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Giant super-rat found on London estate ‘came all the way from GAMBIA and is highly intelligent’

Fatu Camara
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THE giant super-rat found on a London housing estate could have come here from GAMBIA and would have been highly intelligent.

 

 

Boffins from the University of Liverpool believe the animal could be a Gambian pouched rat, which are becoming popular with pet owners because they “tame quite nicely”.

 

 

Experts have said the mammoth rat found Thursday is likely to have been someone’s pet – and added that it is not rare for people to keep that particular species on a lead.

 

 

Gambian pouched rats are so intelligent they have been used to sniff out landmines in the southern African nation of Mozambique.

 

 

Dr Dougie Clarke from the University of Huddersfield said the monster rats grow as big as four feet, and said: “These are highly intelligent and extremely large rodents – so big they are often kept on leads”.

 

 

A shocking photo of the super-rat found on an estate in Hackney, East London, on Thursday, caused mild controversy yesterday when some people were cynical about its alleged enormous size.

 

 

Some claimed it was as big as four feet long, but senior researcher and data scientist Oliver O’Brien dissected the image to give a more accurate idea of its length.

 

 

However his findings still judged the rat to be an incredible two feet long.

 

The Sun, UK

THE GAMBIAN MILITARY: SOLDIERS PAR EXCELLENCE

Fatu Camara
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Traditionally, the main role of Armed Forces around the world is the protection of national sovereignty by keeping borders and people safe. Overtime however, their roles were expanded and adapted to suit the specific security and geopolitical situations of the respective countries as well as to suit other needs and aspirations.

 

 

In most advanced countries, the roles of militaries have been expanded to include national development functions such as engineering, agriculture and other infrastructural development activities; assistance in cases of natural disasters; foreign relation engagements; international peacekeeping; domination of the high seas through navies; and control of international airspaces through satellites and air forces among other roles.

 

 

In Africa however, a different situation arises. Following the attainment of independence, most African countries were faced with internal conflicts or civil wars. Countries going to war against each other ‘in defence of territorial sovereignty’ was mitigated largely due to the fact that the artificial borders that were imposed on the continent were generally accepted as sacrosanct. In response to these internal threats to ‘national security’, African leaders also adapted the roles of their security services away from protection of borders and territorial sovereignty and used them for the protection of the State/governing elites against the citizens/groups they regarded as threats to their governments.

 

 

There is however one common similarity among all militaries of the world (be it the British, Chinese, Syrian or Gambian Armed Forces) which is they all follow a similar chain of command and are generally under the command and control of their respective governments to whom they owe unconditional loyalty and obedience. It is just like the relationship between a man and his horse. Although once in a while the horse may disappoint his master (like Jammeh did to Jawara in 1994), soldiers are generally subservient to their political leaders.

 

 

It is based on this relationship that George W. Bush and Tony Blair sent their militaries to Iraq to unjustifiably topple Saddam Hussein. This is also why when Barrack Obama clicked his fingers, the mighty US Army came running back to their bases at home. And believe it or not if Donald Trump becomes President, the US Army will be right back in the Middle East to “bomb the hell out of ISIS”.

 

 

It is also based on this unconditional loyalty and obedience that the Israeli Defence Forces are occupying Palestinian lands and while no amount of UN Resolutions or global condemnations will make them to move an inch, a single order from Netanyahu will get them back to Jerusalem. It is this same obedience to the chain of command that is why 33 year old Kim Jon-un of North Korea is able to control hundreds of Generals who are older than his grandfather; it is why the Burundian Army is standing by Nkurunziza; it is why the Syrian Army is with Assad, it is why the Ugandan Defence Forces are protecting Museveni; it is why the Zimbabwean military are still serving the nonagenarian Mugabe. It is also precisely the same reason why the Gambian Army is behind Jammeh.

 

 

As for those calling/praying for the soldiers to over throw Jammeh, I just cannot comprehend their logic. Do they expect General X to risk his life to remove Jammeh and then hand over power to Civilian Y? Soldiers do not do coup d’états for civilians; they do it for themselves. In my opinion, the best way forward to a Third Republic of the Gambia is through free, fair and peaceful elections and not through any violent means.

 

 

And for those saying that The Gambian military is worthless and should be disbanded, history tells us that there is not a single African country that has abolished her military since independence and Gambia is not going to be the first. I do hope and pray that the Third Republic will usher in a government that is filled with compassion, wisdom, competence, and knowledge to lead our country on the path of peace, security, cooperation, unity and development.

 

 

And I further hope that such a government will realize that the Gambia Armed and Security Services are not a liability but rather a national goldmine well juxtaposed to be the government’s number one partner in national development. The reason for my claim is not farfetched: our security services are composed of thousands and thousands of young, healthy, able-bodied, intelligent, patriotic, loyal and obedient men and women who are able, willing and eager to generate revenue, build infrastructure, play leading roles in international sports and to participate in science, technology, research and innovation in addition to their tradition roles of territorial defence and national security.

 

 

In my opinion, simple initiatives such as expanding our peacekeeping capacities to two or three Military Battalions and Formed Police Units and developing/equipping the security support services such as the engineering, communications, agricultural, educational, IT and medical corps/departments/battalions will have tremendous advantages including the following:

 

 

Enhance the international image of the country
Generate tremendous amounts of revenue
Increase the experience and professionalism of the service personnel
Make every service personnel financially independent
Increase youth employment to mitigate the back way syndrome
Create post-service professional skills
Build a cordial civil-military relationship and
Keep security personnel so occupied and contented that they will have no incentive to involve in politics again.

 
However, if we have as a the President of the Third Republic a Serrer who prefers to use the security services for fishing, be rest assured that The Gambia will be a leading fish exporter; if s/he is a Manjago who wants to make the Gambia a palm wine exporting nation, the security personnel can make it happen; and if s/he is a Sarahullay who wants to transform the Islamic State into a Chura State, I am sure that the security personnel can make sure that no one cooks nyankatang in the Fonis.

Long live the Republic of The Gambia and Long live the Gambia Armed Forces.
Author Gano
Posted on March 12, 2016
Categories Uncategorized

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER and SERVICE CONVENED BY THE GAMBIA CHRISTIAN COUNCIL

Fatu Camara
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5th March 2016, The Christian Day of Prayer and Service in The Gambia went well and far beyond expectations. It will be recorded as a great day of Christian unity and solidarity in the history of The Gambia. There was a record attendance coming from Christians, Muslims and people of non-faith from Banjul and the Greater Banjul Areas. Well selected inspiration songs filled the air. This National Day of Prayer has been rated as the greatest Gambian Christian gathering.

 

 

The prayers and service started at 09:00am and continued till 12:30 mid-day. Indeed the Gambia Christian Council was very pleased and expressed heart felt gratitude and appreciation to the following institutions for their support in making this event a success: Guaranty Trust Bank, Africell, Gambia Pastoral Institute, Solmic Catering, Unique Graphics, Knights of Saints Peter and Paul, West Coast Radio and Hot FM Radio.

 

 

The event started with the National Anthem followed by Introductory Remarks and Opening Prayer: by GCC Chairperson-Presiding Hannah C. Faal-Heim. She emphasized the need for continued love, respect, peace and harmony for all living in the Gambia.

 

 

Exhortations: by Bishop Robert Ellison (Roman Catholic Mission). He remarked that 10th December 2015 will forever be remembered in the history of The Gambia. It was the onset of a period of uncertainties in the country. The declaration in December 2015 was followed by series of events that led one to wonder whether these were mare coincident; namely the change of name for the country, organizing an Islamic Conference on 7th February 2016 and the Marrakesh conference in the Middle-East. The Bishop in prayer recited the National Anthem emphasizing “We strive and work and pray, That all may live in unity, freedom and peace each day. Let justice guide our action towards our common good, And join our diverse peoples to prove man’s brotherhood”.

