From THE ECONOMIST MAGAZINE.
This article appeared in the Middle East and Africa section of the print edition under the headline "Out of the shadows"
Banjul, Gambia:
Deep inside the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency of the Gambia is a dark and airless dungeon barely big enough for one person.
Infested by mosquitoes and reeking of urine, the notorious bambadinka (crocodile hole) was dreaded by opponents of Yahya Jammeh, the Gambia’s president from 1996 to 2017.
Mr Jammeh used the agency as his own secret police. The country’s spooks developed a reputation for kidnapping and torturing dissidents, often in the bambadinka.
After losing an election in December 2016, Mr Jammeh tried to hold on to power, but was pushed out a month later by the country’s neighbours. (He now lives in Equatorial Guinea.)
Freed from his malign influence, the intelligence agency is trying to repair its image. For a start, it has renamed itself the State Intelligence Service. Its most notorious thugs have been arrested, some spooks have been sacked and the rest are getting human-rights training.
Entering the intelligence agency’s headquarters is still an unnerving experience. Unlike other government buildings, there is no sign outside, just guards. But its site is also a reminder of the change that has swept the country: it is next to the high court, where nine former officials, including a former director-general, are on trial for allegedly beating an opposition leader to death.
Adama Barrow, the president, defeated Mr Jammeh in 2016 with promises of wide-ranging reforms, including a pledge to make the security services more accountable to the public.
Under its new head, Ousman Sowe, the intelligence service is opening up. Late last year Mr Sowe, a career civil servant, went on a nationwide tour, meeting mayors, religious figures and village chiefs, and explaining that his job was to protect rather than terrorise them. Last month Mr Sowe granted this newspaper his first sit-down interview.
“We are still the secret service and we will still have our shadows,”
says Mr Sowe.
“But we also want to be an open, public institution that commands the confidence of the people.”
He vows that people will not be mistreated or tortured by the agency—it has even introduced the hashtag #nomoreexcesses on Twitter.
“We want the public to come to us, not run away,”
says Mr Sowe, who studied conflict resolution in the Department of Peace Studies at Bradford University in Britain. He says he believes in the subtle art of persuasion.
The Gambia and its intelligence service appear to be moving in the right direction, but may have some way to go.
Mr Sowe’s own career began with a stint as an analyst for the intelligence agency during the Jammeh years. He claims never to have witnessed anything untoward.
Human-rights groups may find that hard to swallow. They also warn that real change will require more than just good public relations.
“To be effective, security-sector reform needs to be part of a broader political process that includes independent outside oversight, and accountability for abusive and criminal conduct,”
says Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, a New York-based monitor.
The bambadinka, meanwhile, is not being used. Even so, Mr Sowe is not going to break entirely with tradition and put up a sign outside the agency’s headquarters.
SOURCE:
economist.com
Comments
Post a Comment