Members of the All peoples Congress (APC) Gambia branch, the ruling party of Sierra Leone, have forwarded a strongly worded statement, vehemently refuting allegations of harassment of Sierra Leoneans in The Gambia.

The statement is referring to an article published on the Standard Times Newspaper in Freetown, on 24th November 2008, quoting a former APC Gambia branch chairman, Minkailu Kamara, as alleging harassment of his countrymen in the hands of Gambian police.

The statement reads: "the executive and the entire membership of APC Gambia express deep regret over the issue and considers the statement on alleged harassment of Sierra Leonean by The Gambian authority as defamatory and counter productive to efforts in building a strong relationship between the two sister republics."

The assault case in question is said to be currently in court, the accused having been apprehended, detained and charged. Making reference to this fact, members of APC argued that element of ‘injustice’ expressed on that said article could not therefore be corroborated.

They said that Kamara’s visit to Freetown was private, and that his comments on the situation in The Gambia did not represent the view of its members. The APC members described the move by their former chairman as "malicious", saying that it was "intended to breed hatred between our organisation and The Gambian authority."

They recounted how they have made remarkable achievements in terms of forging closer ties between the APC and the APRC, the ruling parties of the two countries. This, they said, was publicly acknowledged by the President of The Gambia, HE Prof Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, during the last July 2nd anniversary.

The members also cited increased cordial relationship between the two peoples since the   rise   to   power of HE Dr Ernest Bai Korama. They said that Sierra Leoneans in The Gambia have become more privileged and respected by the Gambian authority than other foreign nationals.

"Such remarks are not befitting of a member of the All People’s Congress, especially Mr Kamara, who had served as a chairman of this party branch.  It is a manifestation of ingratitude to the highest degree, considering the fact APC Gambia operated peacefully and unhindered while an opposition, and completely embraced by the Gambian authorities after the victory of the party in the 2007 election," the statement said.

The party members went on to reveal that Mr Kamara had since stepped down as chairman of the branch on his return to The Gambia, in October 2008. The branch executive at some point got dissolved, resulting in the election of a new executive headed by Mr Sorie Ibrahim Kanu.

This, the members argued, confirmed that the delegation their former chairman headed to Freetown was illegal. "He is currently an ordinary member of the branch and does not have any mandate to speak or act on behalf of APC Gambia," their statement said.