 

 

Prayers of Adoration: by Bishop James Odico (Anglican Mission). He observed that the day has been characterized by harmonious atmosphere discipline and respect. That it is a day of thanks giving to recognize and appreciate the peace that prevailed in the Gambia between Christens, Muslims and people of non-faith. He observed that Gambians regularly renew their pledge in the words of the National Anthem: “That all may live in Unity, Freedom and Peace each day.” There was much emphasis on the word “ALL” and he skeptically posed the questions “Does a referee take sides? And “Is a referee neutral? He prayed that the will of God, not man, be done on earth.

 

 

Scripture Readings: by the Roman Catholic Mission Ps 93, Eph. 1:3-6 (In Wolof)

Scripture Readings: by Anglican Mission 2: Chronicles 7:14-16        1 John 1:5-10

Scripture Readings: by the Methodist Mission Col. 3:15-17 and 1 Paul Thessalonians 5: 16-22

Scripture Readings: by Pastor Sylvester Jammeh (Evangelical Member) Genesis 18: 22-33; 1 Timothy 2:1 and 2

 

 

Prayers of Supplication: by Pastor John C. Njie (Evangelical Member). He remarked that it is time to make real the promises of democracy in The Gambia; this is the time to call upon our God. Worshipers were reminded that because of the obedience and humility of Jesus God gave Him a name above all other names. He further noted that “whenever the name of my God is called upon He answers”. The call of Christians on this day of prayer is “Let the Kingdom of God/Yahweh/Jehovah visit the Gambia; let false imprisonment and injustice cease to exist. Let justice guide our leaders in the Gambia and that Christians are praying from a point of victory not for victory”.

 

 

Silent prayers of personal confessions led by Bishop Ellison – Catholic Bishop

Prayers of Thanksgiving: Rev. Gabriel Allen (Methodist Mission). The prayer sessions recalled history starting with the period of Slave Trade affirming that both white people and local inhabitants connived in the capture and sale of slaves. It was a dark period of history that culminated with its abolition and subsequent arrival of Missionaries that built churches throughout the country, from Amdallai to Sabi, from Koina to Banjul. This space of evangelization and education witnessed a period of rule with compassion and justice that earned the Gambia the name ‘The Smiling Coast of Africa’. The Day of Prayer has now connected together people in God’s wisdom; all are urged to ‘Stand up for Jesus; and that the strive will not be long”.

 

 

Vote of Thanks: by GCC General Secretary Rev. Mthr. Priscilla Johnson, She was overwhelmed by the great multitude of people many of who remained standing throughout the event. It was the desire to organize similar meetings periodically.

Closing Remarks and Prayer: by GCC Chairperson-Presiding Bishop Hannah C. Faal-Heim and finally Benediction by the three Bishops namely Methodist, Catholic and Anglican.

 

 

There were intermittent hymns of praise, thanksgiving and dancing to gospel music songs. These included: The Church is One Foundation; All Creatures of our God & King; Our God is An Awesome God; Ngum Na ti Yov, Yesu; Dear Lord and Father of Mankind; All to Jesus I Surrender; Sune Yesu; There Is A Redeemer; Na Het Yi Yep Santa Sunu Yalla; Give Thanks; Shine Jesus Shine; He Is Lord; Magay U Kerten; We Are One In The Spirit; Onward Christian Soldiers and To God Be The Glory.

 

 

Worshipers rendered thanks to God for giving the Holy Spirit that protects the Church. It was a prayerful day; strong statements were made that ‘This is time for the Gambia and in unity there is strength’. There were calls for encouragement, strength and boldness for the present and future. People were highly energized to speak out strongly and very loud to the unwelcome signs in the Gambia. There were prayers for the Church and Mission in The Gambia and the world over. The gathering implored upon God the Almighty to take control over the situation in The Gambia; they cried out that ‘The battle is the Lord’s’.

More Troubles For Embattle Journalist Alhagie Ceesay As Government Stops His Visitation Rights

Fatu Camara
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Highly placed dependable sources within The Gambia Prisons Service have informed The Fatu Network that journalist Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay is now been denied all direct contacts with his family following the publication of a petition signed by over 50 media and civil rights organisations around the world calling on The Gambia government to release him.





According to our source, the order to ban journalist Ceesay’s family in accessing him in prison came from the Minister of Interior Ousman Sonko. Minister Sonko was also said to have been instructed by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Mama Fatima Singhateh to tighten security and surveillance around journalist Ceesay anytime he goes to court.

 

 

 

This came about following the publication of a photo of the embattled journalist sitting pale and sickly on the witness bench inside a courtroom where his case was supposed to be heard. The Justice Minister who is also a mother of young siblings was said to have been angry and incensed by what she said was a serious breach of security for allowing cameramen to take photos of the journalist while inside the courtroom.





True to his overzealousness, no sooner had the warning got to the Interior Minister Sonko than he got into action strictly warning the prison authorities from allowing journalist Ceesay’s family anywhere near the prison facilities.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, security sources within both the NIA and the State House have told The Fatu Network that security personnel are frantically looking for some unspecified members of journalist Ceesay’s family. One of our sources said: “Fatu I want to tell you that currently we have been instructed to increase surveillance on journalist Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay’s family. In fact they have given us some names among the family who when spotted should be arrested.”





Further to the aggravated harassment the family is going through, the state has meanwhile instructed and bullied all business partners of the embattled journalist to sever all business relationship with him or face the consequences. According to our security sources, this is meant to completely breakdown the Ceesay family by starving them of any meaningful earning opportunities that would make them stand the test of time in this trying period.





The Fatu Network is keenly following this story and we are warning the government of Dictator Jammeh that we are aware of the sinister plots it has hatched against the Ceesay family. If any single member of the Ceesay family gets harmed, then we will squarely put that blame on Jammeh and his government.

If Gambians are tired of Jammeh, They are equally tired of the Opposition

Fatu Camara
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Now that the socialist democratic opposition, People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) and the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction (APRC) have both selected their candidates for the upcoming presidential election, the call for opposition unity has been intensified mostly by the Gambian diaspora. While we wait for other parties (UDP, PPP, GMC and NRP) to organize their congress and present their leaders to the electorates, I have a few observations to share on the continuous call for a coalition opposition force. I am convinced even with a united opposition, the chance of uprooting Jammeh is minimal. The issue is not whether they are united or not, the issue is their approach to everything.

 

 

This whole idea of opposition unity is not a new phenomenon. I remember coming across some documents during my research on PDOIS that pointed me to similar efforts during the period leading to the 1992 elections. The only difference this time is that the leading advocates of such are Gambians in the diaspora. The call for opposition unity is premised upon the notion that the only possible way of removing Jammeh electorally is a united opposition. Of course, the obsession to remove Jammeh is linked mostly to the numerous human rights violations as well as his poor socio-economic and political policies. Also, there are some disgruntled individuals who hate him for whatever reason. As much as this argument maybe true, I tend to believe otherwise. I strongly believe that even if united, the opposition has little chance of removing Jammeh. My argument is centered on the current nature of our electoral system including the previous electoral results.

 

 

Since the colonial period, The Gambia adopted the First Past the Post voting system. This system is based on the number of votes that a candidate received in an election. The one with the most votes is declared the winner. For example, in an election where there are three candidates and a total number of 100 voters, if one candidate received 34 votes, the two remaining candidates with 33 votes each, the one with 34 votes is declared winner. Nonetheless, if the votes of the others are combined, the winner is in the minority. This means that there are more people that did not vote for the winner than the ones that voted for him/her. Over the years, this system has received wide condemnation on the fact that it is not very representative and does not show the true choice of the people. Undoubtedly, such electoral system only favors the incumbent in a society where the political space is a closed one, like the case of The Gambia. The only possible and logical way to access political power is by forming a coalition. That is, before elections, the two candidates that received 33 votes unite and put forward one candidate to contest. The possibility in this case is that they will have 66 votes, thus representing the voices of the majority. However, within the current Gambian political dispensation, even if opposition political parties are united, the possibilities of them winning are very slim. Many analysts might fault the unlevelled playing field, the use of state resources by the ruling party as well as youth political apathy among many other factors. I think one area that is under looked in our analyses is APRC’s popularity and the number of people that prefer them over the rest. Although this is not the direction of this article, I think it is worthy to note that there are people that love and prefer the APRC over all other parties. Whether they are in the majority or not, we cannot tell. Nonetheless, attention must also be given to them. Whether their support is changing or not is also very debatable.

