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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
 Posted - 10 Jul 2023 : 19:32:17
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https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/3-gambian-diplomats-expelled-from-u-s
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3 Gambian diplomats expelled from U.S.
Jul 10, 2023, 11:39 AM in Headlines.
According to reliable sources, three Gambian diplomats have been expelled from the United States after they were allegedly involved in activities incompatible with their diplomatic status.
The three are Mustapha Sosseh, deputy head of Mission, Alagie Babou Joof, Finance attaché and Pa Sako Darboe, first secretary at the Gambian Embassy in the U.S.
According to sources, on Friday, the U.S. State Department officials gave them till 17 July 2023 to leave the U.S.
Efforts were made by The Point for the Gambian Embassy in Washington to shed more light on the matter but proved futile.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 11 Jul 2023 : 20:10:07
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https://standard.gm/us-explains-reasons-for-expelling-4-gambian-diplomats/
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By Omar Bah on July 11, 2023
The US Department of State has explained the decision behind the expulsion of four Gambian diplomats at the embassy in Washington.
The diplomats Abdu Cham, Pa Sako Darboe, Mustapha Sosseh and Alhagie Babou Joof were given until 17 July to leave the United States. The US State Department explains each diplomat’s situation as follows:
BY Abdu Cham on
According to the Department of State, Abdu Cham, a counsellor at the Gambian Embassy in Washington, DC, is found wanting by the Montgomery County Police Department (MCPD) of striking his daughter, with a mop.
“The mop left markings on the daughter’s arms. The MCPD further reported that based on the victims’ injuries and evidence at the scene, had it not been for his diplomatic immunity, Mr Cham would have been arrested under state law and charged with second degree child abuse,” the State Department said.
Mr Cham’s case was referred to Child Protective Services (CPS) who provides recommendations and access to resources to assist families.
“The Department expects that the embassy help ensure the safety and wellbeing of its members and their dependents, including all the children who are residing in a principal’s household. The Department reminds the embassy that members of a foreign mission are expected to respect the laws of the United States. The Department takes this matter very seriously and considers such alleged behavior unacceptable for a member of a foreign mission,” the statement added.
The Department said it will continue to monitor the situation and will be in contact with the embassy as new information becomes available.
Pa Sako Darboe
On the case of Pa Sako Darboe, a first secretary, the Department of State said he is found wanting of taking into custody transfer documents for a thirteen-year-old girl, and a fourteen-year-old boy.
“A subsequent investigation by the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) determined that the custody transfer documents were fraudulent, and that Mr Darboe used these fraudulent documents to enroll the two children in school in Montgomery County, Maryland,” it added.
Alhagie Babou Joof
The DSS also found that, separately, Mr Alhagie Babou Joof, a finance attaché, had participated in visa fraud.
Mustapha Sosseh
“Finally, DSS found that Mustapha Sosseh, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy, had been associated with visa applications with fraudulent indicators and that the illicit schemes described above took place under his leadership.
Accordingly, pursuant to Article 9 of the Vienna Convention on
Diplomatic Relations, the above-named individuals and their dependents are required to depart the United States no later than July 17, 2023, at which point they will cease to enjoy any privileges and immunities,” the statement said.
The DSS also requested the Gambian Embassy to return all Department-issued documents for the above-named individuals, including their driver’s licenses, tax exemption cards, and identification cards, to the Department’s Office of Foreign Missions immediately.
“Further, the Department informs the embassy that the above-named individuals are unacceptable for future accreditation as members of The Gambia’s Mission to the United States,” it added.
The State Department documents were obtained from The Fatu Network.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 13 Jul 2023 : 13:01:25
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https://standard.gm/sedat-jobe-says-expelled-diplomats-should-be-arrested/
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By Omar Bah on July 13th 2023
In the wake of the US Department of State’s decision to expel four Gambian diplomats over allegations of visa fraud, Dr Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe, a former foreign minister and diplomat, has urged government to arrest and prosecute the diplomats on their arrival.
In his analysis of the situation, Dr Jobe, a seasoned diplomat and member of the opposition United Democratic Party told The Standard that the scandal is loss of prestige for The Gambia and because they cannot be punished in the United States, and in order to win the respect of the US and other member states the diplomats should be arrested and charged with the offences that they allegedly commit. “In that way, we will prove to the US that we will not accept impunity,” Dr Jobe said.
He further advised that after putting the officials through accountability measures, the government should have a rethink and start sending trained Foreign Service personnel to Washington who will have a correct image of what diplomacy is all about.
Dr Jobe said the foreign minister should take advantage of this situation to plead with President Barrow to recall all the untrained people who have been posted to “our embassies so that what happened to us in America never happen again.”
“We should do everything possible to see to it that the foreign service of this country is respected and quickly restore the mutually trusting relationship with the United States,” he said.
Dr Jobe said the foreign minister Mamadou Tangara should be bold enough to face the president and advise him against making the Foreign Service a dumping ground.
“I am not saying this to denigrate anyone at all. We have seen that all those the president believes he had to compensate because they have served him politically were sent to the Foreign Service, but it is the duty of the foreign minister to tell him that the Foreign Service cannot be a dumping ground,” Jobe said.
