Banjul, the Gambia – Sitting beside a banner with the words “The truth shall set you free”, Fatou Jallow, known as Toufah, recounted the details of her alleged rape by Yahya Jammeh, the Gambia’s former president, while her family listened in the hearing room of the Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).

“I know a lot of people will find it difficult to believe what I have said, when you live in a culture whereby you believe that women should be quiet. It’s a culture where you have to keep secrets, that’s the culture that I come from,” Jallow said in her concluding statement late last month.

Jallow, 23, is the unexpected catalyst for the Gambia’s “Me Too” moment.

Earlier this year, she became the first woman to publicly accuse Jammeh of rape in an investigation by NGOs Human Rights Watch and Trial International. 

She alleges that Jammeh assaulted her during a Ramadan festival at State House as punishment for refusing to accept his marriage proposal – she had caught his eye when she won a beauty pageant in 2014. 

Her five-hour testimony to the TRRC on October 31 was eagerly awaited, watched by the nation as it was broadcast live on TV and the internet. 

Young women wearing “I am Toufah” T-shirts sat in solidarity in the hearing room, which was open to the public.

The episode, which has seen victims speak out about being raped by members of security forces and former government officials, has exposed systemic levels of sexual violence during Jammeh’s rule.

The issue often remains hidden because the stigma attached to the victim is also seen as a stain on the family name.

SIRRA NDOW, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST

The revelations have been a difficult awakening for a society where sexual abuse is, as in many countries from east to west, still a taboo.

“These were crimes committed using the power and the resources of the state, but it also shines a light onto the wider societal problems [in the Gambia] that rape goes under-reported. If it weren’t for the truth commission this wouldn’t be coming out,” said Reed Brody, legal counsel for Human Rights Watch, which is part of the Jammeh2Justice Coalition campaigning to bring Jammeh to trial.

Human rights activist Sirra Ndow, who works with survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, said: “We as a country are struggling with how to deal with sexual violence. For me, the fact that this is being addressed as part of a transitional justice process is a big step forward for us in Gambia.

“The issue often remains hidden because the stigma attached to the victim is also seen as a stain on the family name.”

Speaking to Al Jazeera from her adopted home of Toronto, Canada, shortly before returning to the Gambia, Jallow said an “overwhelming” number of women confessed their stories to her after she spoke out. 

“It was a learning experience, I thought ‘Oh my god, I knew it’s bad, but I didn’t know it was to this extent’. 

“So, when I go before the TRRC I am sitting on behalf of these hidden voices and stories and atrocities,” she said. 

Preparing to testify, knowing she and her family would have to re-live her ordeal under intense public scrutiny, was not easy.

She had already faced a backlash as some people tried to discredit her story. She is still constantly attacked on social media.

“My family in Gambia have been threatened, we have had to get security,” she said.

She believes most of her critics are Jammeh supporters, who still see him as their visionary leader, even though he has been in exile in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017.

Others accuse Jallow of being “too strong” to be a victim. 

“I don’t fit the preconceived notion of what a victim looks like,” said Jallow, who has had years of counselling.

“It would be a missed opportunity and very unfair to generations to come that we were not bold enough to make sure this part of our history is documented,” she said.

Marion Volkmann-Brandau, a human rights consultant who led an 18-month investigation into sexual violence on behalf of the Jammeh2Justice Coalition, said: “The oppressive regime was very conducive to sexual violence by powerful men and Jammeh was showing the way.

“With Jammeh at the top of the pyramid, there was an atmosphere of impunity that permeated through the ranks of authority.”

You had to be ready to come to him whenever he wanted. It was more like being a sexual object for him.

FORMER PROTOCOL OFFICER WHO CLAIMS TO HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED BY JAMMEH

Testimony by Jallow and a former protocol officer, who spoke as an unidentified witness via Skype audio, allege that Jammeh employed an elaborate system to manipulate and sexually abuse young women from poor backgrounds.

They said they were befriended and groomed by his niece and protocol chief, Jimbee Jammeh, given expensive gifts, and sometimes jobs serving at State House as his euphemistically titled “protocol girls”.

