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Muslim Elders Again…

Fatu Camara
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The Gambia is slowly drifting from what it used to be – the exemplary state that respects and protects the religious and cultural rights of every citizen. Apart from the so-called Jihads that were fought in the mid-1800s, I have never heard or seen Gambians fighting over what language one speaks or what religion or method one uses to worship God. Although a majority Muslim country, religion has never played a central part in our politics and I see no reason why it should now.

Those that tried to use Islam (Muslim Congress Party) were defeated by the forces of secularism. I M Garba Jahumpa and Sheikh Omar Faye, both Muslims, were defeated in the 1947 Bathurst Council election by Edward Francis Small, a Christian.

One may argue that the reason Jahumpa named his party the Muslim Congress Party was to attract Muslim voters. Our First President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara was a Christian once in his life. His conversion back to Islam was seen by many as a political move, but I see it more as a personal choice. In fact, he won elections while still a Christian.

The point I am trying to make here is that our elders were never concerned with what religion one follows. Possibly, they saw both Islam and Christianity as foreign. These may explain the numerous interfaith marriages that existed and continue to exist in The Gambia.

The tradition of celebrating every feast together, be it Muslim or Christian, and the bonds of friendship and kinship that have been built between young Muslims and Christians are evident. I do not need to mention this; we all know what I am talking about.

Recently, What’s On Gambia posted on its Facebook page a picture of the Imam Ratib of Banjul and the Bishop of the Catholic Church shaking hands. The picture, to all Gambians, represents a deep inseparable bond that existed for more than a century.  Now, we will watch and see this immeasurable tradition that united our people and country be washed away by a single individual’s greed for power. One who knows nothing about the religion he claims. It is worrying.

First it was just a simple statement declaring The Gambia an Islamic State, ignoring the stipulations within our sovereign law (the Constitution). He even threatened to change the national flag that existed way before he came to life. Some of us laughed and said this will never happen. Foroyaa came up with all the legalities and the steps needed to effect these changes and concluded that it will never happen and any attempt to implement such a change will be resisted by PDOIS. UDP also made similar observations and comments.

The only reason given by Jammeh, which still seems valid to him, is that such a move will further distance us from our colonial past. The only thing that can separate us from our colonial past is economic growth and youth empowerment, respect for human rights and freedom to worship God in whatever way one chooses.

Treat citizens as what they are: citizens and owners of The Gambia. It is not by removing The Gambia from the Commonwealth; neither is it declaring The Gambia an Islamic State that can distance us from our colonial past. There are certain things in life one cannot change. Ironically, Jammeh still uses the colonial language to make all these declarations. Funny, isn’t it?

Secondly, there is now an Executive Directive forcing all female civil servants to cover their hair at work. During the declaration/pronouncement of The Gambia as an Islamic State, Jammeh clearly stated that he did not appoint anyone to be the police of the Islamic State; that no dress code would be imposed, and that the changes will not affect non-Muslims in The Gambia.

Barely three weeks later, a directive contained in a Memo is being circulated, forcing all female civil servants (non-Muslims included) to cover their hair while at work. What would follow this? All men, to cut their trousers, no more jeans or “changals” for ladies, no boyfriend or girlfriend business, no more parties, no music, no school for girls, no women drivers, no more work for the women (only to stay at home and to be provided for by the men) and every other thing.

In fact add no December party and close the airport for tourism. Forget about the thousands of people employed by the tourism industry. All these might sound funny and utopian, but one thing I have come to realize especially watching ‘The Game of Thrones’ is that no one should take the word of a “Mad King” Lightly.

Presently, we are at a stage where the so-called Muslim elders are rushing to State House to support this illogical move, helping to “legitimise” it. What will follow next? The Council of Chiefs, then Governors, then Alkalos, Yai Compins (maybe not them because they will be at home), Youth Movements, then the security service organize a march pass to support (no music for them because it will be banned already).

With all the wrong things going on in my beloved country, I have never been this frustrated. Not even my arrest, detention and six months of going to court. I always say that all other challenges were just short term challenges that will be overcome in no time. Now, this one sickens me. As a historian, I see all these as a challenge to centuries of deeply entrenched traditions giving way to a new, manipulated system that might break us apart and entrench the small, poor and highly indebted country to abysmal poverty.  I am all for progress and change when necessary, but this is no positive change and it has no place in our progress as a young nation.

The visit by the Muslim elders to State House as reported by Daily Observer has clearly shown that Jammeh and his cabinet have no idea whatsoever of what they are talking about or doing. Interestingly, I was shocked when the Vice President asked the Muslim elders to do more research on what it takes to becoming an Islamic State. Paradoxically, the Supreme Islamic Council Leader said that “the dividing line between an Islamic State and a Non Islamic State is very thin…. If there will be a difference, it will be that an Islamic republic law will strengthen the other existing laws of the country.”

Now, let us assume that Imam Touray is a very learned scholar. Indeed he is. He went to State House to support a declaration and at the same time informed the sycophants that there is no difference in practice between an Islamic State and a Non Islamic State. Perhaps like other delegates, they were fascinated by the possible name change and only that.

