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The United Democratic Party (UDP) has expelled the chairman of the Brikama Area Council Sheriffo Sonko in all UDP activities for openly showed his continuous loyalty to President Adama Barrow and his team. The expulsion of Sheriffo came together with the dismissed of two UDP ward councilors from the party , according to sources. The decision was reached at a recent party meeting.  Sonko and the two ward Councilors have been accused of being disloyal to the UDP party amid allegations that the trio had switched their allegiance to Adama Barrow’s recently formed National People’s Party (NPP). According to Fatu Network the PRO of UDP Almami Taal stated that; “Sonko been expelled from the party, this was on the 27th of March, last Friday.”    “It’s not a question of crime. He is a member of a party that has rules and he has been found to be non-compliant with the rules of the party. So he has been expelled.” Mr. Taal added. ...

By Pa Modou Cham The Minister of Health Dr. Ahmadou Lamin Samateh has today evening stated that another case of COVID-19 had been confirmed from a man who traveled the same flight with the first patient and was living with his family.   During the pronouncement held in Banjul, the minister explained that the patient arrived the country from France by royal flight Morocco number 8579 on the 15th of Marc h 2020. Minister confirmed that the patient was in the first flight as the first case, adding even thought they originally departed from different country. He said the issue was reported to the rapid respond team through the national COVID-19 hotline 1025. “A sample was collected from him and the positive test results came out on the night of the 28 March, 2020. At least 16 of his close contacts have been place under quarantine and plans are underway to have their samples collected for testing.” Dr. Samateh explained that a new probab...

On this trying time of global COVID-19 pandemic, in order to fight the spread in The Gambia, President Adama Barrow has called on all political party leaders and civil society organisations to work with Government in the fight.  He emphasized that all efforts and cooperation during these trying moments are appreciated very much indeed. “I urge all of us to take the pandemic as a serious threat which requires all our collaborative and cooperative efforts to overcome. Let us cooperate fully with the health and security authorities so that measures adopted to stop the spread of the coronavirus can be effective.” He highlighted that implies maintaining high personal hygiene standards that include regular hand washing, avoiding hand shaking, observing social distancing and all other regulations and measures necessary to fight COVID-19.

Adama Barrow, the President of The Gambia has on Friday in a televised statement indicated that all non-essential food outlets in all markets and enclosed shopping areas shall be closed, adding all non-essential public places, such as bars, cafeterias, cinemas, video clubs, gymnasiums, museums, night clubs, public swimming pools, events halls, casinos, gaming parlours and sporting venues shall also be closed. Mr. president further pronounced that with quest to curb the spread of the COVID-19 in the Gambia, all public places of worship should be closed. He ordered that the number of people attending any social gathering, such as weddings, naming ceremonies and funerals, is restricted to a maximum of ten people. He added that all public transport should carry half of the total number of passengers they are allowed to transport by law.   “Invoking the powers invested in me as President under the Emergency Powers Act of the Laws of The Gambia,...

President Adama Barrow has on his recent address to the nation on the situation of the global COVID-19 pandemic, warned all that had absconded for quarantine, saying they pose threat to the public health and is contrary to the laws of the land. “With regards to the unfortunate incident of the people who absconded, almost half of them have been traced. The public is advised to report any person who has escaped quarantine, and to be aware that hiding suspects who pose a threat to public health is contrary to the laws of the land.”   Among the threats on this trying time, the president further stated that mass movement of people and public gatherings are threats to the containment of COVID-19, adding decision has been taken to impose new restrictions.  To curtail our exposure to infection through close interactions, he explained that his government has taken the decision to scale down government operations.  He said all Heads o...

By Pa Modou Cham The Director of health promotion at the ministry of Health Modou Njai has today in a press briefing held at Kotu stated that the laboratory report of the fourth sample send to MRC is sill depending because the sample was collected today for further testing and analysis. He added that the compound of the third confirmed case put on quarantine is locked down since the evacuation of the patient from the village. He however confirmed that the country still has a total of three confirmed cases and one probable case at the moment. “177 people are on quarantined and no one added still. People with travel history to affected the country still remain 310 and 73 people are been traced. Total test conducted as at now, we have 52 and positive test result is 3, negative test result 47 and one pending result.” Njai told press officers that plans are underway to have samples collected from the high-risk contacts of URR confirmed case, reg...

By Pa Modou Cham Former president Adama Barrow’s adviser Mai Ahmad Fatty has in a statement today, called on Barrow to act with boldness, saying he is the commander in chief and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the state and should declare state of emergency amid COVID-19. The leader of the Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) Party commended the Government for the initiatives thus far, adding yet they are not doing enough.  “President Barrow, work with the National Assembly and declare a State of Emergency without delay. Impose a sensible curfew regime with other effective measures to enforce new public health directives. Deploy microscopic monitoring of the 500 million Dalasi emergency fund, ensuring that monies are being prudently spen t to curb the novel corona virus pandemic.” The politician advised Barrow to reach out to businesses and NGOs for partnership and exploit our international goodwill to secure urgent help for our country. He added th...

By Pa Modou Cham The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved a thirty-nine-month Extended Credit Facility (ECF) arrangement for The Gambia in the amount of SDR35 million (about US$47.1 million, or 56.3 percent of The Gambia’s quota in the Fund) today.  The ECF-supported program aims to anchor macroeconomic stability and progress on structural reforms achieved under the 2019 Staff Monitored Program (SMP) and would provide a framework to assist the authorities in developing and implementing effective policy responses to address the COVID-19 challenges.  The program will also help catalyze much needed donor financing, particularly in the form of grants for budget support, maintain the momentum in reducing debt vulnerabilities, and deliver on key commitments in the National Development Plan 2018–2021, with the focus on inclusive growth and poverty reduction.  The IMF Executive Board decision enables an immedi...

