In a searing condemnation of what he describes as a brazen act of historical revisionism, prominent human rights activist Rickford Burke has called out Nikail Sankar, a so-called “youth leader” and recent mouthpiece of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP). Sankar’s dismissive stance on the well-documented extrajudicial killings of over 1,400 young African Guyanese during Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency has drawn fierce criticism. One parent of an African youth murdered by the PPP extrajudicial killers likened Sankar’s denialism to that of Holocaust deniers, accusing him of perpetuating the PPP’s systemic erasure of African Guyanese suffering.
“The PPP and their anti-Black, ethnically biased media have now trotted out a junior propagandist in Nikail Sankar to deny one of the most heinous chapters of Guyana’s history. His baseless disputation of the PPP’s genocide against African Guyanese during Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency is not only an affront to truth but a deliberate attempt to whitewash atrocities committed by the state,” Burke said in a fiery statement.
Burke emphasized that the extrajudicial killings, carried out under the guise of a “phantom death squad” orchestrated by Jagdeo, Roger Khan, and then-Minister of Home Affairs Ronald Gajraj, were meticulously documented. “These killings are not some conspiracy theory to be casually dismissed by PPP apologists. They represent a dark and undeniable fact of Guyana’s history, when over 1,400 young Black men were slaughtered with impunity,” Burke asserted.
He further lambasted Sankar for his “arrogant and contemptuous” denial, accusing him of pandering to the PPP’s racist agenda. “This is not just an attack on historical fact; it is an attack on the dignity and humanity of African Guyanese. Sankar’s attempt to rewrite history is a direct continuation of the racial war the PPP has waged against the Black population of Guyana.”
Historical Context: A Pattern of Racism and Violence
Burke drew parallels between the extrajudicial killings under Jagdeo’s presidency and earlier atrocities perpetrated by the PPP. “From the terrorist bombing of the Son Chapman ferry in 1964, which claimed the lives of 43 African Guyanese, to the mass murders and village burnings in the 1960s, the PPP has a long and bloody history of targeting Black citizens. The attempt to erase or downplay these atrocities is nothing short of criminal,” he said.
Burke also questioned the selective outrage of PPP supporters, asking, “If an African Guyanese leader had orchestrated the deaths of over 1,400 East Indian young men, would we be entertaining revisionist narratives like Sankar’s? The answer is a resounding no. The hypocrisy is glaring.”
Demanding accountability, Burke called on Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP to agree to an independent international investigation into the extrajudicial killings. “If they truly have nothing to hide, why not support an unbiased inquiry? Hiding behind junior propagandists like Sankar only underscores their guilt,” he stated.
Burke concluded with a stark warning: “Attempting to revise history will not erase the horrors African Guyanese have endured. Instead, it will only further cement the PPP’s legacy as perpetrators of racial terror. To the youth of Guyana: do not be deceived by these false narratives. The truth must prevail.”
This latest clash over Guyana’s turbulent history highlights deep-seated racial tensions that continue to plague the nation. Burke’s impassioned denunciation of Sankar serves as a rallying cry for justice and a reminder that the fight against racial oppression is far from over.