Since 1994, the Muslim elders have always legitimized and lent credence to the actions of Jammeh by showing support and pushing them on the wrong side of history. They have ignored all the basic teachings of Islam and sided with Jammeh in every wrong step he takes.

The most recent incident is the 2012 execution of the nine inmates. They have been insulted, threatened and bribed to keep quiet. The reason could be fear or greed. I see more of greed than fear. Those leaders that were brave enough like Baba Leigh and Ba Kawsu were shunned by the same religious scholars before they were arrested and detained. If these very people will be the guardian of the “Islamic State of Gambia”, it is better we sell the country kuneka uti for deka ak lor def.

Generally, I see all this as a wider campaign to entrench Jammeh further into the presidency and serve as a vehicle to becoming a “King” ( See my upcoming blog Jammeh’s Islamic State Declaration: A Pan African Vision or a Step to Monarchism?).

The growing campaign by dissident groups in the diaspora, the continued pressure from the international community, particularly European Union, and major human rights organizations, as well as the recent proactive approach adopted by Gambian opposition parties all threaten Jammeh’s survival directly or indirectly.

Hence, the best possible approach to solidify his position and attract support from Arab donors and Gambian Muslims is by playing the religion card. Will he succeed in transforming the Gambia into an Islamic State or will his move receive the same fate as the Muslim Congress Party? It is a decision to be made by Gambians. I prefer the present condition and will do all I can to resist any change.

Religion is a matter of individual choice. Declaring The Gambia an Islamic State will not develop the country or take Gambians to paradise. A Ticket to paradise depends on the individual and not the State. The sooner Jammeh realizes his role as a mere president and mortal, the better for The Gambia.

A president must be responsible and make responsible statements that will promote unity amidst diversity. Religious leaders must always adhere to the doctrine and not be used by anyone for any purpose, especially on “contradictory issues risky to social order of society.” Young people must continue to educate themselves so as not to be used by any individual for whatever purpose. Undeniably, this whole project is not about Islam; it is about Jammeh. The sooner we realize that as a people, the better for all of us.

P.S

I know it has been ages since I posted something on this blog. Since I am not on the ground to engage in civic education as I used to do in the previous elections, I will use this blog to share my thoughts on the upcoming elections. The idea is to engage mostly young Gambians to debate and change the present narrative of our country. I will talk on all the necessities of the upcoming election from finance, youth and women engagement, political parties and election observation. I will also be on Twitter and Facebook. Let us make best use of social media to share our thoughts and help educate each other for country and God.

Without Warning, President Jammeh Uses Armed Soldiers to Kick Poor Women Vendors Out of Brusubi Roundtable!!!!

Fatu Camara
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On Monday, January 11, 2016, armed men, backed up by bulldozers, garbage trucks, and public officials, descended on the Brusubi Roundabout popularly called Brusubi Turn Table and demolished any and every structures they could find to the shock of the poor women vendors and taxi operators whose daily living depends solely on incomes from these canteens.

This action was so blatant, even the government’s own mouthpiece, the Daily Observer mustered the courage to interview the distraught women affected by these demolitions.  This is an excerpt from the report filed by the paper’s own Alieu Ceesay: “Isatou Secka, Jainaba Tangara, and Sohna Secka, all food vendors said they were shocked at the demolition of their canteens. According to them, they were only aware of the exercise when they came in the morning to sell their goods.

Even though the Council’s CEO said his office has nothing to do with the victims’ occupancy of the area, these women said they used to pay D5 everyday to the Area Council. The affected individuals thus appealed to the concerned authorities to reconsider the decision because this is where they work to earn their living.”

What these women were perhaps unaware of was that this exercise was preceded by a chance visit to their market by their President, Yahya Jammeh.  According to Fatu Network’s reliable source within the State House, Jammeh happened to be driving himself on Sunday evening and upon reaching the Turn Table in Brusubi, pulled down the tinted glasses of his vehicle to observe the women petty traders and the taxi garage that serves the Tipper Garage, Sinchu, Yundum Airport Junction, and Brikama areas.  He sped off after getting a good view of the place.

What seemed like a casual observation of this busy spot turned out to be the catalyst for the doom of the place, and with it, the dreams and livelihoods of many families – the next morning he ordered the Paramilitary, Physical Planning and Housing, Brikama Area Council, and Ministry of Lands to make sure all the women are kicked out of that place immediately.

An employee at the Ministry of Lands who wishes to remain anonymous complained to Fatu Network that this whole exercise was so blatantly wrong for the simple reason that the local authorities not only never issued any warning to these women, they have also been collecting taxes from them, hence legitimizing their presence there, no matter whether their canteens were set up through the official channels not.  “What the President did to these women is so evil and it seems he just doesn’t care about their plight.  I gathered through talking to them that this is the place that puts food on the table for them and their families and pays the tuitions for their kids” The employee said with frustration

Gambian Youth and Partisan Politics: Apathy or Resistance?

