Cornerstone laid for African human rights centre

Gambia’s Attorney General, Fatou Bensouda, laid the foundation stone of the African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ACDHRS) on Tuesday in Banjul, PANA reported. Bensouda, who is also secretary of state for justice, said she hoped Africa, with its religious, racial, and ethnic diversity, would unite to ensure the protection of human and peoples’ rights through the promotion of democratic principles on the continent, PANA said. A member of the ACDHRS governing council, Sidiki Kabba, said the purpose of the centre - whose estimated cost is about US $275,000 - was to promote human rights values and democratic principles in Africa, a continent where, he said, these values are often violated.