Ghana, Gambia to Push for Justice in the Massacre of Ghanaians

Ghana and The Gambia have recommitted to pursuing justice for the killing of 50 Ghanaians and other West African migrants in The Gambia in 2005.

The renewed commitment came when Ghana’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, hosted his Gambian counterpart, Sering Modou Njie, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad.

“We agreed to keep working together on the longstanding, crucial matter of justice for the massacre of 50 Ghanaians, particularly following the grim findings of the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission,” Ablakwa said.

The 2005 incident involved the arrest and killing of about 67 migrants, including 44 Ghanaians, who had landed in The Gambia while attempting to reach Europe.

Investigations by the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) later linked the killings to state security units operating under the orders of then-President Yahya Jammeh.

The TRRC recommended prosecutions for Jammeh and others implicated.

The case has strained relations between the two countries for nearly two decades.

Ghanaian families and rights groups have long called for accountability, while The Gambia’s government accepted the TRRC recommendations in 2022 and pledged to pursue legal action.

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