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Jammeh opts to lean on Amnesty to end political standoff, softens position at last

By Alhagie Jobe: Gambia’s outgoing President Yahya Jammeh who has been defiant of not handing over power since he lost the December President election has finally soften his arrogant tone by simply calling for forgiveness, unity and hinting of amnesty, probably trying a possible safe route out to end the political nightmare.

In an unexpected mid-night address to the nation on Tuesday, Mr Jammeh announced that he has appointed his Secretary General and Head of the Civil Services, Musa Jallow, to be the Mediator General for this trying period of the country.

Mr Jammeh’s latest remarks came after the country’s Supreme Court said it has no sufficient judges to sit over his APRC Party’s election result petition until May 2017, thereby dashing away his hopes of staying in power.

He said he has mandated his Secretary General to work with the Minister of Justice and the National Assembly to draft a General Amnesty Bill to confide and ensure there is no witch-hunt so that Gambians can live in a climate of confidence and security within the constitutional mandate.

“I hereby appoint the Secretary General as Mediator General to ensure the public and Civil Servants continue to work proficiently and without fear or favour in an apolitical manner in the service of the country” Jammeh said in a very remorseful tone.

Mr Jammeh who never been ready for any negotiation and insisting on to power ever calling for re-election reverse his position again by opening arms to parties for peaceful negotiation to end the impasse.

“The Secretary General as Mediator General is also mandated to meet with all stakeholders in the country and prepare a meeting so that all can be heard and we resolve any mistrust and issue among ourselves” Mr Jammeh said in uncommon manner.

Unexpectedly preaching peace, Jammeh said he has issued an executive order that nobody be arrested or prosecuted due to acts or omissions in the pre and post election period with effective dates from November 1st 2016 to January 31st, 2017.

“I ask all Gambians to forgive each other especially us the political class and asked that we continue to work together to keep and consolidate peace and harmony in our beloved country. I ask all Gambians and residence in the Gambia to go about their business and I assure you that Inshaa Allah all will be well and this will soon be resolve in peace. I will do all within the constitutional means and my conscience to resolve the sad impasse” the ever-defiant Jammeh said.

After portraying as bias, the sub-regional body, ECOWAS, that is mediating the impasse, Mr Jammeh in this latest address thanked them, the African Union, UN and OIC for their kind words and support to the Gambia saying “even if some were mistaken and also assured than that we Gambians have not gotten to the level without learning to live and let live amongst ourselves”.

Meanwhile, Mr Jammeh’s scheduled Wednesday meeting with ECOWAS leaders has been pushed to Friday, January 13th in Banjul. The leaders are expected to tell Mr Jammeh that it is imperative for him to respect the constitution and the will of the Gambian people.

Defiant Yahya Jammeh ‘removes’ Youth minister

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By Alhagie Jobe: Disgraced outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is still defiant and busy sacking and appointing minister despite few days to the end of his government on January 19th.

Yesterday, he fired his Minister of Communication and Information Infrastructure Sheriff Bojang and replaced him with nominated National Assembly Seedy Njie.

Today, he relieved Alieu K. Jammeh, Minister of Youth and Sports and replaced him with one John Gibril Gomez, according to a media release from the presidency read on state TV.

Meanwhile, reports are that Minister Jammeh is not in fact relieved of his office duties but tendered his resignation as the political crisis deepens.

Sources in the government have hinted that in coming days, more Cabinet minister and other senior government officials will jump over the sinking government of defiant Yahya Jammeh.

Yahya Jammeh lost the elections of December 1st to opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow, ending his 22 years ruled. Mr Jammeh initially conceded defeat, later made a U-turn declaring the results null and void and insisted he will not hand over power. This prompted an international condemnation and there is a rigorous ongoing effort by the sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS, to ensure a peaceful transfer of power by Mr Jammeh to Mr Barrow.

ECOWAS mediators scheduled mission to Banjul pushed to Friday

By Alhagie Jobe: The scheduled High level West African leaders mediation mission led by Nigeria’s President Buhari to visit Banjul on Wednesday, January 11th, has been pushed to Friday, 13th January at the request of President Yahya Jammeh, according to Garba Shehu, President Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity.

“At the instance of President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia, the High Level ECOWAS mediation mission led by Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has pushed forward its visit to Banjul, the capital of Gambia, to Friday” a press release signed by Mr Shehu stated.

Last Monday, January 9th, West African leaders met in Abuja under the invitation of President Buhari to discuss the political situation in the Gambia where they agreed that a high level Presidential delegation visit Gambia on Wednesday, January, 11th.

According to the Nigerian Presidency, in accepting to postpone the visit earlier planned to take place on Wednesday, President Buhari, who is mediating alongside Mr. John Mahama, the immediate past president of Ghana said the delay notwithstanding, the mandate of the ECOWAS will be accomplished.

President Buhari reiterated the appeal on Monday by ECOWAS leaders that the Gambian leaders do everything they can to douse the tension in the West African country, which has led citizens to leave the country due to political uncertainty.

The Nigerian leader said ECOWAS is committed to the resolution of the crisis through inclusive dialogue with respect to the constitution and the will of the people of Gambia.

Sallah: ‘Election petition outcome is peripheral issue & cannot hamper Barrow’s inauguration’

The Office of the Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has issued a statement after today’s unsuccessful Supreme Court proceeding insisting that the status and outcome of the Election petition are unknown and indeterminable before the completion of any court process and should therefore be regarded as a peripheral issue which should not hamper any preparation for the inauguration.

At a Press Conference on Tuesday shortly after the Supreme Court message, Halifa Sallah, the spokesperson of the Coalition who read the statement from the office of President-elect Barrow made it absolutely clear that the exercise of right to file an election petition by the loser does not deprive the winner the right to prepare for his inauguration as president of the Republic on 19th January 2017 when the term of the incumbent expires.

According to President-elect Barrow’s office, the current effort by the loser to use the court case as a tool to mobilise his supporters to give the impression that they have been cheated of victory is contributing to the fear that he is not ready for a peaceful transfer of power.

The Office of the President- Elect stands by the principle that Adama Barrow’s Election as President of the Republic of The Gambia and is calling on the general mobilisation of the people in preparation for the inauguration on 19th January.

Below is the full statement;
STATEMENT FROM THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT AS UPDATE ON THE CURRENT POLITICAL SITUATION 8th JANUARY 2017

The office of President Elect Barrow wishes to convey its highest esteem to Ex–President John Dramani Mahama for demonstrating the political will to uphold the verdict of the Ghanaian people, after losing the 7th December 2016 polls by handing over Executive power to President Nana Akufo Addo in a peaceful manner within 30 days transition provided by the Ghanaian Constitution. This is the Democratic culture of peaceful transfer of Executive power that is being nurtured in the member states of ECOWAS.

In contrast, the peaceful transfer of Executive power in Gambia, which held its Presidential Elections on 1st December 2016 and which should take place when the term of office of the incumbent ends, is still a subject of discussion by Gambians, in particular, and the International Community, at large.

