The Gambian government has allocated 30 million dalasi to its newly established Victims Reparation Commission (VRC) to provide advance payments to victims of past human rights abuses, the justice minister told lawmakers on Wednesday.
Attorney General Dawda A. Jallow said 20 million dalasi would go directly to reparations, while 10 million dalasi has been set aside for the commission’s operations.
The Ministry of Finance has already released 5.3 million dalasi for its establishment, he added.
So far, 17.5 million dalasi of the reparations fund has been disbursed, but payments to victims have yet to begin as the commission finalises internal policies and eligibility criteria, Jallow told parliament.
The VRC was created to implement recommendations from the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which documented abuses committed under former president Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule.
“The government acknowledges no compensation can erase the harm suffered, but reparations are a necessary step toward recognition, justice and restoration,” the justice ministry said in a statement.
Officials pledged that the process would be managed with “integrity, transparency and accountability” as Gambia pursues reconciliation and national unity.
By Adama Makasuba
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