Daily Obsever was informed yesterday morning that  Little Jainaba, who underwent an operation on tumour on her left eye in the  Senegalese capital of Dakar died on Wednesday at about 10.30pm.

The three year-old Jainaba was hospitalised at Aristide Le Damtec in Dakar in February after developing a serious tumor which had threatened her life. The body of the late Jainaba was laid to rest in Charoi, Dakar, yesterday.

Mr Andrew DaCosta, the deputy managing director of the Daily Observer, a trustee to the deceased's account, said: "I called Emily Ben, a senior nurse attached to the professor treating Jainaba and the sad news is that Jainaba was on Monday put on medication and had a virulent negative reaction to the medication. According to Ms Ben, Jainaba had since she was put on the medication been vomiting non-stop until she died on Wednesday."

Mr DaCosta added that Isatou Barry, the late Jainaba's mother, also confirmed the death of her daughter. "According to Isatou, the deceased's father Alagi Jallow, who is currently residing in Bajana in Casamance was contacted and he consented for the deceased to be interred in Charoi," Mr DaCosta explained.

"Ms Ben said the entire medical team at the Dakar hospital were grief-stricken with the news of Jainaba's death. We in The Gambia are equally shocked with the death of Jainaba. Prio to her demise, she was very healthy and we were very hopeful that she would make it," Mr DaCosta concluded. (See editorial and letters p 4).