Sunday 13 September | Sainey Darboe
‘I feel sorry for her’, Foreign Minister Momodou Tangara says of Lovette Jallow in damning comments
Following a media storm involving Sweden-based Lovette Jallow and Gambia government, Foreign Minister Momodou Tangara has spoken about the furor for the firs time in a media interview.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Kerr Fatou, he said:
“There was news all over the place. The lady said we were working against her. We were not working for or against her. For me the most important thing was to bring back our sisters to the country. In doing so we didn’t need to make too much noise. And I know the tremendous work and sacrifice the honorary consul was doing.
I think her first move was completely wrong as far as I’m concerned. If she had done the right move we could have even pooled our resources together. You have this gentleman Gambian who was ready to pay for all of them, you have this girl. She was not helping. I personally told the communications officer not to communicate with her anymore because you cannot threaten government”.
Conceding pressure over the barrage of bad press on the issue, the foreign minister revealed watching the drama unfold left him feeling a sense of empathy for the feisty humanitarian, Lovette Jallow, whose comments drew immense attention in the media.
“And later on I saw where she was talking about the government capitulating. It’s just one person wrestling, sometimes you think you’re defeated, sometimes you think you have won. It was a very dramatic situation. I was watching it. At some point I even felt sorry for her because wasting all that energy for what? There are things you can do and do it the right way but you can only do that if you are level headed”.
The foreign also minister regretted the rise of xenophobic sentiments and threats to the Lebanese interests over the fate of the girls, characterizing it as un-Gambian due to the country’s reputation for tolerance.
He added that Gambian-Lebanese were ready to help out but it was a complicated operation that required exit permits and emergency travel documents which only the government could issue.