 

 

In The Gambia, there has been history of coalitions formed by political parties. For instance, around the time of independence, the Democratic Party of Reverend J.C Faye collaborated with I.M Garba Jahumpa’s Gambia Muslim Congress Party to form the Democratic Congress (DC). The same DC joined with the People Progressive Party (PPP) even though the PPP was the dominant party. Though many analysts call such a coalition “cooptation”, what this did at the time was to create two parties: PPP and United Party (UP); and made it very easy for the electorates to select. Financially, it cut the electioneering cost of the parties and gave them more opportunities to intensify their electoral campaigns. The demise of UP and the coming up of the National Convention Party (NCP) led by Sheriff Mustapha Dibba pushed forward the two party dominant politics in The Gambia up to 1986 when the PDOIS and Gambia People’s Party (GPP) emerged almost around the same time. The coming up of these two parties and later the coming up of Gambia People’s Democratic Party (GPDP) changed the total nature of the Gambian political landscape from one of two parties to multiparty competition. With the increase in political parties, those that were interested in political change called for a united opposition as a means to replace the PPP government. However, this did not materialize based on many issues, but primarily on ideological differences of the parties. At least, this was the argument of PDOIS.

 

 

Consequently, this might not be the case today. Yet, the idealistic PDOIS defer greatly to the form or approach to coalition building. While UDP claim that they are the majority party and all other parties should follow them, PDOIS believe in effective grassroots mobilization, which will ultimately lead to a primary, where a candidate of people’s choosing will be selected. This is a whole debate that requires another blog on why Gambian parties refuse to unite today. You may read Essa Njie’s perspective.

 

 

So far, I have shown the nature of the Gambian voting system. Let us put it into perspective all the previous elections and assume full coalition was formed by the political parties. I argue that even with such coalition the parties had no chance of winning the APRC. This article does not go into detail on the factors that made the APRC dominant. We all know or may argue the various reasons.

 

 

In the 1996 presidential election, the combined electoral votes in terms of percentage acquired by the United Democratic Party (UDP) (35.84%), National Reconciliation Party (NRP) (5.52%) and PDOIS (2.87%) was 44.23%, while the APRC won with 55.77%. These figures changed in the 2001 elections due primarily to the lifting of the ban on political parties, which facilitated the coming of NCP. The combined votes increased to 47.16%. This year was interesting because the first idea of coalition in the second republic was initiated between the UDP, PPP and GPP. The UDP led coalition received 32.59% of the votes; NRP received 7.8%, NCP 3.77% and PDOIS 3.02%. The increase in total opposition vote affected percentage vote received by the APRC from a total vote of 55.77% in 1996 to 52.84%.

 

 

Comparing the two elections, we have seen NRP and PDOIS improve in 2001. However, we have seen a decline in votes on the side of APRC and UDP. As mentioned earlier, the decline of votes from these two parties could be as a result of the arrival of NCP. It shows that NCP’s loyal supporters that were divided into supporting UDP or APRC went back to their party. Undoubtedly, the UDP coalition substantiates the argument that many have pushed before. That UDP is a mere replica of the banned parties of the First Republic.

 

 

The 2006 election was a very interesting one. 67.33% of the votes went in favor of the APRC. APRC’s high vote could have been as a result of NCP’s decision to throw its weight behind the party. The reason for this sharp increase was also primarily blamed on the oppositions’ failure to unite and present a single candidate. Nevertheless, the opposition was united into two different camps: the UDP led Alliance for Regime Change (ARC) and the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD). While the ARC coalition received 26.69% of the votes, the NADD camp received 5.98%. Now, when we sum the total opposition votes, we realize a sharp decrease from the previous election from 47.16% to 32.67%. Although we cannot assume what would have happened when a single candidate was forwarded from the opposition, nonetheless, many analysts blame the results on the opposition’s failure to unite.

 

 

The 2011 election followed a similar pattern as that of the previous election with two opposition camps. As usual, one led by UDP and the United Front (UF) putting forward an independent candidate. The combined votes of the two opposition camps was 28.47% where UDP-led received 17.36% and the UF received 11.11%, while the APRC received 71.54%. Again, the proponents of coalition blamed the outcome of the results on the opposition failure. At least I thought taking cue from the 2006 and 2011 elections, which exhibited strong form of coalition compared to the previous elections, one would assume that the opposition would have received more votes. Instead they received fewer votes. Possibly with a single coalition this time around, they might receive even fewer votes.

 

 

Here is the argument. On what basis do Gambian electorates vote? What factors influence the voting pattern or behavior of the citizens? Is it based on ethnicity, economic reasons, regionalism or the individual candidates? These might all serve as answer(s) to the question. However, to determine this, detailed studies must be conducted. We are assuming that a united opposition will succeed in removing Jammeh from office. This could be, but first we must understand the behavior of the electorates. We must move from the candidates and focus our attention on the ones that truly matter – the voters. See, this is the scenario. Do we just want the opposition to unite to satisfy or adhere to our call or do we strongly believe they have a chance to win the election, if united?

 

 

With the current electoral system, like many others, I would like to see a “united opposition”, one built on solid democratic principle, not because I believe they can win, but because it will show a different side to our political scenario. It will show the level of seriousness of the opposition. I am not as pessimistic as one may think; I would like to see a change of government. A change from one dominated to one that will open up the environment for wider public participation. I am all for our democratic growth. However, my desperation for change will not force me to accept anything undemocratic and with no hope of succeeding. Changing Jammeh today, in haste, does not guarantee anything different.

 

 

Let us look at issues here. If a coalition was to be formed, what form or structure should it take? Would it be like the NADD or like what happened in the last election with the independent candidate? Or will the parties just throw their weight behind some party. This could be a problem because the debate between PDOIS and the UDP are both legitimate. UDP believe they have majority and that they should lead. PDOIS argue that the best approach is for parties to organize themselves and run a primary. If I were ever asked to choose, I would pick the PDOIS approach. It may seem longer and tiring, but is more democratic and people driven. Most Gambians do not belong to political parties. They are not registered members of any party. In fact, none of the political parties can show you a list of registered members. Hence, to claim that one party is bigger based on previous results does not guarantee a democratic future. In fact the statistics above shows a great decline of UDP popularity. Nonetheless, if the goal is to get rid of Jammeh, the UDP way could be the way.

 

 

It is true that the seemingly more united the opposition gets, the stronger Jammeh becomes. We have seen the decline in votes of the opposition. We can blame it on their failure to unite, but I also think it has everything to do with their nature and the way they organize themselves. We have for many years blamed the unleveled playing field. Playing fields have never been levelled in any African election. The party contesting must make it level. An idea for an opposition today is to attract the voters of the ruling party, reduce the support base of the party so as to win political power. Calling for opposition unity is one way and there is more to it than just coming together. I think a new face should do the work. All the political parties in Gambia are like the APRC.

 

 

I think we are so obsessed with Jammeh that we forget what future our country should take. I for one will not vote for a united opposition just because they are united, but for the policy and program they have to offer. This should be the issue. We must move from politics of Jammeh to politics of The Gambia and its future. One may argue that the two are linked. I refuse to accept that. I think we have created Jammeh and positioned him above everything else and that he will leave when Gambians are really ready for change. The fact of the matter is that we are not ready and I don’t think 2016 will be any different even with a united opposition. The bottom line is we are equally tired of the opposition.

 

Sait Matty Jaw

Fatu on Jammeh’s plans to destabilize Casamance

Fatu Camara
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Plans by Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh to destabilize Casamance

A Treachery Uncovered: Dictator Jammeh Lays Dangerous Bait For Unsuspecting Diasporans Coming Back Home On Holidays

Fatu Camara
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The Fatu Network has uncovered yet another dangerous plan by Dictator Yahya Jammeh. This other one is hatched against unsuspecting Gambians based in the diaspora who annually go back home on holidays to reunite with their family and loved ones.





