul, where his Tony Blair Institute reportedly has at the Office of the President a desk officer who advises the government of President Adama Barrow.
Back to The Point newspaper story:
“Meanwhile, Mr Bojang said the Gambia had taken the a European Union to the ICC about a year ago for the mass murder (genocide) of thousands of young Africans on European coastal waters, but nothing has been heard from the ICC”.
The Point newspaper on Tuesday February 14, 2017 returned to the ICC story again with the front-page news item: “Gambia rescinds withdrawal process from ICC”.
This time, the paper again citing GRTS as its source, reported that “the government of the Gambia has decided to rescind its earlier decision to withdraw from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, ICC.
It revealed that “this was formalized through a letter sent to the ICC to that effect on 10 January, 2017 from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Banjul.
The letter said Adama Barrow, “president of the Republic of the Gambia” – even though he was yet to be properly sworn in, and even before the term of office of President Yahya Jammeh officially ended at midnight on January 19, 2017 – again, according to the country’s constitution – had made a “commitment and public pronouncements” to rescind the decision of the Gambia’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Consequently, “a formal letter to that effect was sent to the Secretary General of the United Nations, on 19th January 2017 by the minister of Foreign Affairs, who at the time was Ousainou Darboe.
The Gambia government notified Antonio Guterres in his capacity as the depository of the Rome Statute of the decision to discontinue the withdrawal process which was started in November 2016.
Guterres was further informed in the letter that the Gambia still considers herself as a state party to the statute of the ICC, and will continue to honor its obligations.
“As a new government that has committed itself to the promotion of human rights, democracy, good governance and respect for the rule of law, we reaffirm the Gambia’s commitment to the principles enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
“This action is in line with our vision of a new democratic Gambia.”
