Sheraton Hotel, the only international brand hotel in The Gambia is leaving on Dec 11 according to a bombshell memo released to Staff on Tuesday, December 2, 2015.  They were also informed their flag will come down on the day they cease operation.  The poor economy, human rights, and Tourist Season have all been cited as reasons why Sheraton decided to disassociate itself with The Gambia.  As expected, this news was met with shock, uncertainty, and trepidation by the employees.  The hotel currently has 200 employees but no staff layoffs as part of this move have been announced as of yet.  Sheraton has been operating in The Gambia since May 25, 2007.

The Sheraton brand is owned by Starwood Hotels but the land and building are both owned by MA Karafi and Sons.  What that means is that the hotel will stay but will no longer operate under the Sheraton brand.  MA Karafi and Sons will take full ownership of the building and running of the hotel according to information announced to the employees.  What implication this current arrangement has for the employees and their jobs is the subject of speculation, but observers note that a more precise prediction can be made as more information becomes available.

Sheraton has been mired in controversy from the moment the idea of having the hotel at its current location, the coastal town of Brufut was announced.  The land on which it stands was seized from its original owners – the Manneh Kunda clan, without any compensation whatsoever even though staff of the hotel were told it was given by the people of the town for free.  In fact, the clan members at the time of the construction of the hotel had several days of confrontation with security forces sent there to forcibly enforce President Yahya Jammeh’s illegal confiscation of the land.  By the time the fracas was over, some were beaten, others threatened, the rest bribed and coerced into silence, leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of many.

So when the hotel started operation, most were happy to watch it struggle to attract customers.  It was no secret that Sheraton despite its Five Star status could not leverage any advantages it seemingly had – great location, cutting edge facilities, professional staff, and comparably reasonable prices.  It seems the djinns of Sanneh Mentereng had cursed this world class hospitality resort, and in the process, the people of Brufut vindicated and exonerated.

Gambia’s reputation as world renown for human rights violations didn’t help Sheraton Gambia’s already battered situation – gay rights groups like Human Rights Campaign rallied their troops not to visit Gambia because of President Jammeh’s policy of LGBT abuse, Amnesty International, Robert F Kennedy Center, Human Rights Watch, Article19, and Gambian activists in the Diaspora have kept beating the drum on the killings, disappearances, and tortures of innocent Gambians.  And finally; the poor economy thanks to President Yahya Jammeh’s voodoo economic policies was the last nail into Sheraton Gambia’s coffin.

This is still a developing story and Faturadio will be monitoring the situation and update our readers as the matter progresses.

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In December 2013, Ayoub Aliris, the Chef at Coco Ocean Hotel in The Gambia was charged with “negligence and food poisoning on Jonathan and his delegation.”   He was alleged to have committed the offense during the then Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan’s two-day official State visit to the West African country in November of the same year.  Jonathan suffered a major stomach upset which required him to seek medical attention at a London hospital.  Babucarr Gomez, a cook at the said hotel was the primary prosecution witness.  Ayoub denied all charges.

As it turns out, Ayoub was right in proclaiming his innocence – he was framed in a scheme that will make for a blockbuster Nollywood voodoo theme movie.  Superstitious undertakings have and continue to cost many lives in Africa because of the sheer irresponsible nature of their execution to the health of their intended targets even if harming the person’s wellbeing is not even the secondary goal.

Unconfirmed reports from sources on the ground have it that Modou Jatta, the Chief Security, Household at the Statehouse was picked up this Monday, December 1, 2015 by agents of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) for unknown reasons.  Faturadio is trying to determine, if true, the reasons as to why he is being held.

Unimpeachable sources at the State house have confirmed to Faturadio that President Yahya Jammeh was the one responsible for Goodluck Jonathan’s food poisoning and that it was this Modou Jatta that he used to execute his plan that almost cost the former Naija President his life.

According to these sources, Jammeh is a strong believer in voodoo and witchcraft.  He also believes that a special concoction of herbs, Islamic scriptures, bananas, and water can produce magical results.  This is the main ingredient behind his “AIDS Cure”.  It was in this vein that he believed he could cast a spell on Jonathan that would make the Naija President to do anything he (Yahya) asks him to do – essentially making Goodluck unwillingly dance to his tunes, by using one of these concoctions.  This concoction is called “Saffara” in the local Wollof language.

