Remembering Chief Ebrima Manneh on the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances
The 30 of August marks the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances to raise awareness about the grave human rights violation of forcibly disappearing people. According to the United Nations (UN), cases of enforced disappearance are climbing to nearly 1000 daily1. The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UN Working Group) has recorded over 59,000 cases across 110 countries since 1980, including 651 fresh cases originating in 30 countries in its most recent annual report2.
While serving as a human rights researcher focussed on the human rights situation in the small West African country, the Gambia, during former president Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year reign. When journalists and opposition politicians fell out of favor with the former President, there was a risk that they would simply disappear.
Think about that for a moment. Individuals would just disappear if the former president saw them as a threat.
Chief Ebrima Manneh, a former Gambian journalist suffered this fate. Chief Manneh disappeared in 2006 and until this day has never been found.
Enforced disappearances is a human rights issue that devastates not only individuals but also their families and communities. Families are left in a state of uncertainty and anguish, not knowing the fate or whereabouts of their family members. Communities rarely know how to respond.
Just imagine going through that every day. Just not knowing. I want to give attention to state-sponsored disappearances.
Family members of the disappeared often face legal, social, and economic challenges, such as accessing justice, inheritance, social security, and psychological support.
In this blog post, I will share on these types of issues related to the struggle to find truth and justice.
I ask you also to help. Here are ways you can help:
– Get more familiar with human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, MENA Rights Group, and African Centre for Human Rights that advocate for human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and others who are at risk of enforced disappearance in various regions of the world.
– Share the stories of families of the disappeared on social media using the hashtags #EnforcedDisappearances #StandUp4HumanRights #DisappearNoMore
