Gambia : Thrown Out Of The Gambia for AIDS "cure" comment
Feb 23,2007 00:00
by
tijan
Sky News has learned that a United Nations employee has been expelled from The Gambia as a result of an interview she gave to the station.UN co-ordinator Fadzai Gwaradzimba pointed out the dangers of a so-called 'herbal therapy', which The Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh claims can cure Aids.
The President told Sky's Africa correspondent Emma Hurd he has treated dozens of his people with his traditional medicine, succeeding, he says, where modern medical science has failed.
"I can cure Aids and I will not explain it to those who don't want to understand," he said.
Ms Gwaradzimba told Hurd: "Our concern is really about do we have scientific proof? And we do not.
"In terms of the population out there, they may wrongly believe there is a cure and indulge in risky behaviour."
Her participation in Hurd's report was approved by her bosses at the UN in Newy ork.
The United Nations Development Programme says it cannot confirm whether Ms Gwaradzimba has been expelled from The Gambia, but says she is back in New York to discuss the matter.
The UNDP maintains it fully stands behind her.
