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“I have great respect for him (Demba Ali Jawo) and it’s hard to say I’m disappointed in him, but that’s the truth: I’m disappointed in him. When I saw the contents of that letter, I was disappointed,” Lamine Sey said at a press conference at the Senegambia Victims Centre headquarters yesterday.
“I’m not speaking on behalf of the Victims’ Centre, but I’m personally disappointed in him.”
Mr. Sey said he had expected the former board chairman to present his plans for the institution to the secretariat and the board, but he never discussed his preconceived ideas with any of the cadres. Instead, he simply resigned and claimed that he could not “fit in” with the existing system at the victims’ center.
On June 12, 2024, Mr. Jawo submitted his resignation letter to the secretary of the board of directors of the Victims Center, claiming that he could not “adapt” to the existing system of the center.
“As far as we know the chairman of the board never had any grievance against us or anyone in the institution,” the board secretary said. “He claimed some grievance but never discussed that grievance with the secretariat.”
Adama Jallow, the National Coordinator of the Victims Centre, thanked Mr. Jawo for his dedicated service to the Centre over the past few months.
“We commend him because he knows he will have a lot of responsibility and being the chairman of the board is not an easy job,” he said. “So we thank him for taking on the responsibility over the past few months.”
He further said the central government respected Mr Jawar’s decision to resign, adding: “He has the right to resign. Anyone can resign at any time in any institution on grounds.
“We all know why he resigned. It was not because of grudges. It was not because of the secretariat or the board. It was based on personal reasons.”
To this end, he said the centre had accepted his resignation and thanked Jawo for his service to the institution and all victims of human rights violations.
He also acknowledged the work done by DA Jawo with other board members and the secretariat, saying: “They have been working to change the charter of the victims’ centre to the constitution because the institution does not have a constitution. He was also part of the team that lobbied for funding for the institution.”
However, Jalloh also expressed concern about Mr. Jawo’s comments that he planned to fulfill his duties as chairman of the board of directors of the Victims Center. He said that District Attorney Jawo “never made any proposal” to fulfill his duties at the center.
“We would have loved to have seen him discuss his plans with us and see how he could best implement them at the centre,” he said. “If he had informed the board of his plans or preconceived ideas, we would have seen if it was in line with the policy and strategic plan of the organisation. But neither the board nor the secretariat had the opportunity to get this information from him.”
On the allegation that the former board chairperson was involved in signing cheques, he said the financial manual and rules of the victims centre indicated that the board chairperson, deputy board chairperson and national coordinator had the authority to sign cheques, but added that no one was ever forced to sign a cheque.
“All our financial transactions are based on project implementation,” he clarified.
On the allegation that the Victims Centre has transformed from a pressure group to an ally of the Government, Mr. Jallow said the Centre appreciated the good measures taken by the Government for the victims but sometimes contradicted the Government. He said the Government accepted about 96% of the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, adding that the Centre would question any action taken by the Government that was detrimental to the interests of the victims of rights violations.
The Victims Centre’s communications officer, Aisha Jammeh, also responded to the allegations, saying: “The centre cannot function without the government because it is the government’s responsibility to implement the white paper.”
Sirra Ndow, board member and chairperson of the Alliance of Victims-Led Organizations (AVLO), also made some clarifications to the publication, saying that DA Jawo has no right to participate in the day-to-day activities of the Secretariat. She said that in the organizational procedures, the board has an oversight function, while the Secretariat is responsible for implementation. Therefore, she added, “DA Jawo has no right to participate in the work of the Secretariat.”
In response to the perception that some members of the centre have rival victims’ organisations that compete with the centre for funding, she said: “This is not true. Of the nine board members of the Victims Centre, only two have and lead victims’ organisations; that is myself (executive secretary of ANEKED) and Mohamed Sorosanden, executive secretary of the Sorosanden Foundation.
She argued that both organizations “are partners with the Victims Center and in no way compete with the Center for funding.”
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