The Office of the President-Elect has made it absolutely clear that the exercise of right to file an election petition by the loser does not deprive the winner the right to prepare for his inauguration as president of the Republic on 19th January 2017 when the term of the incumbent expires. It should be abundantly clear that it is neither in line with law nor commonsense for a loser to have the right of the victor suspended until an election petition is heard. The right of a victor to be sworn in as President and the duty of an incumbent to leave office when one’s term ends are not invalidated by filing an Election Petition.

The Office of the President- Elect stands by the principle that Adama Barrow’s Election as President of the Republic of The Gambia stands and is calling on the general mobilisation of the people in preparation for the inauguration on 19th January. The status and outcome of an Election petition are unknown and indeterminable before the completion of any court process and should therefore be regarded as a peripheral issue which should not hamper any preparation for the inauguration.

The current effort by the loser to use the court case as a tool to mobilise his supporters to give the impression that they have been cheated of victory is contributing to the fear that he is not ready for a peaceful transfer of power. This is why some countries are issuing travel advice and some people are also relocating. The ECOWAS Authority, however, has clarified its position so that no one would claim that they are siding with anyone in The Gambia other than the Gambian people whose verdict must be respected.

The Chairperson of the Authority stated among other things at the inauguration of President Nana Akufo Addo of Ghana that “ECOWAS perhaps faces the most difficult situation in The Gambia….After accepting he lost the election, President Jammeh….. and questioned the results of the election. He has submitted his grievances to the Supreme Court which will start its review process on January 10. ECOWAS is closely following the process and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is leading the effort as ECOWAS mediator.

We call on the people of Gambia to follow the example of Ghana and put the interest of the nation above all personal interests. ECOWAS stands by the people of Gambia and will exercise every effort to sustain peace and democracy. We stand by the people of The Gambia and want to assure them of our unwavering adherence to the principles of democracy in our entire region.” It is clear that the ECOWAS stands for mediation. Force only comes when Gambians are at each other’s throat and when power is taken or maintained unconstitutionally.

Hence, the Office of the President-Elect is calling on ECOWAS to speed up the coming of President Buhari to explore peaceful ways of solving the impasse. It is evident from the visits of the Religious, Civic, Business, Traditional and Community leaders, the solidarity messages from NGOs, the demonstration of political will by Gambian Ambassadors and the general mood of the people in the street that most Gambians want the incumbent to hand over political office in peace.

The first duty of the incumbent to prove that he stands for peace is to tell the people that he will leave office when his term expires and would hand over to the elected president when that comes. He should then add that he has filed a petition in court whose outcome and effect would be communicated to the public in due course. This should have been followed by declaration by security chiefs of readiness to pay obedience to any civil authority that emerges out of Electoral processes in the Gambia. Such messages would have gone down well with the Gambian population and the world.

The current mobilisation for an uncertain court case is sending the wrong signal. The travel advice issued by the US Department of State reads: “The U.S. Department of State has warned U.S. citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future. On January 7, 2017, the Department of State ordered the departure of family members and authorised the departure of all employees who need to accompany those individuals from the country. The security situation in The Gambia remains uncertain following December 1, 2016 presidential elections. On January 10, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the current president’s petition contesting the election results, which is a potential flashpoint that could lead to civil unrest.

The sitting government has begun taking restrictive measures, which include shutting down and restricting radio stations, and making politically motivated arrests. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has stated it may intervene if the president does not step down by January 18. U.S. citizens should consider departing on commercial flights and other transportation options now, as airports and ferry terminals may close unexpectedly in the event of unrest.”

The Office of the President-Elect therefore is of the view that no Gambian would have the moral authority to claim to love the Gambia by subjecting her people to unrest while other nationals are safeguarding their own people from unrest. No single Gambian could violate the peace of the country if all Gambians civilian and military stand for peace. Only the commitment of each to the principle of One Gambia, One Nation and One People could ensure the peace of the country based on democracy and justice. Our citizens have no other home to run to. Gambia is their home land. Leaders come and go but Gambia remains. The road to peace is clear.

The incumbent should recognise the right of the President-Elect to assume office whenever his term expires while pursuing his court case as a private matter. He should also prepare all state institutions and agents to acknowledge such reality by paying due regard to the concerns of the Incoming administration. It is already judicial precedence to swear in a president while an Election Petition is filed challenging the validity of an Election. This is what happened in the case of John Dramani Mahama after the December 2012 presidential election in Ghana.

The petition was ultimately dismissed after he was already sworn in as president. Some people have alleged that the incumbent has security concerns. The Office of the President-Elect has demonstrated that any future Ex-President would have the same status as Ex-President Jawara. Hence, no excuse should be given for derailing the verdict of the people. It wants to assure the Gambian people its firm allegiance to the Gambia and vows to be ever true to the homeland.

Forward Ever; Backward Never!!

Supreme Court adjourns Jammeh’s petition case, urges him to embrace ECOWAS negotiation

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By Alhagie Jobe: Emmanuel Fagbenle, the Chief Justice of The Gambia has adjourned the bogus election results petition case of Yahya Jammeh and his APRC party saying there are no judges to constitute the panel that is needed to hear the petition.

He announced that the Nigerian and Sierra Leanean hired judges who where supposed to travel in the country would not come until May 2017, insisting that without a full panel, there cannot be any proceeding on the petition case file.

Chief Justice Fagbenle recommended to Outgoing President Jammeh and his APRC party election petitioners to embrace the offer by the sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS, to peacefully solve the political deadlock.

“Parties should consider alternative resolution of the political conflict through Ecowas or the committee of political parties. Gambia should not be a place where peace cannot be found. All men of good will, all peace loving and God fearing should assist the Gambia at the time of need” he said.

Chief Justice Fagbenle warned outgoing President Yahya Jammeh and his APRC petitioners that they should not expect any changes in position that he cannot hear the case without a full panel of judges insisting that the Nigerian judges are not travelling into the country until May 2017.

Meanwhile, Lawyer Edward Gomez who represents Yahya Jammeh and his APRC’s is very upset and disappointed with the Chief Justice decision.

You may recalled that The Gambia went to the polls on December 1st, 2016 in which incumbent President Yahya Jammeh conceded defeat, congratulated President-elect Adama Barrow but later made a U-turn, rejecting the results and calling the results ‘null and void’.

Mr Jammeh and his APRC Party has since filed a petition at the Supreme Court and last month, the court mentioned the petition case but without enough sitting judges, the case was adjourned until today, January 10th, 2017.

The case resumes on Monday, January 16th, 2017.

How Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh lost his grip on power

Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh surprised the world on 2 December by accepting that he had lost elections to the relatively unknown Adama Barrow – though he now says he will contest the result. The BBC’s Umaru Fofana looks at the reasons why the strongman lost his 22-year grip on power.