Once Jonathan was in town for his visit, a special dinner was organized in his honor at the Coco Ocean Hotel, one of the finest in the region.  According to our sources, before the meal, Yahya gave the “Saffara” to Modou Jatta with special instructions – give the concoction to the cooks in the kitchen of the hotel and ask them to put it in President Jonathan’s food.  The Nigerian had a three course meal and the “Saffara” was put in the main course which was seafood served on a main dish plate.

When Jonathan fell ill, which was not the intent, Jammeh got nervous according to these sources.  To cover his tracks, he immediately instructed Saul Badjie to order the arrest of the cooks at Coco Ocean Hotel, blame them for everything, and they have since been languishing in the notorious Mile 2 prisons.  The Nigerian President who would eventually lose his reelection to Muhammadu Buhari, it seems has since recovered from the illness caused by this incident – Thank God!

Gambia’s unpredictable President, Yahya Jammeh has dismissed with immediate effect, all deputy service chiefs of the security forces except the deputy Inspector General of police.

According to security sources, the dismissal is related to the chaotic manner in which the presidential security details were handled and managed during the President’s dialogue with the People tour which started in the first week of November.

One of our sources said the President was particularly angry with the manner in which security forces accompanying him on his tour managed a crowd of onlookers at his public meeting in Gunjur, Kombo South in the Western Region of The Gambia.

Our sources said the crowd in Gunjur was not only chaotic but also at some point disinterested in what was being said at the meeting to the point that a section of the crowd became much of a nuisance.

At some point according to sources, the deputy inspector general of police, had to intervene himself to personally lead efforts to bring in some form of decorum by trying to control the crowd.

A rather red-faced President who is believed to be seriously sick, blamed his senior security officials on tour with him for not effectively managing the crowd leading to their dismissal.

It has to be noted that President Yahya Jammeh uses all kinds of underhand tactics to potray an image that he is liked and adored by the people. He travels with rented crowds by using the national radio and television to advance and cultivate this personality cult syndrome.

But since the beginning of the tour in November, local people have been turning their backs on a President who has now become a lonely, dejected dictator for his numerous failed promises that have repeatedly been made without being fulfilled.

Fatu Radio will continue to monitor the situation and will update our audience as soon as any new information comes out.

A whooping five Cabinet Ministers are currently in Kartong, at the home of the Alkalo to be more specific, to “discuss” the sand mining saga that recently saw the men and women of this once peaceful village declaring “enough is enough” and taking to the streets in what one eye witness described as “the greatest act of defiance” he has seen in years in that country.

On the surface, this mission undertaken by these Ministers may seem like a routine act of reconciliation.  However, upon further scrutiny, observers have uncovered a familiar insidious ploy at work that is meant to do nothing but to break the bond of unity that this once divided village (thanks to Yahya Jammeh’s strategy of pitting family against family, tribe against tribe method) has finally accomplished – ironically, thanks to this sand mining protest.

When news of the protest in Kartong broke, it seemed from the beginning that this is what activists both on the ground and in the Diaspora have been waiting for – they took to Facebook, Twitter, contacted international organizations and human rights groups, set up GoFundme account for funds to be raised, private individuals wired money right away, online radios and blogs cranked up their publicity engines to both inform those on the ground of what’s going on (since it was a media blackout in the Gambia as usual) and to amplify the message from the activists on the ground in Kartong, the coordination and messaging were impressive.  Sensing the firestorm this situation has generated and with the potential to rally the entire nation, Jammeh decided to save face and in his usual bravado style, promised during the leg of his Meet-The-People Tour in Gunjur to free the arrested protestors but that “anyone whose parent’s fail to discipline you, the government will do it for them.”