 

For the past nine months, the lonely dictator through his scoundrel National Intelligence Agency (NIA) has been compiling a database on Gambians living in the diaspora which it believes are those bent on destabilising the country or those engage in activities aimed at discrediting the government overseas. This list is distributed to immigration officers, the police and NIA personnel posted at all entry points of The Gambia including the Banjul International Airport.

 

 

 

The list which our credible sources on the ground have promised to provide to us, shows yet undeterred determination and the length at which the Dictator Jammeh and his isolated government wants to go in inflicting more harm on the already traumatised and brutalised populace.





 

Recent travellers have been narrating the unusually long process it now takes to pass through immigration desk at the airport where screening officers consult through all kinds of lists before an entry stamp is put on your passport.

 

 

 

Unknown to many of these home comers however is the treacherous plans hatched by the dictator against Gambians in the diaspora. The list of supposed “enemies of The Gambia” is divided into three different categories: the first category is those tagged “open opposition party supporters” and this group is classified as “not dangerous” since all what they do is to raise funds, support and propagate the ideals of their respective parties…although the NIA memo clearly says they should be tracked. This category of people can come back home and they need to watch their back because the NIA would be tracking their movement and activity while in the Gambia according to our credible source.





 

The second category of described as “enemies of The Gambia” are those the NIA tagged as “engaging in unrelented propaganda” spreading falsehood against The Gambia government and its officials most particularly the President of the Republic, his Cabinet Ministers and his immediate family. Those names listed in this particular group and seen by our credible sources are online media journalists and their regular guests, anti-government bloggers, prominent Facebook users and Twitterites hostile to the “supreme national interest” of The Gambia, former senior government officials who after fleeing the country would be talking to the online media revealing state secrets, asylum seekers who the regime accuses of using false claims just to get asylum, suspected homosexuals who have fled the country but are talking to pressure groups to put pressure on the government, heads and prominent members of international human rights organisations who the NIA described in their memo as “taking a hostile and belligerent approach” against The Gambia government.

 

 

 

According to our sources, anyone whose name is this second list should be immediately arrested and integrated at the point of entry before being handed over to the NIA. The instruction from the dictator’s own office is that this category of people should be charged under the false information act and brought before the courts depending on the severity of your case and the evidence compiled against you.

 

 

 

The third category of people are those tagged “severest.” The people listed in this group are those the regime referred to as “saboteurs.” They include former soldiers that it is believed are being used to destabilise The Gambia, alleged coup plotters, security forces (soldiers in particular) who have abandoned their force and fled to overseas, prominent Gambians based in the diaspora who are accused of scouting funding for dissident groups to attack The Gambia, other Gambians and unspecified number of non-Gambians who are lobbying foreign governments to put different kinds of sanctions on The Gambia.





 

The NIA memo on the third category of people is explicit that this category once spotted anywhere in The Gambia should be arrested and handed over to the Kanilai squadron. In one of the files marked FYEO (For Your Eye Only), which one of our credible sources happened to see, says that every effort should be done to not only track the third category of people, but that the Eternal Security Division of the NIA “should work with our friendly partners in the region to counter and or stop this group listed in number three by any means necessary” including inducement and something our source said is encircled in black ink but which is not legible.

 

 

 

Apparently the NIA and other security branches tasked to carry out this dastardly treacherous act against innocent Gambians have already been posted at the various entry points across the country. Currently at the Banjul International Airport, most of the coach drivers are now intelligence officers, in addition to a large number of plainclothes military intelligence officers who mingle in the crowd at the airport. A special detention facility has been created at the old terminal at the Banjul International Airport where suspects are to be processed before being handed over to the relevant security agencies.





 

The Fatu Network will continue to follow this rather interesting developing story that is meant to harm perceived enemies of The Gambia government.

Gambia: Free ailing journalist arbitrarily detained

Fatu Camara
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Gambia should free an ailing journalist who has been arbitrarily detained since July 2015 and drop all charges against him, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.

 

Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay, the managing director of the independent radio station Teranga FM, has been charged with sedition and “publication of false news.” He has been hospitalized twice since the beginning of 2016. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called on Gambia last week to release Ceesay and drop all charges against him.

 

“The use of archaic sedition laws to harass and lock up critics is a serious violation of the right to freedom of expression,” said Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International deputy regional director for West and Central Africa.

 

“Alagie Ceesay’s case is a further example of Gambia’s blatant disregard for freedom of the press, and he should be released immediately and unconditionally.”

 

Ceesay was arrested on July 2 by the National Intelligence Agency after he privately shared by phone a picture in which a gun was pointed toward a photograph of President Yahya Jammeh. The image had been circulating on the internet, and Ceesay was not its author. His radio station, Teranga FM, had been closed down several times over the past years.

 

The use of archaic sedition laws to harass and lock up critics is a serious violation of the right to freedom of expression
Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International deputy regional director for West and Central Africa.

During his detention Alagie Ceesay has been held ‘incommunicado’ for two periods by members of the Gambian security forces. Ceesay was held in an unknown location from July 2 to July 13, then released.

 

He was rearrested on July 17 and detained at the National Intelligence Agency headquarters, which is not an official place of detention, without access to a lawyer or his family. He was taken before the High Court on August 25 and charged with six counts of sedition under Section 52 of the Gambian Criminal Code, and publication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm among the public. He is currently held at Mile 2 prison on the outskirts of the capital, Banjul. In February this year, he was denied bail for the fourth time.

 

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention released an opinion last week, adopted during its last session, in December 2015, that Ceesay had been arbitrarily deprived of liberty. It said he should be released immediately and given an enforceable right to compensation. It also said the government should ensure that freedom of opinion and expression is better protected and called for an investigation into allegations that Ceesay has been tortured.

 

Alhagie Ceesay shouldn’t have been locked up in the first place
Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch

Ceesay’s health has been deteriorating since the beginning of 2016. On January 13, he was hospitalized after complaining for over a month about stomach pains and difficulties sleeping. A doctor diagnosed him with an enlarged liver and prescribed pain medication. On February 29, he was readmitted to the same hospital for an asthma attack and returned to prison on March 1.

 

“Alhagie Ceesay shouldn’t have been locked up in the first place,” said Corinne Dufka, West Africa director at Human Rights Watch. “The deterioration in his health only underscores the urgent need to release him.”

 

Gambia should amend several draconian laws that give authorities sweeping powers to arrest and detain critics and violate international and regional standards on the right to freedom of expression, the organizations said. These include the law on seditious publication, the Information and Communication (Amendment) Act 2013 and the Criminal Code (Amendment) Act 2013.

 

In April 2015, Gambia rejected 78 of the 171 recommendations at the universal periodic review of human rights conditions in the country by the United Nations. The recommendations it rejected included removing restrictions on freedom of expression.

 

Gambia has not implemented the judgments of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice in three cases related to journalists: the enforced disappearance of Ebrima Manneh in 2010; the torture of Musa Saidykhan in 2010; and the unlawful killing of the president of the Gambia Press Union Deyda Hydara,in 2014.

 

Media freedoms and freedom of expression more broadly have been systematically eroded through repressive legislation, intimidation and the imprisonment of independent journalists
Robert Mahoney,CPJ Deputy Executive Director

“Gambia’s catch-all laws on sedition and publication of false news are nothing but an instrument of censorship and should be repealed,” said CPJ Deputy Executive Director Robert Mahoney.

 

“Media freedoms and freedom of expression more broadly have been systematically eroded through repressive legislation, intimidation and the imprisonment of independent journalists. Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay is a victim of this crackdown and must be released from prison immediately.”

Mystery Surrounds the Presence of a Group of Middle Eastern Men in Kanilai!!!

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Sources have informed Fatu Network that Gambia’s President, Yahya Jammeh is playing host to a group of Middle Eastern men in Kanilai, whose presence and commute back and forth have raised eyebrows within both his own security network and the Kanilai villagers. We are still trying to determine the exact number but the men who are seen riding bicycles in the evenings in what seem like rehearsal formations, are said to be around a dozen.