The Darboe effect
Perhaps Mr Jammeh’s biggest mistake was the detention of the main opposition leader, Usainou Darboe, of the United Democratic Party (UDP).
For many years, Mr Darboe had been an albatross round Mr Jammeh’s neck – the biggest challenge to his presidency.
Under Mr Darboe, the opposition tried and failed many times to have a united front. As leader of the biggest opposition party, he always wanted to be the presidential candidate.
Businessman Adama Barrow, the unique opposition candidate challenging President Jammeh in the December presidential vote


Image copyrightAFP
Image captionAdama Barrow was helped by the many mistakes of Yahya Jammeh

He and Halifa Sallah, another consistently critical voice of Jammeh now touted as the next vice-president, were always in disagreement about who should head a possible coalition of their two parties.
With Mr Darboe out of the scene and in a prison cell, the UDP and Mr Sallah’s party – as well as other parties – found it easy to hammer out a deal for a united front.
The result was the unexpected candidacy of Mr Barrow.
Mr Darboe has since been freed on bail.
Ousainou Darboe was due to serve a three-year prison term


Image copyrightAFP
Image captionMr Darboe caused Yahya Jammeh more political harm as a prisoner than a free man

Ethnic alienation
In addition to accidentally pushing the opposition into a united front against him, Mr Jammeh managed to alienate the Mandinkas, the largest ethnic group in The Gambia.
The Mandinkas were very bitter at what they deemed as derogatory remarks made by the president, who comes from a minority group. This galvanised them to vote for the opposition.
I heard anti-Jammeh remarks from Mandinkas across the country, all citing statements he reportedly made, indicating that they would never rule the country.

Youths demand freedom and jobs
Perhaps Mr Jammeh could have been shrewd enough to avoid pushing his opposition into an unbeatable coalition or to avoid galvanising the Mandinkas into a hostile electoral force.
But after 22 years in power, he could do nothing in the face of another factor behind his defeat: The unquenchable desire for change among young Gambians, like Fatoumata Bojang, who have known no other leader.
Gambians celebrate the victory of opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow in the streets of Serrekunda, Gambia,on 2 December 2016


Image copyrightAP
Image captionThe high rate of unemployment turned Gambia’s youth against Mr Jammeh
The median age of Gambia’s population is 19.9 years. They cite a lack of jobs, saying this is why so many Gambians have tried to make the perilous journey to Europe by boat.
At opposition rallies, it was mostly young people.
At a rally in Brikama, Momodou Ceesay demanded “freedom” saying he and his peers had never fully “enjoyed our rights”.
That resonated everywhere I went. Students I met at the University of Gambia said the same thing.
Such is the generational divide that two families I met were sharply divided.
A woman who wanted to be known only as Njai said her parents were supporting Mr Jammeh, while she and her other siblings were voting for Mr Barrow.
She cited freedom and jobs, or the lack of both, as the main factors.
The economy worsened matters. Senegal’s economic blockade earlier this yeareffectively killed a dying man.
Virtually all The Gambia’s imports come through Senegal.
The blockade was severely felt and drew rage from the citizenry.

Counting the votes
There were allegations of cheating at the 2011 polls which President Jammeh won, although I was there at the time and did not see any sign of that and he denied it.
This time, such was his confidence that he agreed to calls for an electoral system to allow on-the-spot counting of votes.
Votes were counted at each and every polling station and figures published instantly.
A poll worker counts votes cast by marbles after the close of voting during the presidential election in Banjul, Gambia, 1 December 2016.


Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThe marble voting system was praised by Mr Jammeh as “rig-proof”

Tallying was also done at nearby centres, in the open. And counting the marbles in a specially-designed tray was very quick.
This reduced the possibility of cheating.
Gambia’s electoral commission has received less praise than it deserves, I think.
It is rare in Africa for an opposition challenger to heap as much praise on the head of the electoral commission as did Mr Barrow before the polls.
He told the BBC in the run-up to voting day that the chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission Alieu Momarr Njai was trustworthy and honest.
The quiet self-effacing 82-year-old says the system does not allow for rigging.
“It will easily be noticed,” he told me.

Women power
The role of women was huge. In the early queues at Sukuta, Banjul and Serekunda, there were more women than men, many of them young.
Women supporting rival candidates in Gambia’s presidential election


Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionAll sides encouraged Gambia’s women to turn out and vote

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) invested a lot in them.
Its programme specialist Bashirou Jahumpa says in addition to building the capacity of the electoral commission through training for their staff, it also funded the National Council on its civic awareness programme and voter education.
It also helped mobilise women to vote.
Gender activist Fatoumata Jallow was also a huge pillar in this regard, campaigning for women to vote.
But it is also true that Mr Jammeh’s government put women impositions of trust and engaged them to be politically active.

The last straw – the army
Perhaps, Mr Jammeh could have found a way to win despite all the adverse factors if he had the support of the army.
He came to power through the army. He stayed in power through the army. He relied on the army for everything.
Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh sits on a sofa surrounded by military men at a rally in Banjul, Gambia on 29 November 2016


Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionThe Gambia’s army let down the man they carried to power 22 year ago

Even though soldiers were seen clad in Jammeh T-shirts and transporting party paraphernalia during campaigning, they shook hands with civilians during celebrations marking his defeat.
Intelligence and diplomatic sources say he tried to compromise the results but the top echelons of the army warned him against it.
That would prove to be the straw that broke the camel’s back.
A Jammeh-inspired coup or other military interference could have denied Mr Barrow the presidency.
But instead, the army stood by and let the democratic process carry on, as it is supposed to do.

The Use of State Apparatus as an Instrument of Sycophancy in Jammeh’s Governemnt: GRTS, The Gambia National Army and the Legal institutions, take Lessons from Rwanda and Libya

By Lamin Keita: Media is a powerful instrument that can provoke a war because people can be susceptible to the information it spreads about a particular subject like the current political situation in the Gambia. Media is historically alleged to have been complicit in facilitating problems in the world, as in the case of Rwandan genocide where it was used by the government as a political and social instrument to influence the peoples’ behaviors, attitudes and belief system to engage in criminal activities and hatred for the oppositions.

Admittedly, GRTS and all the other media outlets that promote Jammeh’s undemocratic approaches must bear in mind that they can be legally liable for their role of justifying an illegitimate course and perpetuating violence (in accordance with the international law). GRTS and other print medias in the Gambia have a track record of facilitating, implementing and broadcasting Jammeh’s genocidal speeches for 21 years, while entirely denying the opposition’s access to national Television and Radio. Retrospectively, both the national army and the Gambian court system have explored the same unconstitutional approaches. They have a legacy of succumbing to dictator Jammeh’s whims and caprices because of their job security and personal gains against the collective interest of Gambians.

Unarguably, these actions have ostensibly helped to shape and direct the perpetuation of hatred, misrepresentation of facts and destruction of the consumptions of critical perspective of vital information, needed for a productive and a democratic society. However, it worth to bring the Rwandan and Libyan experience into context because it can serve as a moral guideline for our dear brothers who are working not only for GRTS and other media personnel, but also for other people presently working for Jammeh to be aware of their roles and its consequences on the public.

Additionally, under no circumstance the employees of the state media should broadcast Jammeh’s threats and loud-mouthed speeches against a particular tribe or sections of our society. These actions would be unpardonable in the international criminal court because the state media employees have options to resign or quit, but doing these dirty jobs for Jammeh with the flimsy excuse that you were forced or under command will not exempt them from prosecution. The same condition will apply to soldiers who will succumb to Jammeh’s tyranny and refuse to execute the will of the majority of Gambians on January 19, 2017.

