Activist condemns allocation of Monkey Park for state-of-earth US embassy

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Madi Jobarteh, a renowned Gambian human rights activist has condemn and called on Civil Society Organisations, especially environmental activists to respond to an environmental onslaught without delay following announcement of the acquisition of property by the United States of America for the building of a permanent state-of-the-art embassy in The Gambia.

The said property is at the West Africa Livestock Innovation Centre (WALIC) where the Monkey Park is situated and also serving as sanctuary for some wild animals.

“I wish to call on CSOs more so our environment-related organisations such as ActionAid The Gambia, United Purpose, ADWAC, and with TANGO and many more including environmental activists to respond to this environmental onslaught without delay. CSOs should not stand by in silence and indifference to allow such blatant destruction of nature and the future to take place and in total violation of the law with impunity,” Mr Jobarteh said in his facebook post.

Expressing the nerve wracking situation, Madi said the governments of both The Gambia and the United States have decided to finally kill Monkey Park hence subject its inhabitants to a life of misery and destitution.

For him, the assault on this sanctuary manifestly and totally constitutes cruelty to animals who are already ravaged by the construction of Kairaba international conference centre and other encroachments.

For that reason, he said these animals can now be seen roaming and scavenging for food in homes, hotels, restaurants, and streets thus posing irreparable risks to their health.

The Government of The Gambia informed the general public through a press release that it has recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Government of the United States of America through their Embassy in The Gambia for the acquisition of a property for the purpose of building a permanent state-of-the-arts Embassy here in The Gambia.

The release from the Office of the Attorney General dated October 26, 2022 said proposed property was chosen after a lengthy consultative selection process and is the property currently being occupied by the West Africa Livestock Innovation Centre (WALIC), which was formerly ITC, situated in Bijilo on the Bertil Harding Highway, disclosing that the proposed site will measure approximately 10 hectares (25 acres).

It added that WALIC will be relocated to a more suitable location with new offices being built for the Centre. All other services within the proposed site, including the Bijilo Forest Park Visitor’s Centre, that may be affected by the acquisition will be relocated to a more suitable location.

According to the dispatch, the design, construction and relocation costs of WALIC and the Visitor’s Centre will be borne by the government of the United States.

“The Government wishes to assure the general public that in the course of this exercise the Bijilo Forest Park will not be affected. A team of US technical experts including environmental experts will be working with Gambian experts over the next few years to ensure that all environmental and other concerns are sufficiently addressed,” the Office of the Attorney General stated.

It noted that the procedure of the property acquisition will follow due process and will comply with the Laws of The Gambia.

According to the release, the building of a new permanent state-of -the-arts embassy of the United States of America in The Gambia will significantly strengthen the already strong bilateral and diplomatic relationship between The Gambia and the United States of America.

“The Gambia Government will keep the public informed of the acquisition process as it progresses,” it concluded.

The fiery human right activist stated: “Wild animals do not eat manufactured food because their system is not meant for that. This is why in nature reserves, there are signs urging visitors not to feed wild animals with human food. Knowing this, yet the US and Gambia governments still went ahead to allocate the site for the building of the US embassy. This is an assault on this sanctuary thereby effectively bringing to an end the very existence of Monkey Park and its natural inhabitants. This decision is a direct threat to nature and shall hugely contribute to global warming simply because of the destruction of the vegetation there. No amount of tree planting will fully replace all of the plants and grass that are in this park. Building an embassy there will only kill more plants than replace them.”

He described the decision as only good at denying future generations of Gambians and visitors the opportunity to experience the park with its vast biodiversity.

It means future generations will not see these special and beautiful monkeys who would have either died or migrated to unsuitable locations thus not to be seen again.

He said this is why the decision to build the US embassy in this place is grossly ill-advised and an utter act of irresponsibility by both governments.

“With the US itself being a global perpetrator in producing emissions as well as leading the world in addressing climate change, it beats imagination how they could consider this site a proper place for their embassy. Was it not under Pres. Obama that the US led the Paris convergence on the climate that led to the emergence of the Paris Agreement?”

Madi Jobarteh further stated that the Paris Agreement adopted by 196 Parties at COP 21 in Paris, on 12 December 2015 is a binding international treaty aimed at strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, which seeks to keep global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees and even bring it further down to 1.5 Celsius.

He recalled that the US was a leading convener and player of that conference where Secretary of State John Kerry led the American delegation, adding that it is that same Kerry who was picked by Biden as his climate envoy because of his efficiency, contributions, and commitment to climate change.

“Both the US and The Gambia have signed the agreement since 2016. Even when President Donald Trump removed the US from the agreement in 2020, we saw how Pres. Joe Biden returned the US to it by singing it again in January 2021. Therefore, how can the US and The Gambia flatly ignore their international obligations to arrest global warming by attacking the Monkey Park?”

He stressed that the decision by these two governments is a direct affront to the efforts of Pres. Dawda Jawara who was a determined and committed environmentalist. It was his government that signed a unilateral commitment to the environment when he issued the Banjul Declaration in 1977 to protect and preserve the environment.

Jobarteh quoted Jawara’s whys and wherefores for creating that declaration: “I signed The Banjul Declaration in 1977 – to complement legislation to protect our flora and fauna. I was doing so perhaps many decades too late to save the lion and Leopard whose numbers had been so dangerously depleted to virtual non-existence. The remaining dozens of them roam the protected ranges of Nykolokoba in Senegal, as they used to do a century ago in upper Gambia. Our last elephant in Kantora was shot dead in 1900’s by a European travelling commissioner.”

He further recalled that Jawara inhis speech expressed his concern and disturbance at seeing the environment destroyed, noting that the destruction of the forest is a threat to human survival, civilization and knowledge.

“Today, The Gambia and US governments have dealt a mercilessly destructive blow to Jawara and human survival and civilization. Clearly, just as my generation lost sight of the lion and leopard in the Gambia, with this embassy construction my grandchildren and their generation will also not see the Western Red Colobus Monkeys”, he pointed out.

Madi urged the US Government through its Ambassador in The Gambia to withdraw from this decision.

He said there are many suitable locations around the Gambia for an embassy that meets the requirements of the United States Government.

He further called on the Ambassador to pursue those options, noting that Monkey Park does not need any plant to be uprooted on the basis that US experts will come to manage it.

He also urged The Gambia Government to remind itself of its obligations to Gambians, today and tomorrow.

“The Minister of Justice cannot claim not to be aware of these international obligations hence has the capacity to and should advise and guide the Government accordingly. Going ahead with this decision will constitute a violation of Gambia’s domestic and international obligations. The Monkey Park has been a gazetted and protected sanctuary since1951. It should not be assaulted.”