THE GAMBIA: BRITISH CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000009 SIPDIS SIPDIS LONDON FOR AFRICA WATCHER E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/05/2016 TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KMCA GA UK SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: BRITISH CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION REF: A. BANJUL 4 AND PREVIOUS (NOTAL) ¶B. 05 BANJUL 798 (NOTAL) Classified By: AMBASSADOR JOSEPH STAFFORD, REASON 1.4 (B AND D) BRITISH CONCERN OVER HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION -------------- ¶1. (C) In January 4 conversation with Ambassador, UK High Commissioner Eric Jenkinson stated that HMG fully shared our concern over the negative trend of late in the GOTG's human rights record, as highlighted by the detention and prosecution of three leading opposition politicians (ref a). He said this negative trend provided a less than favorable backdrop for HMG's review in coming weeks of its assistance program for The Gambia. Estimating current annual British assistance at about four million pounds sterling, Jenkinson noted that most of the aid went for governance-related projects (e.g., upgrading The Gambia's judicial system, expanding its public financial management system),and said he would recommend against any reduction in aid. However, he went on, HMG had been considering an increase in aid levels, but any increase now seemed unlikely in the current human rights climate here. In terms of U.S. assistance, Ambassador noted the negative repercussions for The Gambia's MCA eligibility if the GOTG's backsliding on human rights continued. BILATERAL CONSULTATIONS IN WASHINGTON -------------- ¶2. (C) Jenkinson said that, according to a report from London, a first secretary at the UK Embassy in Washington had recently met with Department officers to compare notes on The Gambia and that both sides had agreed on the need to keep up the pressure on the GOTG to reverse the negative trend on human rights. Jenkinson expressed the desire to stay in close touch on the situation here and on the results of our approaches to the GOTG. COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) As previously reported (ref b),Jenkinson, in his EU capacity, recently demarched the GOTG over the mid-November detention of the three opposition politicians. According to Jenkinson, he continues to await the response promised by the Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary who received his demarche. Jenkinson portrayed HMG as increasingly concerned over the human rights situation here, but gave no sense of readiness in London to draw on its status as a major bilateral donor to ratchet up the pressure on the GOTG in a major way for reversal of the negative trend. We believe that The Gambia's MCA eligibility remains a key source of leverage with the GOTG and will continue to use it as such in our approaches to the GOTG leadership on the human rights dossier. END COMMENT. STAFFORD