Fatu Camara
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“People get the government they deserve” Alexis de Tocqueville  

Since the restoration of multiparty politics in 1996, elections in The Gambia have been flawed by worryingly low voter turnout, especially among the youth. Although there is no data on the number of young people between the ages of 18-35 that voted or otherwise, one can argue that a great majority of young people in Gambia do not vote despite their demographic advantage.

The issue could be linked to a lack of interest or seeming discontent with Gambian politics and as such, resisting the whole political establishment.

The figures in the previous presidential and parliamentary elections vividly describe this phenomenon. Presidential elections usually register higher voter turnout than parliamentary elections. For instance, during the Presidential election of 1996, the voter turnout was 80%. A 9.71% increase (89.71%) was recorded in 2001.

In 2006, this figure declined to 58.58% and in 2011, it rose again to 82.55%. In 2006, a percentage larger than those who voted for the incumbent APRC did not vote. The increased in 2011 elections could be attributed to the intensive nationwide youth voter education campaigns that were carried out by youth groups such as National Youth Parliament.

The parliamentary figures on the other hand are at an all-time low. The 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012 turnouts were 73.2%, 56.38%, 41.70%, and 19.44% respectively.  The primary explanation for the low turnout in 2007 and 2012 could be attributed to electoral boycotts by the United Democratic Party (UDP). In 2011, apart from the National Reconciliation Party (NRP), all other parties boycotted the parliamentary and local government elections.

With yet another electoral cycle in the horizon, will the trend continue or will young people vote for change?

In 2011, I presented a paper Political Apathy Amongst Gambian Youth: Case Study of Youth in Serekunda at the Senior Student Research Colloquium organized by the School of Arts and Sciences, The University of The Gambia. The paper which surveyed a group of 100 youth between 18-35 years, was presented just a day before the 2011 Presidential election. The aim was to search for better answers to identify and understand the problem of youth political apathy in The Gambia and how it affects the country’s democratization process. The idea was informed by the fact that about 65% of The Gambia’s population is made up of young people between 18-35 years of age. Yet, the same group shows all signs of “lack of interest” in their own welfare, or so I thought and concluded.

While doing the research, I was also engaged in youth voter education as part of my American Corner Project (Young Gambian Leadership Program). Within a period of two months, the program, funded by the American Embassy, was able to organize several radio talk shows led by young people targeting their peers. At the same time also, the National Youth Parliament was engaged in an intensive voter education project targeting young people across the country. The outcome of all these efforts resulted in a higher voter turnout than the 2006 Presidential elections.

The outcome of the 2011 Presidential elections, in terms of voter turnout, showed a different picture to what I had observed in my paper that Gambian youth lack interest in politics. Today, I am revisiting the same phenomenon as we approach another election year. This time, with a wider perspective and a more critical outlook on Gambian youth and politics as informed by years of interaction both online and at home. As such, I posited that the low voter turnout is not as a result of lack of interest in politics, rather it is both a conscious and subconscious strategy by young people to protest against the political system in place.

With the current political climate in The Gambia that curtails certain fundamental rights, also forcing many into self-censorship, many young people do not see the need to vote. They do not even believe that their votes count. They are convinced that voting will not change the situation nor will it remove the APRC from power. They fear that Jammeh will not step down even if defeated.

This lack of trust in our political system was not just developed in a day; it grew from perceived irregularities in the entire political machinery from lack of press freedom, APRC usage of state resources, the lack of a solid alternative to Jammeh, a weak and divided opposition, a lack of trust in the Independent Electoral Commission, unlevelled playing field, low civic education, domination of politics by older generation, lack of opportunities for young people within political parties, to the notion of rigging of election results.

However, I am not very convinced that rigging of votes takes place in The Gambia. I observed the last elections and I have seen the way ballot boxes are arranged and votes counted afterwards. Equally, the presence of party representatives makes it less likely for such to happen. Elections in The Gambia are lost and won during the voter registration process. I will discuss this perhaps in my next blog.

Young people are faced with a dilemma of who to vote for. Most of the youth that I interacted with want to see a change of government, bringing in one that protects and respects their basic freedom, one that creates an enabling environment filled with dignified jobs, accessible and affordable tertiary education among many other things.  Above all they want to see a democratic Gambia. However, they are not convinced by all the politicians in place. In fact, none has a tangible plan for all these.  President Jammeh is not good enough but who to replace him with is the predicament.

For the longest, we have focused our attention on President Jammeh and his government, and ignored the opposition. The reason why many young people do not vote is not entirely dependent on Jammeh. See, Jammeh has been in power for about 22 years and all that time, he has the same people to compete against. Ousainou Darboe has been at the helm of United Democratic Party (UDP) for 22 years; likewise, Hamat Bah for National Reconciliation Party (NRP). Although, Halifa Sallah and Sidi Jatta have been “alternating” the leadership of People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) they have been in the game for far too long. Structurally, one can argue that PDOIS differ from all other parties.