“He was taking advantage of how vulnerable girls were, he used that to abuse women. He would give protocol officers some attention and gifts, sometimes a house or a car, but then treated them like his own property,” the former protocol officer told the commission. “You had to be ready to come to him whenever he wanted. It was more like being a sexual object for him,”

Culture of impunity

Jallow said most girls did not say “no” to Jammeh, or anyone else in authority, fearing repercussions. 

“My saying of ‘no’ did not come from me being brave and strong, it really did come from naivety, it came from my misunderstanding of the gravity of power that he holds because I was never political, I never really knew what has been going on,” she told Al Jazeera.

Jallow said on one occasion, she was injected with a drug and anally raped in a bedroom of the State House. 

During the assault, she could hear Quranic recitation from the Ramadan celebrations outside. 

“He knew he had a great cover-up, who would have thought that this was happening inside?”, she told the commission.

For its part, Jammeh’s APRC party has previously denied the claims.

Volkmann-Brandau said a culture of impunity remains in the Gambia, long after Jammeh’s departure. 

“There’s a whole mindset that needs to change,” she said, noting sexual abuse allegations that have emerged on social media with the #IamToufah movement. 

Horejah Bala-Gaye, the TRRC’s deputy lead counsel who questioned witnesses said it is time for the Gambia to get a grip on the issue.

“Hopefully, this will be the impetus for transformative change,” she said.

“I feel that people are confronted with the reality and now, it’s a question of, as a nation, what can we do to deal with this?”

Toufah has been the target of hate online, with critics trying to discredit her story of sexual abuse at the hands of Yahya Jammeh, former Gambian president [Courtesy: TRRC]

Kasungu, Malawi – Trace Banda stands outside the rangers’ camp carrying an M-16 assault rifle as she prepares for an anti-poaching training exercise inside the park.

“This is not an easy job, it’s typical bush life. Only the strongest survive,” she said.

Banda, 35, is a ranger and risks her life to save wildlife at Kasungu National Park.

Situated in the district of Kasungu, home to about 55,000 people, it is the second-biggest national park in the country at 2,316sq km.

It is known for its population of elephants but over the years, they have been threatened by poachers. The population dropped from more than 1,000 in the 1990s to about 50 in 2015. Currently, there are about 120 grey giants.

Banda never thought she would become a field ranger.

In 2005, she enrolled for mechanical engineering in college but later dropped out because of financial constraints.

Unemployed, in 2008 she applied to be a field ranger even though she had little idea what lied ahead.

When she first arrived at the park, it dawned on her that she was the only female ranger.

“After I was shortlisted, I went for training, the training was to determine whether or not I was fit enough to become a ranger. It was very tough, I had to run every morning, sometimes with a backpack of 15kgs, but I survived.”

Rangers undergo an anti-poaching training exercise [Rabson Kondowe/Al Jazeera]

To prepare for the role, rangers learn about animal behaviour.

But confrontations with animal poachers, where gunshots are often exchanged, can bring more danger.

“I went in the jungle with three other colleagues of mine, it was a night combat, I heard a gunshot and immediately woke my colleagues.

“We saw the poachers coming, and we began shooting and they were shooting back while escaping, but I know we managed to shoot one because we saw a trail of blood on the ground,” said Banda.

Rangers also guard and protect animals from intruders.

“It’s difficult for a woman to find a husband unless you meet someone who’s a ranger as well. I was fortunate to find a husband who’s a ranger like me, who understands me when I go out in the field for weeks.

“When we go out in the field, it’s only one woman with about four men.”

Catherine Sibale, 22, is also one of Malawi’s few female rangers.

“Unfortunately, there isn’t any female who holds a managerial position here at the park, it’s all men. So, it’s usually tough for them to relate to our grievances,” she said.

A 2016 World Wildlife Fund survey of 570 rangers across 12 African countries including Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa found that just 19 percent were women.

According to Malawi’s department of national parks and wildlife, since 2006 there has been an increase in women rangers.

However, the intake has been low – the Kasungu park only has eight female rangers out of 82 field rangers. 

In all national parks in the country, there are only 52 female rangers out of a total of 478 rangers, representing 11 percent.

“In compliance to the gender policy, at some point we want recruitment to be 50:50,” said Bright Kumchedwa, director of the National Parks and Wildlife.