Theoretically, and by extensions, the same laws will amply be applicable to prosecute any Gambian Judge or Nigerian Judges who knowingly pursue miscarry of justice against the will of Gambians with the intend to fraudulently obviate the December 1, 2016 election result in favor of Yahya Jammeh. Because these failures and actions are deliberate acts that can exacerbate the scale of the conflict and perpetuate chaos, resulting to genocidal actions. This is why is imperative to remind all those people presently working for Jammeh to avoid actions that will help to entrench dictatorship and being used as a tool to repress Gambians. These are crimes against humanity and punishable under international law.

The Media Lessons from Rwanda:

The role of state media significantly shaped and directed the perpetuation of hatred in Rwandan genocide because the reason why the Hutu ethnic group got so much attention was due to conducive environment provided by the media in sensationalizing tribal hatred among the people. Notably, Radio Television Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM) and Journal Kangura, which were used as propaganda tool to incite violence. It worth note that various forms of media that range from Radio, print and Television contributed in spreading information that tend to construct verbal and visual caricatures of the Tutsis, the minority ethnic group through political, cultural and social exclusion.

As Bromley (20000, p. 39) claims that media tolerably helped mobilizing Hutu militias to massacre and rape hundreds of thousands of Tutsi men, women and children and their Hutu supporters in a period of three months because of the role of RTLM and Journal Kangura. He further states that RTLM exploited the assassination of Rwanda president, Habyriyamna as a means to resort to the idea of “premordialism as a form of strategy of reductionism and essentialism to eliminate,” and describe the minority Tutsi as vermin, beast, and insects (pp. 51, 53). This implies that the media method of broadcasting aggravated deep hatred between the Hutu and Tutsi because it communicated and conveyed message of propaganda that tend to lend credence to wide spread violence. Similarly, Yanagizawa-Drott (2011, p. 27, 30) findings also confirms that RTLM was very effective in persuading the militia to attack the minority who were less capable of defending themselves and also acknowledges that ten percent of the Rwandan genocide perpetrators were relatively due to radio station’s transmissions of distorted information, and two third of the militia, police, gendarmerie and other organized violence were caused by the same radio station. For these reasons the international criminal Tribunal for Rwanda found the state media, RTLM, the Newspaper and Radio to be complicit of Rwandan genocide because they demonized the Tutsi as evil and equating it with enemy and also representing its women as seductive agents, thereby calling for complete annihilation of the Tutsi ethnic group (Thompson, 2007, pp. 2 – 3). Moreover, the state media hatred also exacerbate the scale of violence because Television and radio presenters such as Valerie Bemeriki of RTLM were often seen wearing the Interahamwe’s uniform to denounce the Tutsis. Accordingly, similar scenario is seen in Libya, where we saw state TV. personnel supporting dictator, Gadhafi, however, this does not prevent his looming fall. On the other hand, this argument is not to draw a contrast between the Gambia and Rwanda or Libya, but to highlight the negative impact of the state controlled media and individual initiatives that supported a kind of government propaganda-calling for preemptive violence against the oppositions. Admittedly, this reasonably suggests that the Gambia government use of GRTS and exclusion of the coalition access to state media prepared a fertile ground to implement Jammeh’s ideology of hatred against the oppositions. This also explains Jammeh ambition in constructing an image of irreconcilable difference, and entirely vilifying the coalition, and more so, the Mandinkas as the enemies of democracy as well as his own supporters who want peaceful transfer of power.

Unarguably, the GRTS Television and radio and the Observer print, heedlessly continue to misrepresent and spread fear, rumor and panic of Jammeh’s invectives against his perceive enemies, the Mandinkas for years and most recently the coalition members. The Jammeh’s government skillfully and pragmatically employs this through framing and projecting issues of the genocidal speeches, specifically to influence and instill fear in public opinion at the same time to garner support from certain elements of the society. Certainly, this media framing and agenda setting by Jammeh result to empowering and consolidating his power and also infringes on the rights of ordinary citizens of the Gambia. Inevitably, the state media indelibly enable Jammeh to become the ‘alpha and omega’ of our society, and presented a mere ‘marshmallows man’ as mysterious and indomitable who loves the Gambia more than any Gambian, yet to be born. More descriptively, state media usually presents Jammeh as Pan-Africanist who is devoid of powers to harm any Gambian, and aims to encourage and strengthen bonds of solidarity between all people of African descent. Ironically, Jammeh’s 22 years of rule was marred by continues maiming, torturing, silencing, disappearance without trace, using kangaroo courts to jail and kill his opponents and even his close associates. Rhetorically, is Jammeh’s Pan-Africanism sincere and authentic? May be not because 44 Ghanaians would not have been killed and their bodies decapitated for ritual purposes to meet Jammeh’s insatiable desire to stay in power. Yet, for years, many people tend to trust the news content, especially from the so-called reputable GRTS because the Television and radio appear to be a medium that reproduces accurate news for such people. The targeted audience for this propaganda is often illiterates and semi-illiterates population who increasingly depend on the available government news since all independent news mediums were not allowed to operate.

As the current situation unfolds in the Gambian, the state apparatus in the form of media, the army or the civil society, the legislatures and the executives and courts must immediately desist from actions that will blatantly destroy the prospect of the new democratic process that is about to begin in the Gambia. Furthermore, the state media continuous coverage of Jammeh’s threats and violence against the wishes of Gambians would only compromise their integrity and hold them to be accountable to their actions in the future. While keeping its media coverage exclusively from the activities of the coalition would be synonymous to propagating Jammeh’s propaganda of disseminating false information and prolonging his illegitimate rule. Overall, the state media’s attempt to censure the coalition will fundamentally destroy any components of the chance to critically assesse differences between Jammeh and the Gambians as a whole. Similarly, Jammeh’s new year’s speech on GRTS for holding fresh election and his attempt to close Taranga FM and other independent medias, coupled with his future plan to clamp down on the oppositions in the subsequent weeks to come will undoubtedly result to his impending down fall as in the case of his shut down of the internet and international calls on election day.

GRTS and more specifically, the Nigerian Judges should take lessons as they continue their vital task of informing the publics about the recent political problems in the Gambia and executing Jammeh’s unconstitutional demands. Moreover, GRTS coverage in Gambia abysmally failed to reflect objective realities and it has delusional motives that tend to serve and promote Jammeh’s political violence, irrational and immoral agenda. This tends to further distort the ability of many ordinary people to discern the truth from fictions. It also illustrates the state employee’s ignorance of serving a national interest instead of being an instrument of sycophancy. Veritably, for 21 years now the state media have proven to be an epitome of prejudice, discrimination and labeling oppositions and other media outlets that fail to promote president Jammeh’s political ideologies as enemies of the state. By this time, it would have been ideal and more patriotic for all GRTS personnel, the national army and the facade judges to resign their positions when confronted with Jammeh’s undemocratic and unconstitutional demands against the will of Gambians.

The Appointment of Seedy Njie as Minister is Gross Violation of the Constitution

First Things First

The Republic

The Gambia is a constitutional democracy, meaning we are not a monarchy. Rather it means we are all equal citizens with equal rights as Gambians belonging to this republic. Section 1 Subsection 1 establishes the Gambia as a ‘secular sovereign republic’. Section 1 Subsection 2, states that the legitimacy of the Gambia lies in the people of the Gambia. It went further to state that the State derives its legitimacy and authority from the people and that the State functions on behalf of the people. Then Chapter 4 of our constitution identifies and guarantees our sovereign rights as inviolable and sacrosanct.

