Less than a year into his tenure as the chairperson of the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations, the former minister and journalist Demba Ali Jawo has submitted his resignation, citing ‘personal reasons,’ which has led to widespread speculation about the underlying reasons.
In a statement, the outspoken journalist and former Minister of Information under Barrow, Jawo, stated:
“For these past few days, I have been inundated with calls wanting to confirm whether I have indeed resigned as chairman of the management board of the National Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations (the Victims’ Center). Yes, I have tendered my resignation as chairman of the Victims’ Center since 12th June, 2024, which was prompted purely by personal reasons and nothing to do with any grievances against anyone or anything in particular.”
The DA was elected to office in October 2023 during a congress convened by the Victims Center.
“When I was unanimously elected as chair in September 2023, I had my own preconceived ideas about how I intended to carry out my functions. However, as time went on, it dawned on me that the situation on the ground was not the same as I had anticipated and no matter how hard I had tried, I was not able to fit in the existing equation. Therefore, I thought it was only fair that I stepped down to give chance to someone else to take over and probably steer the Center to safer waters.”
