After nearly 20 years in exile, Baba Jallow, Ph.D., assistant professor of history at La Salle, is finally able to return to his homeland. He has been appointed the executive secretary of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) of the Republic of the Gambia.

One week after the 1994 military coup that brought former President Yahya Jammeh to power, Jallow was hired as assistant editor of the Daily Observer newspaper. He became editor-in-chief of that paper in 1997. When, in June 1999, the Daily Observer was purchased by a close associate of the President who signaled his intention to turn the paper into a pro-government mouthpiece, Jallow resigned his position and co- founded The Independent newspaper, where he served as CEO and editor-in chief. As editor of both newspapers, he was frequently arrested and detained by the Gambian authorities for writing and publishing editorials and articles critical of the government’s human rights record. In 2000, when the Gambian authorities started questioning Jallow’s nationality and subsequently arrested his parents, he decided to go into exile for his own protection, arriving in the United States later that year.

From 2001 to early 2003, he worked as editor for the Washington, D.C.-based online media group allafrica.com. He later went on to earn a master’s degree in liberal studies from Rutgers University, and a Ph.D. in African history from the University of California at Davis.

“Thank you to La Salle University for granting me a two-year leave of absence which enabled me to take up this important national responsibility. From the moment I was invited to come home and consider helping out as executive secretary of the TRRC, the History Department, the School of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost, and the President’s Office were unconditionally supportive and encouraging,” said Jallow. “In a very real sense, La Salle greatly facilitated my capacity to take up this position.”

As executive secretary, Jallow is responsible for the overall administration of the TRRC. “It feels good to be able to come back home to help my country establish an accurate historical record of what happened over the past 22 years of dictatorship and to promote national healing and reconciliation. I am grateful for the opportunity.”