…Based on Accountability
As a republic under a constitutional democratic dispensation, it means no single Gambian has more power than any other citizen hence the constitution created various checks and balances to ensure that everything in this republic shall be conducted according to the rule of law. This is to make sure no individual takes the law into his or her hands. It also means the State is not under the control of one person or a group of people who run things according to their whims and caprices. In other words the constitution created laws, processes and institutions to restrain individuals as public officers and citizens so that there is peace and stability. This is what is called accountability.

…Based on Separation of Powers
In that regard, and knowing the power of the State, the constitution divided the State into three arms. The first arm is the Executive (which is generally called the Government) headed by a president whose composition and functions are well specified under Chapter 6. The second arm is the Legislature (or National Assembly) headed by the Speaker whose composition and functions are well specified under Chapter 7. The third and final arm of the state is the Judicature (or the Courts) headed by the Chief Justice whose composition and functions are well defined under Chapter 8. The constitution divided the State into three arms to make sure no one institution or the head of that institution has too much power onto itself. Rather the three arms are to check each other in order to curtail abuse and corruption and ensure efficiency, justice and transparency. For that purpose an Executive member cannot be a member of the Legislature or Judicature, likewise a National Assembly Member cannot be a member of Cabinet or Judicature, etc. This is what is called Separation of Powers, which is the foundational principle of a republican system of governance or constitutional democracy.

Appointment of Ministers
The Executive comprises the president, vice president and ministers. The authority to appointment ministers lies with the president. Section 71(1) states that the president determines the number of ministers. Section 71(2) states who can be appointed minister. Here is what the constitution says in that sub-section 2:
“A person shall not be qualified to be appointed or hold the office of a Minister if, he or she is a member of the National Assembly or if he or she holds the citizenship or nationality of any country other than The Gambia. In addition, a person shall not be qualified to be appointed Attorney General unless he or she is a legal practitioner of at least five years standing at the Gambian bar.”
In light of the above, it is therefore crystal clear that Seedy Njie is a Nominated Member of the National Assembly hence he is not qualified to be appointed as a cabinet minister. This appointment is unconstitutional and violates the separation of powers principle and the very nature and foundation of a constitutional democratic republic.

My Clarion Call
In the heat of the war of liberation in Guinea Bissau against the fascist Portuguese colonialists in the 1960s, the Great African Patriot Amilcar Cabral told the glorious freedom fighters that our people must be led by our best sons and daughters. Increasingly it is dawning on Gambians that we have to become the best sons and daughters of our people in order to salvage our country. In that regard, the blatant misconduct and disrespect of Yaya Jammeh have reached alarming proportions and Gambians must put a stop this nonsense. I therefore remind the Members of the National Assembly that they are under oath to defend our constitution and sovereignty. For far too long Yaya Jammeh has trampled on our sovereignty into the mud and flouted our constitution like toilet paper. I call on our National Assembly Members to demonstrate that they are among the best sons and daughters of the Gambia and completely and immediately abandon Yaya Jammeh and seek his urgent impeachment before January 19. In like manner, I call on the Vice President and all Cabinet ministers to immediately resign and condemn the unconstitutional behaviour of Yaya Jammeh. Failure to take this urgent action let these National Assembly Members and Cabinet ministers know that they are active and direct accomplices in the abuse of the sovereignty and constitution of the Gambia, which is a treasonable offence.

To Seedy Njie
Seedy Njie, return this position and resign. Now! First of all, you are a victim. But you are a very annoying victim. You are a victim because as a young boy who just came out of secondary school, you were thrust into the National Assembly. You lack the required education and experience of life and overall capacity to understand even your purpose of life. A Grade 12 schoolboy is a child. Hence when you were thrown into the national Bantaba, the pomp and pageantry overwhelmed you to the point that you lost your bearings. You saw yourself in the midst of happenings and at the same level with far older Gambians and representing the country at world stages to your bewilderment. Your lack of maturity because of your young age has gotten into your head to think that indeed you are power itself. This is not surprising because at the helm of our state itself, sits a man who also was a product of Form 5. Without any experience of life, he was thrust to the highest office in the land. Lacking the capacity to understand and appreciate the enormity of the Office of the President, Yaya Jammeh fumbled as he was overwhelmed by this position and the power around that position. But instead of seeing the interest of his people in that power and use it to solve national issues with humility, he greedily went for the goodies of that power and position hence his dictatorship for 22 years.

Thus when we come this far, I wish to tell you that you are damaging your future in your society. You have already raised the wrath of your people to unbearable proportions against you. Seedy, you are too young and most of your life is ahead of you. It is already late for you to cleanse yourself, but better late than never. I do not get angry with you. I feel sorry for you. This is because I see a very tough life of shame and ostracism awaiting you in your society. This is going to be painful because you have many more years to live. I cannot imagine how you can ever more live with rebuke and ridicule in the Gambia having disrespected, provoked, insulted and disappointed so many fellow citizens. I do not envy you, my brother. Resign. Do not allow Yaya Jammeh to take you down as he is certainly going down in a matter of few days! #GambiaHasDecided
……………………………………………..
Madi Jobarteh
Skype: madi.jobarteh
Twitter: @jobartehmadi
LinkedIn: Madi Jobarteh
Phone: +220 9995093

“Africa needs a new type of citizen: A dedicated, modest, honest, informed man and woman who submerge self in service to the nation and mankind. A man and woman who abhor greed and detest vanity. A new type of man and woman whose humility is his and her strength and whose integrity is his and her greatness” – Nkrumah.

“To protect the Treasury from being defrauded, let all money be issued openly in front of the whole city (country), and let copies of the accounts be deposited in various wards (regions).” Aristotle

Former Information Minister Sheriff Bojang jumps down from Jammeh’s sinking gov’t

By Alhagie Jobe: Sheriff Bojang, Gambia’s former Minister of Information and Communication who left the country to neighbouring Senegal jumping from the sinking government of defiant President Yahya Jammeh, has finally cleared the air.

In a statement confirming his position on the political impasse in the country, Mr Bojang said it is his considered opinion and stance that the results of the December 1st election represent a true reflection of the sovereign will of the Gambian people. He said the current attempts while appearing to have a veneer of constitutionalism are in fact an attempt to subvert the express will of the Gambian electorate saying, the people have spoken and they could not have spoken louder and clearer.

Mr Bojang who was on Monday replaced on his Cabinet position by National Assembly member Seedy Njie, acknowledged Adama Barrow as the President-elect of The Gambia stemming from the wishes of Gambians and the will of the Almighty Allah. He then called on President Jammeh to respect the wishes of Gambians and the will of the Almighty Allah he so much expressly believes in, and start the transition and hand over power within the stipulated 60 days from the elections.

Below is the full message by Mr Bojang

Statement by the Former Minister of Information & Communication,
Sheriff Bojang on the Political Impasse in The Gambia

أعوذُ بِٱللَّهِ مِنَ ٱلشَّيۡطَٰنِ ٱلرَّجِيمِ (A’udhu billahi min ash-shaytaan-ir-rajeem)
I begin in the name of Allah the Most High, the Most Clement and the Giver of Wisdom.