By Pa Modou Cham Fatou BS Manneh , the Governor of Upper River Region (URR) has today in a statement indicated that strategies have been discussed as to how they put the whole compound and village on quarantine, as man tested positive for COVID-19. She explained that a man from France who came to the Gambia on the 17th March 2020 reported to Numuyel health post on the 21st March at around 3am. “Relevant stakeholders were informed and a sample was collected the same day around 20:00pm, the result of which tested positive for coronavirus and communicated to RHD yesterday around 18:00pm.”  She added that health authorities and security forces were deployed to the community for the safe evacuation of the patient, while other family members were equally control in the compound to the quarantine for 14 days or more. “My office has a job to do, we appeal to all communities in URR that, this is not an affront to their privacy but to help curb this pandemic...

In a latest update of the COVID-19 outbreak on Saturday, Dr. Amadou Lamin Samateh, the minister of Health has stated in a press briefing held at Kotu that at least 14 people fled quarantine at the Banjul international airport on Saturday, while the woman in isolation at MRC after testing positive for coronavirus is clinically stable. The Gambia registered its first COVID-19 victim on last week Sunday, after a Gambian based UK of her twenties fled to the country with the deadly disease. However the woman was reportedly traveled the same plane with many, including army Chief Yankuba Drammeh and Inspector General of Police Mamour Jobe. The minister further indicated that they have 20 surveillance officers who are trained and are currently helping on contact tracing for the fled individuals. “Those that escaped quarantines did against the public health act.” Director of Health Promotion Modou Njai clarified that when they are caught, they are going t...

By Vandaz Oluwa Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh, the Minister of Health has yesterday briefed the press on the level of preparedness for coronavirus, while clarified that no cases has been confirmed yet. "The Gambia is yet to register a case of confirmed corona virus infection. 355 people of interest have been followed with home isolation. 149 of them have completed follow-up without any symptoms and 206 are currently under surveillance and none has shown symptoms. Of the total seen, only 8 required laboratory testing and were all negative." He stated that WHO have help health ministry with 8.8 million dollars for the preparedness of the disease. Dr. Samateh explained that the disease has been confirmed in at least 135 countries in the world and in almost all continents; adding 142,539 cases has been confirmed globally with 5393 deaths. He said Senegal has declared many confirmed cases and there is local transmission from person to person in Senegal. "The...

  The Minister of Health Dr. Ahmad Lamin Samateh and senior officials, on Tuesday visited the Amdalai boarder post to assess the level of preparedness to stop coronovirus entering the country. Speaking to the press, the minister stated that we are in challenging time where we have the outbreak of coronavirus disease in China spreading around the world and it have reached Senegal. He said they have concern before but they are now more concern, in the sense that it is very close to The Gambia. When we come to preparedness, Dr. Samateh highlighted that is a continued process and that's why they went to see what had already been done at the border; adding the good thing is, a lot of work had been done with the health officials. "We doing lot of activities to enhance our preparedness when it comes to dealing with the coronavirus. We have improved on how people are going to be screen." Since the outbreak started in China, he added that his ministry and ...

Veronic Carayol, former Deputy Commissioner, Customs and Exercise Duties, now called Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA), has yesterday testified before the TRRC and explained her arrest, detention and court proceedings. About her arrest, she said Kebaro news wrote some allegation that indicated that she use to harass and blackmail businessmen, not loyal to Jammmeh, verybody from the department was afraid of her and she shouldn't be there. Upon recieving that news, she said she went to Mr. Yankuba Darboe's office and told him what they wrote about her and assured him that she will take legal proceedings. "I suspected that it was him (Darboe) who wrote the allegations about me, as he was the head of the institution." She said prior to that, a memo was wrote by Darboe and mentioned unpaid declarations, which she knew was not good for the department. She said when she was detained at the NIA around 3am, someone woke her and give her a tip that what Dar...

The National Youth president of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) party, MC Cham Jnr, has accused Musa Drammeh, minister of Local Government and Lands of corruption in the recent land dispute between the women gardeners of New Jeshwang and a businessman, who claimed a portion of the women’s garden. According to MC Cham Jnr, the Lands minister Musa Drammeh has allegedly allocated a plot of land belonging to the women gardeners of New Jeshwang, to his friend/brother. “The issue is about to bring chaos in the community and the minister must explain why he did such act. Also, this is a clear manifestation of the corruption going on within the Barrow government,” he said on his Facebook page.

Scorpions Head Coach Tom Saintfiet has submitted a provisional   35 -man squad for the upcoming 2021 AFCON double header against Gabon. The selection features a consistent pool of players who have represented the Scorpions under the Belgian. One notable addition in the list is Young Boys FC player Saidy Janko who has recently been visited by Saintfiet during his scouting tour across Europe. Goal Keepers Modou JOBE (Jeddah FC, Saudi Arabia), Sheikh SIBI (Virtus Verona, Italy), Baboucarr GAYE (VFB Stuttgart, Germany) Defenders Pa Modou JAGNE (FC Zürich, Switzerland), Ibou TOURAY (Salford City, England), Alieu Jatta (Casa Sport, Senegal), Omar COLLEY (Sampdoria, Italy), Mohammed MBYE (Sweden), Bubacarr SANNEH (KV Oostende, Belgium), Maudo Jarju (Austria Wien, Austria), Sulayman BOJANG (Sarpsborg 08, Norway), Ngine Faye NJIE (Casa Sport, Senegal) Midfield Players Alasana MANNEH (Górnik Zabrze, Poland), Dawda NGUM (Bronshoj, Denmark), Ebou ADAMS (Forest Green...