Human rights organizations in Africa have called on the African Union to move the headquarters of the African Human Rights Commission away from Banjul, the Gambia.

The organizations said in a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja that the call became necessary in view of the statements allegedly made by Gambian President Yahaya Jammeh threatening to kill any human right worker who comes to the Gambia.

The organizations said they would in the interim cease any further participation is sessions or activities of the commission in the Gambia.

In a letter to Jean Ping, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union, the organizations said: "We the undersigned non-governmental organizations (NGOs) involved in the work of the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights respectfully write to request the African Union to remove the Headquarters of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights from the Gambia.

"The basis for this request is the threat by the President of the Gambia, Col. A.J.J Jammeh (rtd), to kill all human rights defenders who enter the Gambia. We reproduce below the text of the threat by President Jammeh:

"I will kill anyone, who wants to destabilize this country. If you think that you can collaborate with so called human rights defenders, and get away with it, you must be living in a dream world. I will kill you, and nothing will come out of it. We are not going to condone people posing as human rights defenders to the detriment of the country. If you are affiliated with any human rights group, be rest assured that your security and personal safety would not be guaranteed by my government. We are ready to kill saboteurs."

The organizations said in the circumstances, the location of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in Banjul could no longer be justified, adding that, "Until this petition is credibly addressed, we also request that the Commission should stop holding any sessions in Banjul or in any other location in the Gambia.