44 murdered Ghanaians: We're disappointed – Families

Families of the 44 Ghanaians who were killed in the Gambia in 2005 and the known lone survivor of that massacre, Martin Kyere, are asking government to share with them, its course of action on their case, following the confessions by two Gambian soldiers that they participated in the killings on the orders of Yahya Jammeh, ex-president of the Gambia.

A statement signed by Mr Kyere on behalf of the victims’ families and himself, said “government had not reached out to them or informed the public about its course of action to secure justice for them following the widely publicised confessions by the two Gambian soldiers, Lieutenant Malick Jatta and Corporal Omar A. Jallow at the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) last month”.

The statement expressed disappointment and said that in spite of the live video confessions by the two soldiers, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ms Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey noted at a Meet-the-Press series recently, that no linkage had been established about Mr Jammeh’s complicity.

The statement recalled that in a letter dated, 18 July 2019 and addressed to the Information Minister, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the group indicated that it had been over a year since the government announced that it was studying their request to bring former President of The Gambia, Mr Jammeh, to justice in order to determine the best course of action.

They are, therefore, requesting an update on the outcome of the said review, as well as, the next course of action to seek justice for their family members who were killed, adding that they are yet to receive a response.