Jammeh has recently been intensifying his game of mischief both at home and abroad – there is an escalating border crisis brewing between this small country of 1.9 million people and its much larger neighbor, Senegal – all thanks to his belligerence. There is even a rumor of him securing a jet fighter plane or helicopter gunship (still trying to determine which is true). The rebels fighting against Senegalese forces in that country’s southern region are once again rattling sabers claiming to be demanding for the release of a dead body of a comrade – it has now been confirmed through sources on the ground that Jammeh is the one behind this move, just as he has instigated such actions by the rebels in the past.

 

 

So with this latest act of clandestine elements in the midst, there is growing concern among people in The Gambia that Yahya is once again up to no good and that the presence of these men only spells trouble. There is high suspicion on the ground that these men are either mercenaries or brought in to train a clandestine group for either terrorizing the population or to pick a fight with Senegal. There is even one far-fetched theory that with him declaring the Gambia an Islamic State, these men maybe in town to use it for launching an attack against Western interests in the region, especially in Senegal. There has recently been growing concern over terrorism in the region prompting countries like Senegal to beef up security and conduct anti-terrorism raids, especially after bloody attacks by terror groups in Mali, Nigeria, Kenya, Chad, Niger, and most recently, Burkina Faso.





There is said to be a female group too but Fatu Network has been able to establish that those females came from Ethiopia and are possibly being used as sex toys for Jammeh since his rape of young Gambians girls has been exposed and intensely reported by this network.





These are very troubling times in The Gambia. Yahya Jammeh is increasingly becoming a huge headache for not only that country but the entire West Africa region. Gambians both on the ground and in Diaspora are therefore hoping that Senegal will strengthen her resolve in being tough on him; otherwise the ensuing disaster could have serious consequences for all.

Dictator Jammeh in total confusion as his antics show a rather jittery President

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Sources within the corridors of The State House in Banjul, have informed The Fatu Network about a rather worried dictator Jammeh who for the past few days has been showing signs of unease to the point that even his closest aids are refused access to him.

 

 

In the same vein, cabinet ministers, foreign diplomats and other senior government officials have been on the waiting list for a while to have audience with the dictator on urgent state matters without success.





One credible source has told The Fatu Network that the dictator is so jittery about what he calls ‘Signs of security concerns’ that Jammeh avoids handshakes with his security details and other close aids. He said the dictator for some strange reasons, has now taken some extra precautionary measures where he remains in his car now longer than usual anytime they reach their destination.

 

 

The source stated that in the past anytime Jammeh arrives at a venue he will quickly descend from his car, but now according to our credible source, the dictator takes more than five minutes to come out from his car. In addition he said plain clothes officials of the dictator’s militia are also always now seen combing areas of target in the vicinity where the dictator is before he comes out of his car.





In addition, our source has said that the dictator is now accompanied by a larger than usual convoy with all kinds of military equipment wherever he goes. He has also increased the number of check points from Denton bridge to the state house area in addition to increased night patrols by heavily armed soldiers. The dictator is also said to have reduced his habitual long discussions on telephone.

 

 

Meanwhile, inside the dictator’s own backyard, Gambians particularly women are getting more and more agitated thanks to the unending economic problems in the country.





Just yesterday, March 8, 2016, two young women based in Banjul openly phoned The Fatu Network’s popular Today Show where they challenged the dictator to resign or face the wrought of a rather fed up populace. The two callers are part of a chorus of young people who are mobilizing themselves for an eventual showdown with dictator Jammeh and his government.





For far too long, young Gambians were being used, misused and then micromanaged by the dictatorship in The Gambia. But now it seems many young people have woken up from their slumber and that in itself is a huge headache for the dictator.

 

 

The Fatu Network will continue to provide its platform for increased advocacy to provide the young people not only with the right information, but to also expose the excesses, brutality, corruption, and mismanagement of The Gambia’s resources by dictator Jammeh and his government.

 

Jakarrlo Ak Amzo

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Confusion In Kanilai As Dictator Jammeh Summons His Trusted Aids To Fish Out Supposed Informants Following The Fatu Network’s Damning Story On His Genocidal Plans Against Opposition Leaders

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The Fatu Network can report with upmost certainty about two high level meetings hurriedly organized by Dictator Yahya Jammeh following our Thursday lead story which explicitly documented dangerous genocidal plans being hatched against the Gambian opposition parties and their supporters.

 
Bewildered and furious, our trusted sources intimated to The Fatu Network how Dictator Jammeh summoned senior officials of the security forces and tasked them to fish out those giving out classified state information to The Fatu Network. The Dictator was said to have been particularly “very angry” at what our credible source described as the apparent lapse in controlling state secret when plans to kill opposition leaders were leaked to The Fatu Network.




The genocidal plan itself against the opposition has three different operational strategies: Plan A: is to target the prominent opposition supporters with inducement of job offers and even lavish cash spending on them. If this could not yield fruit, then the architects have recommended what it terms under Plan B: as a strategy to suffocate the opposition of the much needed space to conduct their rallies and activities. These plans include denying the opposition permits to hold rallies; unexplained disappearances; arrests and long detentions; identifying and singling out their bread winners for dismissal from their jobs and also denying them opportunities to make it impossible for them to focus on supporting the opposition.
But the scary bit falls under Plan C…..which the architects code named the operation as “The Black Cat.” Under this plan, over 300 people have been identified across the country among them UDP leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, PPP leader OJ Jallow, NRP leader Hamat Bah, PDOIS leader Halifa Sallah and several youth leaders of both the UDP and PPP as well as newly cross carpeted youths from the ruling party to the UDP. All of their names have been circled in a red ink.




At least six prominent names of diaspora opposition party activists from both the UDP and PPP have also been listed and their family addresses already identified and circled in red ink as “potentials.”
The Plan C talks about abductions of the prominent party members, arrest and court charges including inciting violence so that they would be denied bail. But the epic of the operation is what the architects called “silence the parrot” which include extreme use of force and violence against defenceless civilians.
Under this plan, residential addresses of the targets have been identified, all escape routes marked “Gates closed” and the number of security men to be tasked to be conducting the operation mapped. For example for both UDP and PPP leaders’, the architects have suggested that not less than 30 heavily armed men should storm their residences with tear gas ganisters. The attackers should also use a specially designed balaclavas (hoods) to hide their identity.
Meanwhile, within Kanilai itself, the Dictator has tasked his trusted security team to liaise with telecommunications service providers to particularly find out who have been communicating with The Fatu Network in the US.




Our source said there is currently serious panic among the close aides of the Dictator who are worried that they could be wrongly accused of being the informants. According to different sources who spoke to The Fatu Network, the security taskforce setup by the Dictator first met Thursday night
immediately after the publication of our damning story. The taskforce has now already put together modalities to crack down on what they called informants bent on destabilizing the country. On Sunday 6th March, the taskforce met again to brief the Dictator about the steps they have taken.
One source said the online media has now become Dictator Jammeh’s biggest headaches where on a daily basis, a special group of intelligence officers stationed at the NIA record all programs especially aired on The Fatu Network. Names of regular contributors on the online radios are also compiled and in some cases their relatives tracked in The Gambia.

 
The Fatu Network is keenly following this story and we will continue to update our audience with the developments.

Fatu’s Take On The Gambia & Senegal Border Closure

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Under Siege, The Gambia’s Nervous Christian Denominations Pray for Tolerance in The Country!!!

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The Christian Council of the The Gambia on Saturday, March 5 organized what it called Nation Day of Prayers. The event was held at the Independent Stadium in Bakau and all three Christian denominations in the country were in attendance. According to those present, this was the largest congregation they have ever seen in that country, a lot of Muslims were also in attendance as a show of solidarity with a people coming under siege because of their faith.