I begin this statement by hereby announcing that I have taken the decision, and written to the relevant high authority to the effect that I have resigned from the Government and the Cabinet as Minister of Information & Communication Infrastructure with immediate effect.

I hereby wish to thank His Excellency, President Yahya AJJ Jammeh for according me the onerous opportunity to serve my country in the high office of Minister of State for exactly the past two years this month.

On 1st December 2016, the people of The Gambia went to the polls to elect a new head of state. After the final tally of votes Mr Adama Barrow of the Coalition was duly announced winner and declared president-elect. President Jammeh conceded defeat and pledged to work with Mr Barrow on a transition.

However on 5th December 2016, the electoral commission issued a statement clarifying that when the total votes per region were being tallied, certain figures were “inadvertently transposed”. The error was corrected and did not change the status quo.

On 9th December 2016, President Jammeh announced his rejection of the results. Subsequently, petitions were filed at the Supreme Court, which among other things call for a declaration of the nullification of the results, a rerun of the polls.

It is my considered opinion and stance that the results of the December 1st election represent a true reflection of the sovereign will of the Gambian people. The current attempts while appearing to have a veneer of constitutionalism are in fact an attempt to subvert the express will of the Gambian electorate. The people have spoken and they could not have spoken louder and clearer. They want change. A disaggregation of results shows that apart from the Fonis, the APRC and President Jammeh secured a 50+ per cent majority in only 3 out of 53 constituencies.

The APRC has no one to blame but itself for its dismal performance at the polls. We took very impolitic decisions from mid-2015 which led to a haemorrhaging of support from our traditional bases and made the party unappealing to new millennial voters. The Gambia has decided and we must accept and respect this decision.

This is the time for clear thinking and not burying of heads in the sand. To remain relevant, the APRC must take the hard decisions and make the necessary systemic and structural changes within the party.

The first of these hard decisions should be the dropping of petitions at the apex court, re-engaging President-elect Barrow and his Coalition team and expediting the transition arrangement.

I hereby appeal to my colleagues in cabinet, among them some of the finest ladies and gentlemen of the first order, and of course including His Excellency President Jammeh, to look into their conscience and take the right decision within the most reasonable time for the present and future of our vulnerable little Gambia. It is never too late to do the right thing.

I want to apologise to my colleagues in Cabinet that since the President’s December 9th announcement, my refusal to attend all cabinet meetings despite some of their entreaties was not meant as an affront or rebuff to anyone but a symbolic gesture of my opposition to what is taking place.

Finally, I have been heartened by comments – with the exception of one (an interview granted to The Guardian of London by a senior member of the Coalition) – from President-elect Barrow, Halifa Sallah, Ousainou Darboe and others on their vision of the post-Jammeh Gambia.

I hereby acknowledge Mr Adama Barrow as the President-elect of The Gambia stemming from the wishes of Gambians and the will of the Almighty Allah. I also call on President Jammeh to respect the wishes of Gambians and the will of the Almighty Allah he so much expressly believes in, and start the transition and hand over power within the stipulated 60 days from the elections.

In taking this decision and making this statement I have not sought the undue advice or help of anyone within or outside The Gambia and I am not seeking the validation or otherwise of any person or group.
Baba Sheriff Bojang
Issued in Dakar
Monday 9th December 2016

Defiant Jammeh appoints MP Seedy Njie as new Information minister

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By Alhagie Jobe: Gambia’s outgoing President Yahya Jammeh has appointed a Nominated National Assembly member as the new Minister of Communication and Information Infrastructure with immediate effect, a Press Release read on State TV reveals.

Seedy Njie, who for the past years has been a nominated member in the bogus and rubber stamp National Assembly of The Gambia replaces Sheriff Bojang who jumped down from the sinking regime of Defiant Dictator Yahya Jammeh who refuses to handover power peacefully to the democratically elected President Adama Barrow.

Mr Bojang is indeed the first Cabinet minister to desert from the government since the political drama began in December when Mr Jammeh lost the election, conceded defeat and later reverse his decision prompting international condemnation.

Meanwhile, as Jammeh is still defiant busy appointing and sacking civil servants, the sub-regional bloc on the other hand is also working to ensure that Mr Jammeh leaves on January 19th when his term ends. Today, a meeting was convened in Nigeria hosted by President Buhari who is also the chief mediator in the political crisis.

At the end of the meeting, it was resolved that President Buhari leads a delegation to Banjul on Wednesday, January 11th, 2017, to meet defiant outgoing President Jammeh for what they called ‘a final effort’ in resolving the political impasse.

Paradise FM radio licences revoked

Paradise FM, a private radio station, in The Gambia has confirmed that the Ministry of Information has revoked its licenses to operate.

The move came barely 24 hours after the authorities ordered for its shut down as the sinking Yahya Jammeh government is all out on a major media crackdown as the political impasse heightens.

A one line letter signed by one Saul Njie of the Ministry of Information and Communication and Infrastructure addressed to the Management of the radio station, dated 9th January 2017 reads: “I am directed to inform you that your licence to operate has been revoked with immediate effect. Thanks for your cooperation”.

Earlier, all three other radio stations namely Taranga FM, Hiltop FM, Afriradio FM where all ordered to seize operation as the political drama in the country intensifies. It is though not confirmed if they equally have their licence been revoke.

3 ECOWAS leaders due in Banjul on Wednesday in ‘final resolution’ efforts

By Alhagie Jobe: Nigerian President Muhammadou Buhari who is also the chief mediator in Gambia’s political impasse will lead another delegation comprising three presidents to Banjul on Wednesday, January 11th, in what ECOWAS called ‘a final effort at resolution’, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama has confirmed after the Nigeria meeting.

The meeting hosted on Monday in Abuja by Nigerian President Buhari on the Gambia situation was attended by Senegal’s Macky Sall, Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Ghana’s former President John Mahama who is also a co-mediator and ECOWAS Commission President Marcel de Souza.

In his twitter feed after the meeting, the Nigerian chief diplomat said the Gambia mediation meeting is now over adding President Buahri will lead a delegation to discuss with President Jammeh on Wednesday, January 11th, in a final effort of the resolution.

“Leaders concerned about deteriorating Gambia situation especially closure of media organizations, arrests and looming refugee situation. The Gambia political crisis will be resolved in manner that conforms to the Constitution and respects the people’s will” Foreign Minister Onyeama said.

The ECOWAS bloc said last month it would take all necessary steps to uphold the result of a December 1st election in The Gambia, where incumbent President Yahya Jammeh says he will not step down after losing to opposition coalition Adama Barrow.

Jammeh initially accepted his loss in the December 1st election, but a week later changed his mind, saying the electoral commission had been biased by “foreign influences” and vowing to hang on despite regional and international condemnation. ECOWAS has since placed standby forces on alert in case Mr Jammeh attempts to stay in power after his mandate ends on January 19th.

Mr Jammeh called the bloc’s stance “a declaration of war”, and said he will defend himself. He said ECOWAS has no right to interfere in Gambia’s internal affairs, and that Gambians should await the outcome of a legal challenge that his APRC party has lodged at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, Mr Jammeh’s hopes at the Supreme Court has been dashed away as the five Nigerian judges who were recently appointed and expected to sit over his APRC party election petition are no longer traveling to Banjul as expected.

