The Gambia’s Ministry of Information and Communication has revoked the
permits issued to some Al-Jazeera journalists to report human interest
stories in the country, official sources at the ministry, said.
A source said: “The team of Al-Jazeera journalists were in Banjul to
film and report on human interest stories but were later turned down
by the authorities.
“They were asked to stop filming or risk being arrested after the
government annulled their credentials.”
Gambia’s Ministry of Information, which issued the permits to the
journalists, said the team could not film until further authorisation
was given from the West African country’s President Yahya Jammeh.
Jammeh was, however, on vacation in his hometown, Kanilai, at the time.
Al-Jazeera correspondent, Catherine Wambuo-Soi, was going to interview
Jammeh on the topic of migration of Gambian youths and other human
interest issues for his HIV treatment programme.
Wambuo-Soi said: “We have got approval from the government to travel
to Banjul to do some human interest stories.
“Unfortunately, a day after our arrival, we were told by our fixer
that the government through the ministry of information has asked us
not to film anything or else risk being arrested.”
Gambia’s government did not give any particular reason for the
revocation of the permits.
The team has left Banjul via Dakar and is now in Nairobi, Kenya.
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