This event came on the heels of some troubling developments in that country not ever seen or felt throughout its history. The President, Yahya Jammeh who rules this country of 1.9 million people, 85-90% of which identify themselves as Muslim, with an iron fist has a penchant for using his terrorized people as pawns in schemes that most of the times only he can explain. The Christians have recently been the ones on the receiving end of this continuing madness. First, he declared the country and Islamic State, to the consternation of both Christians in the country and the International community, then, proceeded to issue directives that forced the Christians to start adhering to Islamic dressing. Of course every observer agrees this is a just a ploy by him to get funds from Arab states because all financial aid coming from European sources have dried up due to his lack of adherence to basic human rights for his people. This according to them is after all the man who openly worships idols and engages in rituals considered heresy in Islam.





These actions and many others prior it – all meant to sow seeds of division between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority for his own political gain, have forced the usually sympathetic Christian community (Yahya was raised by Christians and has family members who are Christians too) to feel alienated and as a result started distancing themselves from him and his regime. With trepidation growing among them, and knowing the direction the president is going will eventually see them completely wiped out of the country they call home, the leaders in the churches have started voicing out their frustrations and fears. Reverend Edward Gomez was the first who delivered a sermon that called for tolerance towards the Christian minority among other serious concerns. The video of that sermon was shared widely on social media by activists, human rights defenders, and social commentators who felt the time is here for the Christian leaders to finally speak up before it is too late.

 

 

So this event at the Independent Stadium came as no surprise, and the tone of the speakers speaks volumes as to the degree to which the Christians in The Gambia are beginning to feel left of their own country. According to an eye-witness, speakers included Arch Bishop Robert Ellison from the Catholic Mission who began his speech with a question asking; should referees be corrupt? Should they be neutral? This it seems is a direct reference to how the leaders in the majority Muslim country are not treating the Christian minority as equals in their own country. He continued praying that the Lord guide our leaders and judges to remain neutral in order to serve fairly in accordance with the law. The second speaker, Mrs. Bishop Hanna C. Faal-Heim buttressing Bishop Ellison’s earlier remarks, but one seen by observers as a swipe against the Muslim elders like Imam Cherno Kah and others who have as usual decided to be the President’s cheerleaders in these unconstitutional maneuvers, stressed that leaders should speak the truth, and shy away from being hypocrites to President Jammeh. She prayed for such leaders to be guided by the Lord and strengthen their faiths to judge in accordance with the law. Speaking to the general feeling of Christians in the country, she also prayed that no Gambian be treated as refugees in their own country and that each and every one of them be able to associate freely with whatever faith or belief one chooses but yet all of them living in peace and harmony together as one people and one nation. She celebrated the diversity of the Gambia and commended the citizens for having big hearts. In an attempt to calm nerves among the scared Christians, Bishop Fall assured the congregants that Christians and Muslims will continue to work together in the country.





Reverend Priscilla Johnson gave the closing remarks.

With Fast Dwindling Health and Little Hope, Journalist Alhagie Ceesay’s Sad Ordeal Continues in the Hands of Africa’s Worst Dictator – President Yahya Jammeh!!!

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Alhagie Ceesay broken, tired, nauseated, sick, and almost at the point of despair sat staring at an empty space, except for an occasional effort to give his lawyers an undivided attention, he seemed completely out of it. But then again, judging by the picture (talking to his lawyer in the photo), the old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds true. This sad scene of the 25 year old played out in court on Monday, February 22. The case was adjourned to Monday, February 29, a date he failed to appear in court because he was too sick to attend – he spent that day lying helplessly down on a hospital bed. When the case was called, the Prisons officer told the court that the “accuse is sick and admitted at RVTH.” The case was adjourned yet again to March 15, between 1PM and 2PM.




This was the umpteenth time Alhagie Ceesay has been dragged to court to attend proceedings in a case that is as frivolous as it can get. Even UN Human Rights Council couldn’t help but depart from its usual diplomatic language to; in a scathing report, describe the detention of this manager of Taranga FM Radio Station as “arbitrary”

http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Issues/Detention/Opinions2015AUV/Opinion%202015%2050_TheGambia_Ceesay_AUV.pdf

 

In the meantime, the notorious Mile 2 Prisons is where he is calling home – thanks to President Yahya Jammeh’s evil scheme to silence a young man who poses absolutely no threat to his rule, except for the radio station Alhagie’s manages effort to translate local papers from English to the local languages.




Alhagie’s case is a stark reminder of the brutal realities of life in this impoverished country of 1.9 million inhabitants, and journalists have undoubtedly taken the brunt of the madness – President Yahya Jammeh, it seems has truly made good on his promise that “They talk about rights, human rights, and freedom of the press, and say that this country is a hell for journalists. There are freedoms and responsibilities. The journalists are less than 1 percent of the population, and if anybody expects me to allow less than 1 percent of the population to destroy 99 percent of the population, you are in the wrong place.” The Gambia is branded by Human Rights and journalist rights groups as the worst country for journalists – none like it in Africa. Since his coming to power in a military coup in 1994, hundreds of journalists have fled, essentially wiping the entire country of any semblance of an independent press. Except for Foroyaa Newspaper whose journalists write under the shied of the opposition PDOIS political party, none other dares even highlight the cases of missing, killed, tortured, illegally detained, and disappeared Gambians in whose circumstance the government is suspected to have had a hand. The ones that fled are the lucky ones – renown journalist Deyda Hydara and journalist Ebrima Chief Manneh were not so lucky – the former was murdered in cold blood while the latter’s disappearance has still not been solved, Yahya Jammeh’s involvement in both crimes being pretty much all but confirmed at this point.




So what makes Alhagie’s case even more urgent and dire is the fact that his health according to prison guards, hospital sources, and family members is failing fast, and if he is not released immediately and sent overseas for medical treatment, he could suffer the same fate as Sheriff Dibba, the former head of The Gambia Transport Control Association, who recently died in custody because of his ill health being compounded by the ill treatment he received in the hands of the security forces. Alhagie was severely tortured during his previous arrests by the security forces under the orders of Jammeh.     The Gambia’s sad ordeal continues and Fatu Network will be reporting all developments.

Bombshell: The Abomination In Dictator Jammeh’s Islamic Republic: Young Girls Recruited By The Dictator’s Political Pawns As Lesbians

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A young Gambian girl who has confessed of being a lesbian and who was arrested some two years in the Gambia and charged with involvement in homosexuality and other indecent acts, has told the Fatu Network that she and many other young girls are being recruited into lesbianism by powerful members of the women’s wing of Dictator Yahya Jammeh’s ruling APRC party.





In a rather chilling interview which was broadcast on The Fatu Network’s popular Today Show program, the girl (name withheld) who is only 24 years old said she was first recruited into lesbianism about four years ago by a certain wealthy woman who is also a prominent member of the ruling APRC party.

 

 

The girls, who is a vulnerable prey having lost both parents at tender age, said at the time of her recruitment, life was so difficult and “that’s what my recruiters used to get me into this life of lesbianism,” she said.





Contrary to what many believe that Gambia is a highly traditional and religious society, the young girl said “homosexual acts are very in The Gambia.” She said some wealthy women in particular use their privilege position to lure young girls into the act.

 

 

She said in order to escape the wrath of the dictatorship, some of the wealthy women engaged in lesbianism are also openly involved in supporting and funding the ruling party. “They are also involved in bribing the security forces especially the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) to ensure that they escape any arrest.”

 

 

She however said in the unfortunate scenario where an inexperience intelligence officer arrest culprits, it is her and other innocent, vulnerable young girls who are compromised to the NIA where they are sexually abused and tortured.





Narrating her ordeal in the hands of the NIA which was an uncomfortable listen, the young girls who has since fled the Gambia to a neighboring country, said while under detention, her torturers were inserting objects into her private part punctuated with beatings for doing what they called an abominable act.

 

 

She said even within the NIA, there are some officers who are rumored to be involved in homosexual acts. She cited several incidents where some alleged gay intelligence officers would force young men into sexual relationship only to refuse paying them. Most of these young men she said normally end up being arrested and brutally tortured.





She said as far as Dictator Yahya Jammeh is concerned, the issue of Islam is only a lip service because neither the dictator nor his supporters believe and behave Islamic in any way. She said all the noise about homosexual acts is meant to drum up financial support from Arab countries.

