Taa Wongbe, Liberian Lawmaker, Urges ECOWAS To Remain Neutral In Proposed Trial Of Jammeh

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has been asked to exercise caution in handling the proposed prosecution of heinous crimes committed in The Gambia during the tenure of former President Yahya Jammeh.

Hon. Taa Wongbe, Liberia’s representative in the ECOWAS Parliament, gave the advice.

He advised on the sidelines of the recently concluded ECOWAS Parliamentary session while speaking with journalists about his thoughts on the issue.

He stated that the ECOWAS leaders’ call to facilitate the establishment of a special tribunal in The Gambia for the trial of perpetrators of heinous crimes In the country during the tenure of former President Yahya Jammeh, should be approached with caution, to keep ECOWAS neutral so as not to lose member states’ confidence and trust.

He emphasised that the regional body must not be seen or perceived to be siding with any of the parties, as such action will not only erode member states’ confidence but will also call into question the body’s credibility as an independent organisation responsible for maintaining regional peace and advancing economic development in the West African sub-region, as well as setting a bad precedent.

Wongbe maintained that, while it is legally justified and acceptable to punish those who have committed crimes against humanity in The Gambia to deter others in the future, the ECOWAS institution should not be used to accomplish this to avoid setting a bad precedent.

He did, however, advise that The Gambia consider establishing the Tribunal as an independent state or approaching the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has jurisdiction to try suspects involved in the atrocities.

The representative criticised the role that some member states played in the civil war in his home country, Liberia, by deploying troops in support of one party, claiming that if ECOWAS had taken sides directly, Liberia would not have felt comfortable remaining a member of the sub-regional body.

He explained that based on his experience in Liberia’s civil war, which forced him to seek refuge in Guinea and Cote d’Ivoire as an internally displaced person, with the attendant human rights violations and economic and social dislocation, no perpetrator of such crime should go unpunished.

The ECOWAS heads of state proposed to Parliament the establishment of a special tribunal to try suspects involved in the crimes committed in The Gambia.

However, in a unanimous resolution, the ECOWAS Parliament rejected the proposal, claiming that it would portray the West African sub-regional body as biased.

However, it advised the Gambia government to make whatever decisions it deemed appropriate as an independent state.