THE African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) has expressed sadness over the death of the Vice President of The Gambia Badara Alieu Joof on Wednesday.

Chairperson of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, described the former Vice President as a great champion of human rights committed to the promotion and protection of Human and Peoples’ Rights on the continent.

“The Commission expresses its sincere condolences to the bereaved family, the Government and the People of The Gambia,” Lumbu said in a statement.

Earlier, President of The Gambia Adama Barrow announced that Joof had died in India after a brief illness, without providing further details.

“Fellow Gambians, it is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing away of my Vice President, His Excellency, Badara Alieu Joof. The sad event took place in India after a short illness. May Allah grant him Jannahtul Firdawsi,” Barrow said in a tweet on Wednesday.

No date has been set for Joof’s funeral but the Government has declared seven days national mourning following his death.

The vice president left The Gambia about three weeks ago to seek medical treatment and had not been seen in public for months before the trip.

One of Joof’s last official assignments was the official opening of the 73rd Ordinary Session of the Commission held in Banjul, from 20 October to 8 November 2022.

He was appointed vice president of the West African country in 2022 and previously served as education minister from 2017 to 2022.

Joof was the fourth deputy to serve under Barrow since his historic win in 2016 against former strongman Yahya Jammeh and swearing-in the following year, and the second since the president won re-election in 2021.