Dr Jobe said that even when it comes to the ministry of foreign affairs, people cannot be appointed there without the needed training, much less sent abroad.
“You need a certain amount of training as to how the foreign ministry and international organisations are run, and how to operate in those institutions to be able to get funds for The Gambia and build a solid friendly relationship with those countries in case of need,” he said.
He added that unfortunately in this country it is the accepted case that when you work for a president, you should always do what he wants or get the sack. “But I think at a certain point Tangara must have said to himself, yes, I know this is not right, but if I say something, I will go myself and somebody else will come in. I can understand that from a human point of view, but I think it is a very irresponsible position. I would have resigned,” Dr Jobe, who once resigned as foreign minister said.
He said the scandal at our Washington embassy is a shame. “But one sad thing about this country is that if you tell people that they are not doing things right, automatically, they believe that you are an enemy,” he concluded.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 18 Jul 2023 : 09:47:57
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https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/editorial/good-morning-mr-president-diplomacy-and-foreign-policy
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#Editorial
Good Morning Mr President: Diplomacy & Foreign Policy
Jul 17, 2023, 11:58 AM
Mr President, it is indeed a cause for concern regarding the recent saga surrounding 3 Gambian diplomats allegedly involved in fraudulent visa activities in the United States; while another was accused of domestic child abuse, before they were asked to leave the U.S. by 17 July 2023.
It is rather unfortunate that this has happened to our compatriots – diplomats in this case. The government must diligently probe the matter.
Mr President, it has been noticed that the Foreign Service is politicised which has affected the standard requirements of the service and that needs to be addressed. Diplomacy is not a jump-and-take job. It’s a professional job and therefore only those with knowledge and experience should be appointed to handle such jobs contrary to how it is happening nowadays. It is such a job that whatever is done in public or secret is reflected on the surface.
Your government should consider sending high-level characters to the Foreign Service who will represent the country with impeccable character and good conduct. Although it is an allegation, we expect your government to take it with utmost seriousness and conduct a thorough investigation to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the whole issue.
Mr President, any Gambian diplomat posted abroad must understand the contents of the Gambia’s Foreign Policy (GFP), Gambia’s Foreign Service Regulations (GFSR), Vienna Convention (VC) and the local laws of the diplomat’s host country. Failure to understand these foreign diplomatic rules and regulations can lead to repetitive scandals especially now that the Pandora's Box is open.
Mr President, the University of The Gambia (UTG) and The Management Development Institute can also be used to provide training to the country’s Foreign Service staff including those non-career diplomats who are assigned to the diplomatic service of the country and to provide equally training on government and administrative system to increase the capacity of public servants in service delivery.
The University of The Gambia is also offering courses in International Relations and Diplomacy and the products of such a school will greater impact the development of the country.
There are well-qualified, experienced and seasoned administrators and diplomats in the country who have retired and would be willing to offer lectureships at this school and to give professional and technocratic advice to the government on all sectors of the economy. Other countries that are moving forward make use of their trained manpower.
Mr President, retired diplomat, Ebrima Ousmane Ndure, who is the chief executive officer of Diplomacy Etiquette and Protocol Consulting (DEPC) has established in December 2020, a training institution called diplomatic protocol and Etiquette. We urge the Government to support this great initiative to enroll future Gambian diplomats and protocols.
Finally Mr. President, Kenya has established a School of Government where public servants receive training on government functions and service delivery. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is world renowned. There is also one in Dakar called ENAM and a lot of other training schools or institutes around the world. The Gambia can also do it if we are committed as a nation to better our foreign service.
Good day!
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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toubab1020
12240 Posts |
Posted - 28 Jul 2023 : 12:58:58
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Quote from the article below:
“this is an opportunity for us to do more sensitisation with our diplomats before we send them on mission”.
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https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/mission-scandal-in-washington-created-no-reputational-damage-foreign-minister
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#Headlines
Article By: Adama Jallow on Jul 27th,2023, 12:12 PM
Mission scandal in Washington created no reputational damage - Foreign Minister
Foreign Affairs Minister Mamadou Tangara has clarified that the unfortunate situation caused by four top diplomats at the Gambia embassy in Washington had caused no damage to the good name and integrity of The Gambia.
“It has not created any reputational damage. We have not been declared persona-non-grata,” Dr Tangara said on Monday at a press conference held at the Ministry’s Headquarters in Banjul.
Saying what happened was rather venial, the Foreign Minister went on: “The issue of our diplomats in Washington is rather unfortunate. I am not holding brief for anyone. As far as I know, what we have received there is nothing very serious.
“They gave us timeline to evacuate them and we are doing that and they have even decided to extend it to enable them to come back, because these are family men.”
Few days ago, four Gambian diplomats were expelled from the United States in connection with visa fraud and other issues, which led to the US State Department asking the Gambian diplomats to leave the soil of the United States of America.
He further pointed out that as a country “this is an opportunity for us to do more sensitisation with our diplomats before we send them on mission”.
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 28 Jul 2023 13:02:36 |
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Gambian diplomats expelled from U.S.