Alexander Gombar, the chairperson for Wildlife Environmental Society of Malawi, said women bring unique qualities to the role.

“Women are next to God because they are co-creators with God,” he said. “Women rangers bring new perspectives in wildlife conservation, they use natural resources more than men.

“Their involvement bridges the gap in knowledge as they can also communicate to women better on the state of wildlife.”

Like Banda, 23-year-old Limbani Chirwa had dreams of another profession.

She had wanted to be a reporter and studied journalism, but in 2018 joined Kasungu National Park as a field ranger because she was unable to find a job in media.

“Despite not doing what I’ve always wanted to do, I have grown into this newfound profession of mine. It’s scary yes, but who isn’t afraid of wild animals?” she said.

“I’m now passionate when it comes to protecting animals and trees, and it’s thrilling because most of my friends look up to me as a hero. They are in awe, like how can a young lady be in this sort of daunting work?”

Limbikani Chirwa had wanted to be a journalist but unable to find a job in media, she became a field ranger and now says she is committed to her profession as a ranger [Rabson Kondowe/Al Jazeera]

Joseph Chauluka, an assistant officer at Kasungu National Park, trains the rangers.

“When we are working in the bush, we don’t discriminate, we don’t see these women as women because of most of these women even outperform men,” he said.

“The park is pleased to have them, with their efforts we have managed to apprehend many poachers, they are also key in [raising awareness among] the community on wildlife conservation.”

As she looks to advance her career in the field, Banda is now pursuing a degree in tourism management. 

“I still want to be in this field when I finish my studies, and be in management so as to provide opportunities to women.”

Two Namibian government ministers resigned following allegations of corruption and money-laundering in the Namibian fishing industry.

The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources Bernhard Esau and the Minister of Justice Sacky Shanghala were accused of receiving bribes in return for giving preferential access to Namibia’s rich fishing grounds to Samherji, one of Iceland’s largest fishing companies.

Esau and Shanghala stepped down “following press and media reports in which allegations of corruption have been made against” them, presidential spokesman Alfredo Hengari said in a statement.

The resignations came in the wake of a joint investigation between Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit, the Icelandic State Broadcaster RUV, and the Icelandic magazine Stundin based on leaked documents provided by the whistleblowing group WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks on Tuesday released the “Fishrot” archive, a database of more than 30,000 documents containing internal emails, memos, powerpoint presentations, and media provided by former Samherji employee-turned-whistle-blower Johannes Stefansson.

Al Jazeera’s investigation exposed the roles of well-connected Namibians who facilitated Samherji’s entry into the industry.

‘Fishrot’

From 2012, Icelandic fishing company Samherji made payments to businesses associated with Shanghala worth close to $10m, the investigation found.

Minister of Justice Sacky Shanghala is one of the two politicians accused of receiving bribes in return for preferential access to Namibia’s rich fishing grounds [Sacky Shanghala’s Facebook page]

Shanghala had a swift ascent in Namibian politics, from being the chairman of the Law Reform and Development Commission, to being the country’s attorney general until becoming justice minister.

The well-connected politicians appear to have fixed a bilateral fishing agreement with neighbouring Angola in order to provide the Icelandic company Samherji with greater access to Namibian fishing quotas.

Samherji is one of the country’s largest fishing conglomerates with an annual turnover of more than $700m. The company sells its fish to supermarket chains such as Marks and Spencer’s, Carrefour, Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

In a statement, Samherji said it took the allegations seriously and solicited the aid of an international law firm to investigate.

“We are deeply shocked that Johannes Stefansson not only admits being involved in illegal activities, he is now also making allegations against colleagues. This is not how we do business. This is not Samherji,”  Samherji CEO Thorsteinn Mar Baldvinsson was quoted as saying.

In a press release, Namibian President Hage Geingob thanked Esau and Shanghala for their “patriotism and contribution to the work of government”.

Geingob appointed acting ministers to replace them.

Following his resignation, Esau denied allegations of corruption and said “no one has presented [him] with any evidence of monies or favours that Bernhard Esau received” in exchange for “duties as a minister”.

When Shangala was first confronted with evidence against him, he told Al Jazeera: “I have no recollection of money coming from any relationship with Samherji.”

Al Jazeera’s investigation Anatomy of a Bribe will be released on December 1.