However, the point here is that all political leaders have over stayed. Political parties in The Gambia are undemocratic, highly personalized and are properties of the leadership. About 90% of party finances come from party leaders. The one who foots the bill dictates the direction of the party.  Secondly, it seems like opposition parties do not understand what their role in the political process is. They can hardly initiate a program of their own; instead, they heavily depend on the blunders that Jammeh makes to eventually release simple statements of opposition. Some think the whole idea of an opposition is just to oppose anything the government does or says. That is not enough. We deserve more.

I would also like to highlight the failure of the opposition parties to unite and put forward a single candidate. Since 2001, young people both in The Gambia and the diaspora have been calling for such. An attempt was made in 2006, but failed just before nomination. Since then all we see from opposition parties is rhetoric and more of it. If the goal of contesting in election is to remove Jammeh, then a divided opposition will never succeed. I am not saying that any single candidate will remove Jammeh automatically, but I believe it will serve as a motivation factor and make life easier for the undecided youth voters.

All the points mentioned above and many other counts as deterrent factors to youth engagement in partisan politics especially during voting. I have received many questions from young people on why they should get a voters card and even vote. To me these young people do not lack interest. They are just not convinced that their votes will make a difference. I have not formulated a convincing answer yet, but I hope those that are thinking of not voting will reconsider. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said “voting is the corner stone for political action.” If one wants a change of government, the only platform provided for you legitimately is election. Make it count.

We have been crying for far too long about the closed political space in The Gambia, the human rights violations, unemployment, illegal migration etc. December 1st  2016 should be decisive moment. It should show our concern as young people, or we can just not vote and allow the system to continue. Here is the catch. In 2006, the number of people that didn’t vote at all was way more than those that voted for Jammeh. Maybe if all the young people had voted, there could have been a change of government. 2006 is gone. 2016 is another opportunity to make changes. Not voting will keep Jammeh in power; voting and not voting for him will remove him.

The choice is yours to make. You may refuse to vote and the system continues, or choose to vote and bring about change. We can blame Jammeh all we want, we can point blame fingers to others for our own predicament. However, our destiny is in our own hands. What we should now know is that change doesn’t come on a silver platter. If we desire it, we must follow the democratic ways by voting, and voting for change. Remember “people get the government they deserve.”

The tipping point – Collateral Damage‘The Bloody reckless Driver,’

Fatu Camara
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From a bloodless coup to a bloody 21 years reign filled with despair, dilapidation economic condition, poor healthcare and education institutions and lack of foresight on progressive economic strategic planning and research from 1994 to 2016. Authorizing The the Gambia Army free autonomous r ein to kill and terrify innocent civilians, killing at least 10,000 Gambians and forcing 100,000 people to flee The Gambia soil in search of peace, freedom and greener pastures, in somewhat treacherous and most times suicidal sojourns.

In the 21 odd years that the Gambia and Senegal faced off in border closures, the ‘soldiers with a difference -Yahya Jammeh and his 4 other bandit friends dressed in camouflage’ whom Gambian trusted and presumed to run the Gambia free from ‘Nepotism and corruption, according to their takeover  manifesto started with the notion that the previous Jawara regime was corrupt and too dangerous to continue ruling the Gambia, and possibly even suicidal, to allow Jawara or any of the PPP officials to continue working another day in The Gambia.

But the struggle between Senegal and The Gambia was non-fierce, and what that meant in practice was that the competition played out in impoverished places like Casamance and Bissau, where the great statesmen vied, eyed and subverted one another, and sometimes lost their local proxies, all in the name of maintaining the slippery but all-important concept known as the balance of power.The peace held, of course — that is, the larger peace within the region.

The Gambia and Senegal never came to blows, the deranged Gambia president with his ill-trained militia and military never left their bases from Yundum to Kanilai to Farafeneh Barracks. For countries like Sierra Leon, Liberia or Rwanda, where the genocide unfolded, it was another matter entirely. The lack of respect for human life spread far and wide, in toppled governments, loathsome dictators, squalid little wars and, here and there, massacres so immense that entire populations were nearly destroyed.

In “The 21 years of Blood stained Yahya Jammeh’s regime “, and a Forgotten Genocide,” Pa Samba Jow, a human rights activist, has revived the terrible and little-known story of the birth of The Gambia, and of the sordid and disgraceful statehouse diplomacy that attended it during a recent online radio interview. This is a dark and amazing tale, an essential reminder of the devastation wrought by the hardhearted policy and outright bigotry by Yahya Jammeh that typified much of the diplomacy of the casamance war.

It is not a tale without heroes, though; a number of Gambian ex-soldiers — most especially a man named Bai Lowe and co — risked their lives and even sacrificed their careers by refusing to knuckle under to the state House directives and telling the truth about what was happening on the ground in the Gambia on the fall of darkness.

The story begins, as do so many in our diaspora online radios and social media platforms with Gambia expats, with the end of the their ordeals or the beginning of their new found freedom from tyranny in The Gambia – Yahya Jammeh’s Empire. In 1994, when Jawara quit Gambia presidency, Jammeh lopped off Gambia’s’ minority Christians flanks in the Kombos and Banjul municipality. Since then, Gambia’s coexistence has never been the same, the partition unfolded in a frenzy of murder and expulsions, leaving thousands of people dead and many more displaced. A new Gambia has emerged.

