Ghana's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Chris Kpodo has given the assurance that the Ghanaian Government would ensure that the human rights situation in the West Africa-sub region, particularly; the deteriorating situation in The Gambia is improved.

Receiving a petition from protesters on July 22, 2010 Kpodo said: "... the government would study your petition and address your concerns, if possible meet with you ..."

The petition followed a protest march from the Ghana International Press Center, where a public forum was held, through some principal streets of Accra and then to the Foreign Ministry. These were part of activities to mark the 16th anniversary of President Yahya Jammeh's coup détat on July 22, 1994, which has been cynically named "Freedom Day".

The protestors, about hundred people drawn from highly respectable Ghana-based civil society organizations, students, and religious bodies as well as people from all walks of life, chanted songs to call on the West African leaders to bring the Gambian authorities to order.

In The Gambia today, all forms of public protests have ceased to exist, Lawyers are reluctant to take up human rights cases for fear of reprisals, families of victims of human rights violations are also afraid to speak and many individuals have been tortured or ill-treated, disappeared, or in exile, while some have died in custody or shortly after release.

Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), the Amnesty International, Ghana, Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), and Human Rights Advocacy Centre (HRAC) organized the programme to protest these and other violations.