A leak letter from the Nigerian acting Chief Justice Onnoghen sent to the Gambia’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice reveals that justices are usually scheduled to sit in Gambia’s Supreme Court in the months of May and November.

“Based on this long established understanding, our court sitting schedule is usually drawn up with the consideration of this assignment. The dates of the court sittings in the Gambia are unfavorable and will greatly affect our case management” the letter from the acting Nigerian Chief Justice Onnoghen says.

BREAKING NEWS: Leaked Letter From AG Chambers Confirms Supreme Court Judges Are Not Traveling To Banjul Any Time Soon

A leaked letter from The Attorney General Chambers has confirmed that the five Nigerian judges who were recently appointed and are expected to sit over The APRC and outgoing President, Yahya Jammeh’s election petition are no longer traveling to Banjul as expected.

‘You will recall that our justices are usually scheduled to sit in your supreme court in the months of May and November. Based on this long established understanding, our court sitting schedule is usually drawn up with the consideration of this assignment’ A letter from the acting Nigerian Chief Justice Onnoghen says.

The acting chief justice further informed Gambia’s Chief Justice Fangbele that the dates of the court sittings in the Gambia are unfavorable to them and will greatly affect their case management. He therefore urged Fangbele to stick to the sittings for May and November as scheduled.

The source at The AG Chambers has confirmed to us that this said letter has already been received by Justice minister Mama Singhateh but she has still not discussed its content with the out going president.

Meanwhile, sources say the remaining Nigerian judges who have been handling cases at the lower courts have all left the country and headed back to Nigerian..The Chief Justice is said to be the only Nigerian judge left in the country and has not been punctual at work recently.

Gambia Government Shuts Down Paradise FM

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State security operatives claiming to be acting on directives from The Ministry of Information have shut down paradise FM, a private radio station in the greater Banjul area. Paradise FM is the fourth radio station to be shut down by authorities recently. No reason was given for the closure.

Hilltop FM, Teranga FM and Afri Radio were closed last week and later reopened after an intervention by members of the coalition during a press conference presided over by Halifa Sallah.

Sources say Paradise FM was shut down Sunday evening, January 8, few hours after an interview with Halifa Sallah, leader of the opposition PDOIS, who is also a member of the coalition that defeated Jammeh during the December polls. Halifa’s interview was aired live after Yankuba Colley’s, The ruling APRC’s national mobilizer.

Many believe the closure may have to do with Halifa’s interview which had a high rating and was listened to by many Gambians including those in the diaspora.

APRC’s Plans For A Bloodbath in Gambia Exposed

Credible sources have informed The Fatu Network that the defeated candidate of The ruling APRC party, Yahya Jammeh has gone too far in his preparations to wreck havoc on the downtrodden population of The Gambia which could lead to scores of deaths in the country.

According to our sources, the ruling party is mobilizing its supporters to converge on The Supreme Court of The Gambia on Tuesday where Jammeh’s petition is expected to be heard.

As part of their plans which are already at an advanced stage is to use Tee Shirts with president elect, Adama Barrow’s portraits and “Gambia Has Decided” to organize a parallel counter protest at the same venue.

The APRC crowd which will include trained military personnel will then proceed to pretend to be descending on their rival crowd, and in that chaos, the ruling party supporters will proceed into adjacent streets in Banjul and other bigger cities in the greater Banjul area to attack known coalition supporters and their families.

As a result, the defeated President will use the opportunity to declare a state of emergency as a measure to buy time and to extend his illegal hold onto power.

Our sources have confirmed that one Modou Jarju, alias Columbia is the one said to be coordinating this very serious threat to national security. Sources added that Modou was present at the APRC meeting held at their Bureau in Kanifing earlier today.

It could be recalled that state security operatives confiscated large quantities of tee shirts with Barrow’s portraits and that of ‘The Gambia Has decided’. The confiscation came over a weeks ago when over five people were arrested and detained for selling and wearing them.

Is Sam Sarr Working With Lawyer El Hadj Diouf?

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Sources in Dakar have informed The Fatu Network that lawyer El hadj Diouf and Sam Sarr are working hand in hand and that the two are currently talking over the phone on a daily basis in their quest to help Jammeh stay in power.

Upon receiving this information, we contacted Sam Sarr who was recently appointed as Gambia’s Ambassador to Washington to shed light on the issue. Sam told us that he spoke to Diouf once through a Senegalese mediator and found out that even though they both share the same opinion that the elections are flawed, their presentations are different in that Diouf is more general in his narration than specific. ‘I am more specific with the information gathered than he is’ Sam said.

Meanwhile, one of Senegal’s prominent MPs, Moustapha Diakhate, who is said to be close to President Macky Sall , said on TFM that the Senegalese government will not let El Hadj Diouf meddle in Gambian affairs to side with injustice for his selfish interest.

Building The New Gambia: ECOWAS Is On Track! No Change

By Madi Jobarteh: First of all, it is important for all Gambians to realize that the aim of ECOWAS is not to wage war on the Gambia. That is, and has never been their aim. ECOWAS is engaged with the Gambia issue primarily in fulfillment of its legal and political obligations for which the Gambia is also an integral part in those decisions and instruments. ECOWAS is interested only in defending the constitution and sovereignty of the people of the Gambia.

The Context
ECOWAS is the organization comprising the peoples and governments of West Africa set up in 1975 to promote the political integration and economic development of our sub-region. For that purpose it has created various protocols in addition to its treaty as well as established institutions to promote its objectives. In the wake of the First Liberia Civil War from 1989 to 1997, ECOWAS entered into the business of military intervention for the first time to protect and keep peace in that country. This was during the Chairmanship of Sir Dawda Jawara at the time when ECOMOG was created to help Liberia to stabilize. Indeed ECOWAS did a good job there to support Liberia transition from conflict to democracy . But then the Second Liberia Civil War broke out in 1999 to 2003 in which ECOWAS again became heavily involved leading to the resignation of Charles Taylor in 2003 and the establishment of democracy with the election of current Pres. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2005.

We have also seen how ECOWAS became a key player in the Sierra Leone civil war between 1991 and 2002, leading to the end of that conflict and ushering in peace and democracy. In all these situations, ECOWAS employs peace building and diplomatic measures. This is what had also happened in Burkina Faso in 2014 when rogue generals of the presidential guards of the ousted Dictator Blaise Campaore interrupted the revolution of the people by seizing power briefly. ECOWAS engaged with the situation as well leading to the surrender of Gen. Djenjere and his rebel soldiers.

ECOWAS always takes the path of diplomacy first because this is its primary means of conflict resolution as espoused in its ‘Mechanism For Conflict Prevention, Management, Resolution, Peacekeeping and Security’ adopted in 1999. In 2001 a supplementary protocol was added to the Mechanism called the Protocol on Good Governance and Democracy. The aims of these instruments are to prevent, manage and resolve internal and inter-State conflicts, and to promote democracy and good governance in the sub-region. It was as a result of these conflicts in Liberia and then Sierra Leone and other countries that ECOWAS had to develop its capacity fully to address peace and security issues. It is under the Mechanism that it has set up the Mediation and Security Council as well as the ECOWAS Standby Force, which are already engaged with the Gambia issue.