As Gambia is undeniably one of the smallest and poorest countries in the world, but improbably divided by two religions Christianity and Islam and countless tribes and surrounded in parts by more than a thousand miles of Senegalese territory and the Atlantic Ocean.

When you look at a map from that time, you have to wonder what on earth were the British and French our colonial masters thinking separating the two nations -Gambia and Senegal. Gambia carried on for years

like nothing is wrong in that nation, with the more Senegalese government our god-given neighbors and blood distant relatives in the surrounding villages increasingly neglecting their Gambian brethren.

Things has evidently changed in The Gambia from that Day Jammeh forcefully took power through the barrel of the gun in 1994, promising a whole bunch of changes for the better – accountability, transparency and probity. (Whatever he wanted privately, he did not call for relinquishing of power and returning Gambi into civilian rule.) Yahya Jammeh never got a chance to acquaint himself with what Gambian people really and truly want from him as their leader.

Instead, Yayhy is bent on intimidation, arrest, jail and torture tactics, ordering the army to crush his opponent s – these are really and truly Gambian citizens he is meant to lead, treating them like enemies in a battlefield, thus, the army brutality, shooting and detention of innocent concerned citizens, religious leaders, intellectuals and anyone who opposed him.

Although today Gambia is ruled by a military dictator, a one time an American ally, now armed with an Arab brief case filled with blank checks and Iranian-equipped military arsenal; Senegal, the giant democracy, considered itself nonaligned — a neutral player in the saga between the Gambia opposition, the diaspora activist and Gambian government standoff. Given what was happening on the ground in The Gambia — the Senegalese Army acting wantonly, ignoring the plight of the Gambian citizens — you might expect the Senegalese president to restrain the Gambian ill-trained generals. So one arrives at the devastating heart of the desperation of the Gambians; reflecting on te recent youths fleeing back-way epidemic; youths fleeing in drones by any means necessary in search of better lives in the western wold.

In recent awful events of the witchcraft crackdown in the rural areas in the Gambia and the detention of Gambia Islamic state, President Jammeh and his national security advisers, the NIA, were trying to establish relations with the president, which was only then emerging from the chaos of recent times marred with intimidation and brutality coupled with maltreatment of former and active officials found in noncompliance to pleasing the dictator, they only want desperately to impress Yahya Jammmeh.

In something less than a catastrophic way and, as focused as ever on the Gambians in the dispora having tried all sorts of efforts to intensify and magnify the deplorable and inhumane plight of the Gambian people, clearly we believed that their efforts have opened a channel to the global and powerful nations that could help them overcome this cancerous Yahya Jamme’s regime, by delivering a blow to his ego and tight fist rule by exploiting and exposing his wickedness and weakness to obtaining foreign aid from western nations.

It’s hard to overstate just how earth-changing Jesse Jackson regarded his trip to The Gambia — and how important he thought his visit exposed Yahya Jammeh to the US media and beyond, this mean’t that Yahya Jammeh— a vain, shallow mediocrity — was suddenly considered indispensable, free to do whatever he wished in The Gambia.

With the Senegal and pretty much the whole world averting its eyes, the largely Muslim Gambia Army killed at least 100,000 Gambians, most of them Jolas, and forced 10’s of thousands of our youths and strong young adults into back-way suicidal journeys’ and thousands fleeing to Senegal.

Diaspora Gambians lays out their indictment of Yahya Jammeh and his cohorts spurned the cables, written by his own victims – ex-diplomats, ex-military personnel and some active civil servants, that called out Jammeh’senblers notably the Black Black boy also known as junglers are equally guilty of carrying out widespread massacres and torture to innocent civilians.

The HUMAN RIGHTS activist group called DUGA based in D.C USA sent an angry PETITION letter to the Gambia Embassy in DC that detailed the Jammeh systematic atrocities and used the word “genocide.” Those benefiting directly from Jammeh and his supporters, however, not only refused to condemn Yahya — in public or private — but they also declined to withhold their moral stance on the burning issues of the suffering the Gambian people. They regard Jammeh the dictator with genuine affection. In a recent online radio call-in forum, Malick Mbye a Jammeh die heart loyalist and speker of the APRC Jmmeh political party was heard saying “I understand the anguish those not in support of Jammeh and his regime must have felt in making the difficult decisions they have faced, but Jammeh has not tortured or killed anyone”.

The voices of Mlick Mbye and his Jammeh loyalists with similar believes not only was it insulting but mostly shocking to the ears of those that have lived through the pain and living it to this day. Most sane Gmbians listening to these online radios regard Malick Mbye as breathtakingly vulgar and hateful, especially in his attitudes toward the victims of Yahya Jammeh, most people regard is statements as repulsive, shifty and, anyway, anti-progressiveness and wicked.

These sorts of statements will probably not surprise that most sane people with some level of education and wisdom will never support Jammeh, but what is most telling is what this statements reveal about Malick Mbye’s intelligence level and how lazy and dependent he is on a dying regime for personal funds. They would do anything to milk the system under a frantic leader like Jammeh.

