The Gambia’s National Assembly approved the Victims Reparations Bill 2023 on Wednesday, November 1st, 2023, after a heated discussion among members.
The bill, introduced by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, during the first extraordinary session of the 2023 legislative year, seeks to create a fund to compensate victims of human rights violations and abuses that occurred between July 1994 and January 2017.

After a heated discussion among its members over the measure’s urgency, the bill sailed through all three stages of the National Assembly. Hon. Dawda A. Jallow, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, presented the bill to MPs, describing its aims and reasons.
The primary goal of the bill is to create a reparations commission in charge of reviewing TRRC (Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission) reparations, making necessary adjustments, identifying new victims not previously recognized by the TRRC, maintaining an updated victim database, and developing and publishing guidelines and procedures for granting reparations.

Responding to National Assembly members’ concerns throughout the discussion, the Minister of Justice underscored the bill’s overwhelming support. He added that the decision to convene an extraordinary session to hasten the bill’s passage was made in conjunction with the National Assembly staff and was deemed necessary.
The Minister also said that the panel will calculate the cost of restitution, as well as develop objective standards for assessing victims and their claims. Furthermore, he said that reparations go beyond monetary compensation and include a variety of other factors.

Following a heated discussion, every member of the National Assembly present voted in support of the measure, ensuring its approval.