It is against this backdrop that the Cabinet Ministers are in Kartong to get concessions from elders of the town knowing fully well the youths are in no mood for negations or any form of capitulating despite the tortures already meted out on them by the security forces, some of whom currently need medical attention.  The people of Kartong must therefore stick to their position and most importantly maintain the hard fought unity they have finally achieved.  For all the years they have been fighting this cause to see sand mining stopped in their community because of the environmental disaster this has already caused, this is the moment of truth – it is either now or never!  They therefore must make sure this opportunity doesn’t slip – the regime is at its worst, it cannot afford a protracted fight on this matter, Yahya Jammeh is unwilling to engage in a confrontation, and the situation in the country is too shaky to allow for further rocking of the boat.  Do not give up your demands for any promises whatsoever, do not walk away from the streets until all the bulldozers leave town, and make sure you continue to speak with one voice.  The moment you fail in any of the above, you can kiss your noble cause a goodbye!  We are here for support in any way, be rest assured.

Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh has disgracefully fired his long time stewardess and family member Ndey Jammeh. This is not the first time that Ndey has been removed from State House. The first one was after Jammeh’s failed marriage with Alima Sallah, daughter of The Gambia’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

According to our credible sources, Ndey was disgraced by the dictator during his dialogue with the people tour in the Lower River Region (LRR) and was asked to leave the tour immediately. She has also been dismissed from her State House job and indeed all other official role/s she was engaged in.

Sources told Fatu Radio Ndey’s dismissal had to do with information that was allegedly passed to the First Lady, Zineb Jammeh which was said to have come from Ndey. In addition, it has been confirmed that Ndey, whose husband Sarjo was a serving member of The Gambia Armed Forces is also said to have been removed from the Army a while ago.

Many at the Office of The President received Ndey’s dismissal as a welcome development saying that she reports to The President everything that happens in that office. She is also said to be in the habit of threatening young protocol officers at State House for communicating with outsiders. One of the girls told Fatu Radio that Ndey threaten them that President Jammeh was always aware of whoever they the protocol girls talk to on the phone. “This alone has been a sure way of controlling the girls who work at the protocol division and to be kept at bay from the public,” says one source. She is also said to be very selfish and receive all the gifts from The President telling the other staff that she will share later which never happened.

Like many Jammeh supporters, Ndey according to sources gossips a lot about the President, saying he is a womanizer and had once told her sister Jimbe to stop dishing out young girls to Jammeh, whose appetite for young virgin girls is overwhelming. An insider at The State house said Ndey has once confided in her that The First Lady is arrogant and she blames The President for marrying an arrogant non Gambian. Like Jammeh she also has the divide the rule attitude, telling staff to be careful of each other, thereby creating mistrust amongst them. “Ndey used to tell us that his late dad did everything for The President when he was a kid, adding that whatever Jammeh did for her and her siblings is well earned” a source said adding “Ndey always denied the young protocols drinking water from the office, and only gives to her sister Jimbe and the rest of the family.”

She is also said to have been complaining about her husband Sarjo, after his removal from the military, saying he is a ‘useless’ man who could not afford anything for his family. Ndey and her family live in ‘Yarambamba’ at a house given to them by The President. Before her sister Jimbe becomes the one who arranges young women for the dictator, Ndey was tasked with that role until Jammeh married Alima who was very closed to her. Jimbe now takes over escorting young girls to the dictator’s bedroom and dumping them once they got pregnant. Jammeh according to his young victims does not use condoms thereby getting them pregnant easily.

Few hours after Amnesty International’s strong worded press release, and the continued advocacy of The Gambians in the diaspora, The Gambian dictator has ordered The Brikama Magistrate’s court to drop charges against the Kartong 33 with effect from Tuesday, Dec 1, 2015. The 33  including a 70 year old man were  arrested on November 24 and charged  with conspiracy, breach of the peace, riot, causing malicious injuries and riotously interfering with a vehicle. They were denied bail by Magisterate Hilary Abeke and sent to the security wing of the mile 2 central prison where family members were denied access to them.

Activists say the President’s decision came amidst pressure from the youths on the ground who were prepared to do whatever it takes to see the release of family members and friends. Eventhough the President has ordered for their unconditional release, there is no word yet on whether sand mining will continue in Kartong or not.

Meanwhile, hundreds are out in the streets of Kartong jubilating upon hearing the news.