Jammeh’s power takeover from the Jawara regime could be summarized by any cool calculations of power grabbing opportunists- a mere luck and not by strategy or expertise military know-how experience on taking over a government. By us failing to restrain Jammeh, we would be allowing a blood bath to unfold, and then a civilian war, which is already brewing since that day Jammeh decided to takeover power in 1994.

In turn, prompted Gambians to start sectarian ideologies like tribal, regional, religious divisive attitudes in the Gambia and moreover the locals and those in the diaspora. At this point, the recklessness of Yahya Jammeh is only getting worse and beyond comprehension by many people globally. They dispatched news bulletin of the recent headscarf, witchcraft hunting and declaration of the Islamic state of The Gambia is encouraging division and secularism in The Gambia, possibly egging for a possible attack on his opponents or minority Christians — a maneuver that has already provoked the Christians in the country. Fortunately, the majority good Muslims in the country disassociated themselves and condemn his latest ignorant and disrespectful announcements.

The christian leaders proved more sober than most Muslim elders only using faith to enrich themselves and that of their families, burnishing their images as selfish and ‘highway Imams’

Mayhem and Pandemonium in Mile 2 Prisons!!!

Fatu Camara
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According reports reaching The Fatu Network, there is an ongoing pandemonium in Mile 2 and many prisoners are being tortured as we speak.  The situation is so dire, even authorities at the Ministry of Interior are worried about some of the inmates losing their lives. According to a source among the guards, the mayhem came as a result of discovery of cannabis in the possession of few inmates.

True to form, instead of carrying out a thorough and diligent investigation, prison authorities gave orders for all inmates to be severely tortured until they reveal the source of the illegal substance.  As if beating the inmates mercilessly in their cells is not enough, they are being herded to the beach and tortured, part of which according to one source is “digging of grave and telling the prisoners they will just be buried there should they die during their torture” – all in an effort to “force them to confess.”

The conditions in Mile 2 have been the subject of intense International scrutiny culminating in the revisit by the UN Special Rapporteurs to monitor the prison conditions without success – the regime backed out of an agreed framework at the last minute, after the monitors having flown all the way to Banjul to do their job.

Since the refusal of access to the UN team, Fatu Network has been inundated with a steady stream of disturbing reports from insiders of this notorious prison detailing the worsening nature of conditions.  Prisoners being chained to doors, denied food, beaten into coma, left in unsanitary conditions, given unhealthy food are all part of the routine, resulting to many deaths.  As late as December 15, 2015, Fatu Network reported on the case of one Sunkari Kanteh and two other accomplices who were incarcerated on an ongoing murder case from Basse.  All three died in the Main Yard wing of the prison as a result of the ill treatments they received from the guards.

This report has heightened concern among Journalists who are keeping an eye on Alagie Ceesay, the manager of the independent radio station called Taranga FM, who is there on charges described by activists and human rights groups as bogus and intimidation related.  According to sources, Alagie is very sick and his condition is worsening as we speak.  His next court date is January 28, 2016.  The conditions in the prison are so bad according to reports; this prison is essentially a death trap.

Monday has been scheduled by the prison for more tortures to illicit confessions according to a guard insider who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of being tortured too for talking to the media.

We will keep monitoring the situation.

AMINAH MANNEH YOUNG GAMBIAN ACTIVIST MISSING FOR 48HRS!

Fatu Camara
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Aminata Manneh, fondly called Minah Manneh, a Women and Child’s rights advocate has gone missing in The Gambia for over 48hrs. Minah, also a mentorship coordinator at Think Young Women, a non profit organization, disappeared after she posted a video of a Policeman assaulting a young girl. The video went viral few hours after it was posted on her Facebook page.

According to sources, a member of Gambia Armed Forces, name withheld for now, was the last person to call Minah’s phone and told her that she was wanted for questioning. The same source disclosed that Minah immediately contacted few friends about her conversation with the said military officer. “She called and told me about the officer who called to tell her that they want to meet her, that was the last time I heard about her, her cell phone is switched off since then” the source added.

Many Gambians both young and old have turned to social media networks calling on The Gambia Government to tell Gambians where Minah is. Bakary Badjie, Program Officer at the Child Protection Alliance and Voice of The Young posted this on his Facebook page “How comes young and innocent Minah Manneh was all good over the years and going about her studies and activism and suddenly disappeared after sharing a video of what we all know is wrong. Indeed she was right when she said “since when does traffic police officer have the right to lay hands on a young school girl … ….”. Uncountable times we read about Police charging people for common assault – that’s what the police officer did and thus Minnah shouldn’t pay any prize, instead the police officer should”.

“Minah is one of our most vibrant members and her passion for promoting the respect of the rights of women and girls shines forth in everything she does. We, therefore, call on the authorities to help us in finding Minah and reuniting her with family, friends and the many people she strives to help each day”. Think Young Women posted on their Facebook page.