Hence what the ECOWAS Chairperson, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said today in Accra does not reflect any change in position of the sub-regional body. Rather she is still treading on the same path that the organization has always used to address threats to peace and democracy in the sub-region. Diplomacy is the first tool of employment. ECOWAS has to be seen to exhaust the full length of diplomacy before they kick off with the second option, which is military intervention.

The APRC Petition and Supreme Court
Many are worried about her reference to the ongoing illegal petition of the APRC, and rightly so. I want to say that all Gambians including the Coalition and GDC must begin to discount this petition by standing behind the position of the Gambia Bar Association. Yes, the right to petition is in the constitution, but the Gambia Bar Association, as the most authority body on law and justice in the country has told us that it would be unconstitutional and a violation of natural justice for Yaya Jammeh to empanel judges for the Supreme Court only to sit to hear a case in which he is the lead beneficiary. Hence Gambians must stop singing about this petition as a right of Yaya Jammeh when the facts are that the requirements for him to enjoy this right do not exist legally and constitutionally. Let us not help Yaya Jammeh perpetuate illegality by acknowledging that he has a right to petition. The right does not exist. Period.

This petition is not only dead and illegal, but it is the most ridiculous petition in the history of election petitions. In this petition, filed by Bala Garba Jahumpa on behalf of the APRC is asking for two things on a very contradictory premise. In the first place it is asking for the Supreme Court to declare the December 1 presidential election void and invalid because they claim it did not comply with the Elections Act. They further said that the election was not fairly conducted in good faith and therefore not credible. Yet at the same time, APRC went further to ask the same Supreme Court to declare Yaya Jammeh as duly elected based on what it calls actual votes of the same election that they have condemned as void, invalid and fraudulent! Am confused!

The question therefore is this: How can the APRC ask that the election of Adama Barrow be declared null and void because of a fraudulent election, yet they still ask the same Supreme Court to declare Yaya Jammeh the winner on the basis of that same election? It is like a father who denies his daughter a present because he claims the present is bad, yet calls his son to give him that same present as a good gift. What an unjust father? Therefore even if the Supreme Court sits on this matter, it is clear that no judge in his or her right mind would entertain such a clumsy petition. It will be thrown out!
In any case, the petition cannot in any way stop the inauguration of Pres. Adama Barrow on January 19.

What To Do?
What we need to do, as Gambians is to continue to work hard to defend the vote. Let Adama Barrow and his team continue to demonstrate more proactive and strategic leadership. Let the people continue to intensify civil disobedience. Let us join the Gambia Bar Association to demand the resignation of the Mercenary Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbele because of his professional misconduct. Let Yaya Jammeh realize that, either way, diplomacy or military intervention, the peace and stability of the Gambia lies in his hands. Will he burn the Gambia or will he save the country he claims to love. History is recording. Time will tell.
#GambiaHasDecided.

ECOWAS says to continue diplomatic mediation in Gambia

By Alhagie Jobe: The sub-regional bloc, ECOWAS, say they are still pursuing mediation to ensure a peaceful transfer of power in The Gambia where longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh refused to hand over power after conceding defeat in last month election, Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf confirmed on Saturday.

Sirleaf told waiting journalists after a meeting among regional leaders in Ghana’s capital Accra after the inauguration of new President Nana Akufo-Addo that the regional bloc did not ‘yet’ intend to deploy its standby military force in The Gambia.

“We are committed to a peaceful mediation and a peaceful transfer of power in the Gambia……we will continue to pursue that for now,” said Sirleaf who chairs the 15-member Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

Asked if the regional group would deploy a standby force soon, she said “no”, adding that ECOWAS was closely monitoring proceedings in The Gambia’s Supreme Court where Yahya Jammeh is challenging the poll result.

Mr Jammeh, a former coup leader who has ruled Gambia for 22 years with iron-fist, initially accepted his defeat by opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow in the December 1st election. But a week later reversed his position, vowing to hang onto power despite a wave of regional and international condemnation.

Diplomats are concerned the impasse over the poll could escalate quickly into violence.

The United States warned its citizens on Saturday against visiting The Gambia. “The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to The Gambia because of the potential for civil unrest and violence in the near future. On January 7, 2017, the Department of State ordered the departure of family members and authorized the departure of all employees who need to accompany those individuals from the country” the statement said.

The United Nations had earlier announced that it is also relocating its staff to Senegal ahead of the January 19th would-be controversial day for Barrow’s inauguration.

Mohamed Ibn Chambas, the United Nations’ top official in West Africa, also attended the special closed-door meeting, which was the first official engagement by Ghana’s new President Nana Akufo-Addo.

Meanwhile, the quick change to a soft position by ECOWAS discouraged and killed the spirit of many Gambians.

Gambians are angrily expressing their views on social media saying their dreams have been faded and the future becomes empty after 22 years of suffering yet still Gambians can’t manage to decide their destiny.

Many say the ECOWAS decision “to keep the region peaceful” will unfortunately embolden Jammeh more though military intervention as elsewhere, should be an absolute last resort but incumbent President Jammeh is unhinged and doesn’t know or do diplomacy.

Security Council members’ tour a failure

The ongoing tour by members of the National Security Council of the failed Yahya Jammeh’s government is a total failure, security sources within the entourage has confirmed to this medium.

The National Security Council members began a countrywide tour on Thursday, January 5, 2017 to visit all security installation in the country aimed at convincing security forces to renew loyalty to defiant and outgoing President Yahya Jammeh who was defeated in the elections and refused to step down when his term ends on January 19th.

The delegation on the tour includes the Army chief Ousman Bargie, Interior Minister MA Bah, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Momodou Sowe, and Police Operation boss, Landing Bojang. The Vice President and Chairman of the National Security Council who was expected to lead the delegation backed off in the last minutes based on health reasons.

According to our sources, the tour is so far a failure and waste of state resources. “Nothing important is being said since we started the tour. They are only telling the security officers that outgoing President Yahya Jammeh is very proud of them (soldiers) for maintaining the peace and stability of the nation and that security officers should remain loyal to him (Jammeh)”.

Our sources further stated that CDS Bargie warned Senegal that if they should mistakenly or try to invade The Gambia, they will ever regret it as they will be killed like flies. “Let Senegal try it and see what will be the outcome” CDS Bargie bet, insisting that he will never allow the Senegalese security to enter The Gambia and advised officers not to involve in politics.

Meanwhile, West African leaders said last month it would take all necessary steps to uphold the result of a December 1st election in The Gambia, where incumbent President Yahya Jammeh says he will not step down after losing to opposition coalition Adama Barrow.

Jammeh initially accepted his loss in the December 1st election, but a week later changed his mind, saying the electoral commission had been biased by “foreign influences” and vowing to hang on despite regional and international condemnation.

ECOWAS has since placed a standby forces on alert in case Mr Jammeh attempts to stay in power after his mandate ends on January 19th. Mr Jammeh called the bloc’s stance “a declaration of war”, and said he will defend himself. He said ECOWAS has no right to interfere in Gambia’s internal affairs.

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