 

 

But in actual fact she said: “Yahya Jammeh and his entire security apparatus all know who the homosexuals are in the Gambia…..because they mingle with them every day and these people are also responsible for funding many ruling party activities.”

The Senegalese Transport Union Boss, Gora Khouma Takes President Jammeh to the Cleaners!!!

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“He acted without consultation and raised the charges for the border crossing to 400,000CFA ($800)”. “He signed ECOWAS protocols and yet doesn’t adhere to them”. “He doesn’t know the difference between running a country and running a household.”





These were just some of the charges leveled by Gora Khouma, the head of the Senegalese Transport Union, against the Gambian dictator, Yahya Jammeh. These charges came on the heels of an escalating border crisis between the Gambia and her neighbor, Senegal. It must be noted that this is not the first time the border between these two neighbors becomes the source of friction – it is an ongoing feud that also breaks out whenever Jammeh wants to instigate a crisis to distract the Gambian population from his bad governance.

 

 

As a sign of Senegal’s intransigence this time around, the Transport Union has yanked the matter out of Senegalese President, Macky Sall’s hands, who is seen as a soft power peddler when it comes to Yahya Jammeh’s mischiefs towards this bigger neighbor. Macky, according to Gora has been asked to stay out of the current crisis for as he put it “Jammeh did not inform them (Macky and his government) when he made his decision (imposing crippling tariffs on Senegalese truckers in an attempt to manufacture yet another fake crisis for political gains).” And it seems, the move is proving effective in containing Jammeh’s belligerence – he has made an attempt to resolve the border dispute after realizing the unintended consequences of threatening his grip on power, but the Union has rebuffed such advances citing his past insincerities as cause for concern.





Mr Khouma in making his case to the Gambian people during an interview with Fatu Network didn’t hold any punches. In a move to show solidarity with their counterparts in The Gambia who have recently been the latest victims of Jammeh’s callous brutality, Gora raised the issue of Sheriff Dibba, the former Secretary General of the Gambia Transport Control Association who died in custody after what human rights groups and sister trade associations contend was caused by the ill treatment he got in the hands of the security forces. The family of Mr Dibba has still not officially been told the cause of his death and no formal investigation has since been launched, confirming the suspicions of many that foul play resulted to his untimely demise.

 

 

Gora also laid out their Transport Union’s game plan as far as tackling what he termed “Jammeh’s madness.” He said he has already given directives to drivers to by-pass The Gambia and use other routes when going to their country’s Southern region of Casamance. This he said is being done to make sure Senegal doesn’t feel the impact of the border closure as much as Gambia does.





The Union boss also had a word of advice for Gambians if they want to disentangle themselves out of the current “concrete jungle” type situation Jammeh has visited on them since 1994 – he called on Gambians especially the security forces to stand up against Jammeh and boot him out of power. “Jammeh is not who people think he is, nobody has ever shot him but for sure if and when it happens, it will kill him” he assured a traumatized and terrorized nation. To demystify Jammeh further, he ridiculed the Gambian iron fist dictator for his disease herbal treatment programs (Yahya even claims he can cure AIDS, Diabetes, Infertility, High blood Pressure, certain types of cancer, among others), reminding the population that the whole country is sick and the man is yet to cure anyone them.





“Gambia does not belong to Jammeh just as Senegal doesn’t belong to Mack” Gora Khouma emphatically concluded. Fatu Network will continue to monitor this gathering storm and report back any developments to our readers as always. Stay tuned.

“THOSE WHO CAST THE VOTES DETERMINE NOTHING; THOSE WHO COUNT THE VOTES DETERMINE EVERYTHING” BY: Ousainou Mbenga

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On June 25 2015, the desperate despot, Jammeh yet again unleashed another of his trademark amendments to assure himself “president for life”. The despotic one million Dalasis ($25,000) fee imposed on presidential candidates and the insult upon injury fee of half a million Dalasis ($12,500) to contest for a National Assembly seat clearly paves the way to hell for our beloved Gambia. But Gambia and her sons and daughters will never go to hell. “If there is a hell below”, Jammeh and his APRC will be the ones to go.

 

 

 

JAMMEH ACTS ON HIS ELECTORAL THREATS

 

On August 19, 2015, the not so Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of the Gambia wrote to all the legally registered political parties in the Gambia with the caption: REGULARIZATION OF EXISTING POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE GAMBIA.

 

 

 

The letter pointedly referred to the “recent amendment to the Elections Act (2009)”, in particular the “amendments made to section 105 of the principal act to ensure that all political party executives are resident in the Gambia; the political party has a secretariat in each administrative region; and the constitution of the political party requires it to hold a biennial congress”.

 

 

 

The letter continued its imposition by stating: “Furthermore, in accordance with the said laws, each political party write an undertaking that it shall submit its yearly audited account to the commission”.

 

 

 

“This above criteria and any other as enshrined in the electoral law of The Gambia shall be met by all political parties latest March 31st 2016, failure of which will course the” Independent Electoral Commission” to apply the law as to cancel the registration of any defaulting party”.

 

 

 

And on February 9, 2016, a “sequel to the Amendment Act, 2015” letter was dispatched to the political parties as a reminder to conform or risk de-registration. Both letters signed by none other than infamous Chairman of the IEC, Alhagie Mustapha Carayol.

 

 

 

IN PURSUIT OF ABSOLUTE POWER

 

In the history of electioneering in the Gambia; there will be none like the impending 2016 presidential elections, Jammeh’s fifth “contest” for absolute power. All the instruments required to rig the “elections” are systematically being put in place to intimidate all opposition to APRC tyranny.

 

 

 

Prior to Jammeh’s “ascension to power”, the electoral process in the Gambia was indeed not without questionable transparency, accountability and probity; the three legged – stool the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) said it came to replace. TAP (transparency, accountability and probity) almost replaced the “national anthem” of the Gambia during the euphoric days following the coup.

 

 

 

After its entrenchment as AFPRC and ultimately civilianized into APRC (Association of Pigs, Rats and Coach Roaches), the electoral process in the Gambia degenerated into the most lawless institution ever witnessed in our life time.

 

 

 

 

 

ILLUSIONS OF “LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD”

 

The playing field will never get level under the neocolonial state. Leveling the political playing field is a privilege and a “right” for European states, where the ruling classes generally engage in a peaceful contest for power; an attempt to validate the sham electoral system every four years. This peaceful contest among the imperialist countries; unheard of under neocolonialism, represents the level playing field that “opposition” parties in Africa and other oppressed countries wishfully ask of the incumbent tyrants. Really, why would Jammeh, aspiring to become a monarch under an Islamic Republic level the playing field?

 

 

 

The illusion that “elections and voting” are the highest manifestations of democracy turns on its head every election or selection year since Jammeh “ascension to power”. In the oppressed “nations”, elections are conducted under the most repressive and senseless violence against the masses.

 

 

 

Elections and voting have become the most meaningless democratic exercise for Gambians under the APRC tyranny. Voter apathy hit rock bottom when Jammeh and his spineless IEC imposed a D100 (Dalasis) fee for a voting card. This despicable act of paying for a voting card brings back memories of the poll tax during the colonial era. Jammeh is nothing but a colonialist in black face.  

 

 

 

FLIPPING THE NARRATIVE

If Jammeh can challenge and defy the “authority” of the African Union (the hand) and ECOWAS (the glove), why in the hell can’t we challenge his despotic laws? We must shape and control the narrative of electioneering and voting against the APRC as it continues to disrupt our existence.

 

 

 

We cannot vote ourselves out this misery; neither will prayers alone rescue us from the APRC’s impending doom. We must be willing to trust the people’s fighting capacity to uproot Jammeh and the rotten social system that breeds neocolonialism. As an advocate of “by any means necessary” action; elections and voting can be a component but only if we are present to COUNT THE VOTES.

 

JAMMEH MUST GO! VICTORY IS CERTAIN!

 

Gambia’s Independence: Celebrate or commiserate?