The last tweet Minah sent was to Jeffrey Smith, advocacy officer at the Robert Kennedy Centre in Washington DC saying to him that she planned to contact the Child Protection Alliance about the Police brutality video she posted on her Facebook.
Readers would recall that this is not the first time people have taken a stance against brutality or rights abuses and disappeared or are killed. Journalist Chief Manneh disappeared following his arrest by the notorious NIA in front of colleagues, Lawyer Ousman Sillah defended a few cases in court against the government and he was attacked in front of his house and shot in the head, he survived out of sheer luck. Journalist Deyda Hydara had his car ambushed and summarily executed in front of his employees by the notorious government killers, the Junglars. Members of the opposition have been threatened, arrested, tortured and intimidated by service personnel loyal to Yaya Jammeh.

The latest disappearance of Ms Manneh is similar to that of the two US citizens Ebou Jobe and Mamour Ceesay who disappeared after being picked up by the NIA while on holiday in Gambia.

Civil society groups and rights activists are calling on the International community to put pressure on the Jammeh regime to produce Manneh and all those reported to have disappeared after being picked up by his notorious NIA who report directly to Jammeh. The list of those that have disappeared now includes the parents, children and friends of those allegedly involved in the 30th December attempt by dissidents from the diaspora and those in Jammeh’s army, who he is currently taking to a secret court martial. The youngest arrested and held since 1st January 2015 is 13 year old Yusupha Lowe.

The Gambia Government lifts restrictions imposed on Foreign Currency rates

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Restrictions on Foreign Currency lifted

A Torture Routine that will Make Even Satan Cringe!!!

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If you are an evil man and interested in the subject of torture and how to break another man down real quick and easy without much effort, you need not worry – you may go ahead and pin your hopes on The Gambia’s President, Yahya Jammeh’s National Intelligence Agency publishing a recipe book on the matter.  This after all, is the group that uses phrases like “Let’s take him/her to school” when referring to taking someone for torture.

Human rights and governance under Jammeh has been the subject of intense discussion both at the local and international levels.  The situation is so dire, the European Union was forced to withhold funds earmarked for development purposes, and the United States government was forced to kick Gambia out of the Africa growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) – an incentive based program created to help boost African economies.

So when former members of the torture squads come out with damning evidence of the extent of the abuse, they only confirm what many have lived and known about already.  However, admittedly, many observers are shocked at how catastrophic the situation really is after hearing some of the details from these individuals.  As one of them put it “this is a torture routine that will make even Satan cringe.”

According to the former administrators of this evil, the victims are first undressed, and then a black plastic bag is put over their heads.  For men, their genitalia is usually the first target as torturers believe that is the best way to leave a lasting damage that will continue to haunt the victim even when he is released.  Once they feel the manhood is destroyed to the point the person will not be able to perform in bed for a long time, then plastic bags are burned while the liquid drops on the victim’s heads for what they (NIA) see as inducing a confession.  They even have a trick for how to get someone to confess real quickly: Electrocution – a cable wire is tied on the victim’s tongue, ears and private part while the machine is operated.  This has been administered to many who have refused to incriminate themselves in a crime they didn’t even commit, and their court date is fast approaching.

To make the tortures as private and discrete as possible, several places have been identified by the NIA as the ideal spots: The NIA Headquarters itself and Bond Road, at an old house over there by the bridge.  Where they choose to torture depends on the time of the day that the torture takes place – the NIA is ideal for night time because during the day, someone at the nearby Attorney General Chambers will be able to hear the screaming sound of the victim, while day time tortures take place at Bond Road which is totally isolated.  According these agents, Jammeh loves to listen in while the tortures take place and he could usually be heard giggling in the background.

For the most unlucky victims – these are the ones Jammeh decides should be killed, there is a recipe for a slow death that works like magic.  A battery is secured from Tati Perreh, a place at the Albert Market, next to the shop of one gentleman by the name Hydara.  The substance in the battery is mixed with ‘soda,’ a local hair relaxer, and a little bit of acid. This is then mixed with Armanti Mayonnaise and put in the food of the victims.  Both the late Baba Jobe and late Vincent Jatta were victims of this poison mix.

It must be noted that these routines outlined are the work of the NIA.  The assassination group called the Jungulars, led by the notorious Sanna Manjang have their own methods, key among which are the dismemberment of the victims, and cutting their fleshes and stomachs open while they are wide awake.

Exposé On The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF): Former Soldier Says The Force Is More Of A Militia That Feeds On Tribalism

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Until July 22nd 1994 when Gambia’s President the then skinny and malnourished Lt Yahya Jammeh staged a military coup, the Gambia Armed Forces were admired for their professionalism and complete non-interference in party politics. This was also matched by their strictest adherence to internal rules of selection into the forces.

However much of that have now changed and the National Army is run much like a militia force, at least according to one former GNA member who now resides in Italy after he fled the Gambia and used the “back way” to reach Europe….a phenomenon where desperate young Gambians brave the Sahara desert to travel to Libya before they join inflatable boats to cross the Atlantic into Europe.