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First, is to commemorate those brave Gambians who paid the ultimate sacrifice for Gambian’s full sovereignty. Second, how the hard-gained and long-awaited independence and the dream associated with it turned out to be a disastrous fiasco, especially for the Gambian youth who are languishing indefinitely in the ‘so-called’ national military service; and as a consequence, risking their lives to escape the hopeless situation at home under Yaya Jammeh regime.

 
Gambia has become a new sovereign state in the Horn of Africa ever since the ultimate victory sealed on the 18thof February 1965. This milestone is the result of heavy sacrifices paid by founding fathers. Gambia’s history for self-determination struggle is full of heroism and self-reliance; recounting that history is certainly beyond the scope of a single article. Every year on the 18th February, Gambians celebrate independence day to pay respect to those heroic patriots who paid with their lives for their country’s full sovereignty. The national pride Gambia’s independence brought about cannot be disputed.

 

 

In the mist of all this great success, of course, today the majority of Gambians commiserate with the Gambian people for the sad situation the country is in. Some commiserate independence day silently and others publicly, by voicing their rejection of the dictatorial regime ruling Gambia with an iron fist.

 

 

Gambians need to remember the brilliant heroic stories of our martyrs, which we have some of them. We need to put our disagreements aside on this day, as it defines the destiny of our nation. But at the same time, we should continue fighting to free the Gambian people from the grip of the authoritarian regime which is humiliating our people day in day out, and decide to change the present course of events by acting collectively to reverse the current dire situation.

 
To be fair, let us now look at what have been ‘achieved’ during the last 51 years of ‘independence’? According to both first and second republic regimes staunch supporters, the answer is a lot. That is not true! According to the opponents of the both regimes, the answer is none. That is inaccurate assessment either! The truth of the matter is a modest progress has been made in some areas (e.g. infrastructure, agriculture, potable water facilities, health clinics, etc.). It is difficult to utterly deny these achievements. However, In the last 21 years the means by which this progress has been made is morally questionable and unacceptable to any decent human being. Development at the expense of human dignity and freedom should be rejected. Could Gambia has been in a better position politically, economically & socially had all Gambians given equal opportunity to freely participate in politics and rebuild their country? Certainly yes!

 
For me, the important issue is not about whether progress has been recorded or not in many areas of life. My argument against the Jammeh regime’s failure to take the country in the right course stems from its appalling human rights record- primarily extra-judicial killings, incommunicado imprisonment and youth exploitation. Yaya Jammeh crimes against the Gambian people are numerous; some are committed directly at the hands of its ruthless security apparatus and others indirectly by forcing Gambian, especially the youth, to take desperate measures. Since Jammeh took power in Gambia, a sizable number of Gambians horrifically killed and many others disappeared under mysterious circumstances. These crimes brought so much agony to the victims’ families in particular and to the populace in general.

 

 

The very saddening and troubling issue about Gambia is the country has been emptied of its youth. Gambian youth at home are living without hope and future, and a necessary question to be asked is, what kind of citizens are they going to be? Gambia is going to have a generation of unemployed and hopeless youth. Under such conditions, the future is bleak and very frightening to contemplate. In the past 3 years Gambians tragically lost their lives after a boat in which they were travelling capsized in the Mediterranean Sea and almost all of them drowned and perished in a very tragic circumstance. The death of these innocent people – including children and women –demonstrates how desperate Gambians are at home. They are daring to embark on a high risky mission to reach Italy in search of a better life in Europe. They were compelled to embark on a treacherous high risky journey escaping oppression and gloom future at home. The relentless hardship Gambian youth are enduring at home is unprecedented. Similar tragic incidents happened in the past and will happen in the future, so long as Gambians are facing relentless hardship in their home country.

 

 

Now is the time for Gambian’s in Gambia to go all out and vote againts the murderer and Gambian in diasporato come together under one umbrella to restore and demand their dignity and freedom snatched away from them by Jammeh. If we are to defeat the dictatorship, attitude change is an absolute must! If we can’t come up with our own, let us adapt Jesse Jackson’s “Keep hope alive!” or better yet, Obama’s “Yes we can!”

Happy 51 independence for the Gambia Our Homeland.

Ousman JC Darboe

Youth and Human Rights Activists

Missing Person Appeal – Ebrima Ceesay of Kanifing South ($1,000 Reward) By Yusef Taylor

Fatu Camara
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The family of Ebrima Ceesay are appealing to the general public for information to help trace their loved one who has been missing since 28th November 2015. The family are currently searching for their loved one and will reward anybody who provides information leading to his safe return up to $1,000 (D39,580 Gambian Dalasis).

 

 

Ebrima is 39 years old and is 5 feet 8 inches tall, slim but a strongly built young man who speaks fluent English, Wollof and Creole. Ebrima was last seen in the morning of November 28th, 2015 wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. He was reported to have left to visit a friend in the morning around nine o’clock who lives in Kanifing South. He reportedly never made it to the friend’s house where he visits frequently. After enquiries with his friends asking about his whereabouts the friends said they never saw Ebrima that morning. Where he went or what may have happened to him is still a mystery to the family.

 

 

Ebrima’s family have since visited every Police station nearby to file a missing person’s case on his behalf. The police said they will look for him and will let the family know if they find him. His family are appealing with the Police and relevant authorities to investigate his disappearance thoroughly. Ebrima was diagnosed with some mental illness and was taking medication for the disorder. This highlights the urgency and the need for his swift return to his family who are deeply concerned about his disappearance. Not taking his medications for this long could lead to serious effects on him. Ebrima was never involved in any political activity which could have endangered his possible arrest and detention by the authorities. He was a calm and peaceful young man who stayed at home and only went out on occasion. He was never violent and had never taken anybody’s property. What then could have happened to this young man?

 

 

Ceesay Family Appeal

“Our brother Ebrima Ceesay has been missing since 28th November 2015. If anyone has any information of his whereabouts, please contact me or any of my family members via social media or in person in Gambia or anywhere around the globe. Anybody that provides us information that lead to his safe return to his family will receive a $1000 (D39,580 Gambian Dalasis) reward.”

 

 

Mental illness is a serious matter but unfortunately in Gambia the mentally ill are often neglected and or made fun of in the streets. A mentally ill person must have help to be able to get treatment and be rehabilitated back into society. So if anyone see anybody sleeping in the streets or loitering around a corner in your neighbourhood, please report the matter to the police so they can find out who the person is. There are several young men and women of able bodies and sometimes even children who are mentally ill and are roaming the streets in Gambia with people passing by or simply making jokes about the individual. Our society has an obligation to protect the mentally ill in our country.

 

 

Although there are no evidence or reason to believe that law enforcement is involved in this young man’s disappearance, it must be noted that authorities in the Gambia have previously detained a mentally ill Ambu Drammeh in Mile II for a long period of time without trail. The family visited mile II and were told that Ambu was still there but that “they did not have access to him” (Foroyaa Nov 30th, 2014). A Magistrate finally ordered the young man to be taken to a Psychiatric Hospital for evaluation. So the family of Mr. Ceesay are appealing to the NIA and the Prison staff to look into their roster and see if Ebrima was accidentally detained by Gambian authorities. Ebrima’s elderly mother is severely disturbed on the disappearance without trace for several months of her son. He could have been anybody’s son, brother or nephew. So please help with information on this urgent matter.

 

 

The family sincerely appeals to all and sundry to please report any information related to Ebrima’s disappearance.  We urge anybody with information to call or send an email to Bala Musa Ceesay immediately on:

Musa      Ceesay       2404721596    [email protected]
Mbemba Ceesay      +49 1575 5426141
Nfansu    Ceesay       2203423042
Kalilu       Ceesay       244931608471 [email protected]
Mabintu   Ceesay       2203057219
Lasana ceesay          +358 40 8537568

 

 

Any information that could be provided on his whereabouts will be very much appreciated and rewarded by the Ceesay family residing in Kanifing South and in the United States. Please refer to the attached image which can be used to help identify him. The life of this young man could be saved by anybody who cares to report the matter. The family anxiously look forward to his safe return.

 

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