Our source who spoke to The Fatu Radio’s popular Today Show Program, is part of a growing young serving members of the different security services in the Gambia to abandon their post in search of greener pastures in Europe using the “back way” syndrome.

A militia army

Our source who called our popular program, said he was enlisted in the army some five years ago. However, contrary to the believe that he was joining a profession army, he said was shocked to discover that the army is more of a militia being directed on the whims of Gambia’s iron fist dictator Yahya Jammeh. “Fatou” he said, “I have to tell you that there is no professionalism in that army. Promotions are based on who serves well on dictator Jammeh’s farms, who attends to his personal errands, who looks after his cattle and other ruminants well.”

In some cases according to our source, promotion is based on physical body build-up of soldiers whom the dictator himself spots in the crowd during parades and or other military activities.

Tribalism and competition to carry out illegal orders

But of all the things that attract promotion to higher ranks in the army is the issue of tribalism according to our source. He said in most cases, names are submitted to the force headquarters from the State House for promotion to positions in the army. He said “when such a list of names from State House are issued to force headquarters, our seniors don’t even question anything…they just go ahead and effect the promotions even when you don’t merit it.”

Interestingly according to our source, most of the people who are normally promoted are from the dictator’s own tribe. “Fatu in the army it is now an acceptable trend that if you are not from Jammeh’s own tribe you have to show unquestioned loyalty on a continuous bases to carry out illegal orders,” the former army officer said adding “even there especially if you are a Fula or Mandingka, you are constantly screened, your family background investigated and spied on by the dictator’s henchmen before they give you a deserved promotion.”

The army he said is deeply divided. “Immediately after the training of each in-take, the dictator personally selects his mainly tribesmen to be effectively stationed at the State House. Members of other minority tribes are also selected by the dictator to be posted at his office,” the former officer said. He said the rest of the others particularly the Fulas and Mandingkas are posted in frontlines where the dictator believes the danger could come from. He added: “in effect, I can say that we are being used as death traps for the dictator but what he fails to realize is that the soldiers he is sending to the frontline as death traps are the most trained. The irony though is that the dictator is not even aware of the dangers of the risks he is putting the country and his personal security in.”

Dictator’s mother is allocated quota in security services selection

In a rather shocking revelation, the former officer who is on AWOAL, (a term used by soldiers to describe those who abandoned their post without permission) told the Fatu Radio Today’s Program that the dictator’s mother, Aja Asombie Bojang is allocated a quota whenever there is recruit selection by the army, police, the NIA and the Fire Services.

In a revelation which left many callers angry to the pitch, the former army officer said many of those recommended by the dictator’s mother are from the Southern Senegalese Province of Cassamance. This revelation has confirmed what many believed to be true that Gambia’s armed forces are stuffed with the dictator’s tribesmen from Southern Senegal.

In a remark that confirmed gun running among some GNA members, the former soldier told the Fatu Radio that on one instance, a large group of Cassamance nationals who were trained by the Gambian Army ran away with huge stash of arms after the completion of their training. He added: “in several instances, it is these Cassamance imbedded folks in the GNA who will sneak into Cassamance, commit crimes including hit and run mission against the Senegalese army and then retire back into the Gambia.”

He said the dictator’s mother continues to wheel immense powers in the army especially when it is time to promotions. She also sometimes interferes in selecting and posting Jola soldiers to either the State House, Kanilai and or other strategic places he said

Regular soldiers in the frontline are given guns without bullets

Another interesting revelation made by the former soldier on the Fatu Radio is the fact that most of the regular soldiers who are posted on duty during the day at strategic frontline locations only have empty guns. He said: “you will be shocked to know that all the barracks in the Gambia are not properly armed. The dictator moved all the weapons to the State House. Also all of us who are in the infantry are only given empty guns without bullets. Fatou I can tell you that what you are only used for camouflage just to scare the ordinary people.”

He said, “I want to inform you that the only people who have guns and bullets are those of the dictator’s closed protection group of his mainly tribesmen. But the good thing is that most of these people are not even well trained. They don’t also understand the practical rudiments of what an everyday regular army does.”

The former soldier finally called on his colleagues in the army to do the right thing and get the country rid of what he called “the cancer and evil of our times in dictator Jammeh.”

NEW YEAR MESSAGE BY ANM OUSAINU DARBOE, SECRETARY GENERAL AND PARTY LEADER, UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY (UDP) THE GAMBIA.

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Fellow Gambians, and friends living in and outside The Gambia; As we usher in the year 2016, it gives me great pleasure to extend to you on my own behalf and on behalf of the entire membership of the United Democratic Party, my sincere and best wishes.

As a nation, Gambia continues to be overwhelmed by serious challenges that require sustained pragmatic solutions. Most of these challenges are due to bad leadership and require our collective efforts to confront them.

While many countries in Africa are registering tremendous economic and social progress with annual growth figures in some places as high as 7%, The Gambia, is engulfed in economic hardship with no end in sight. Unemployment, particularly among the youth is increasing daily and it’s at the moment estimated to be above 60%.  The cream of our country’s future, the youths, are now fleeing the Gambia in their large numbers using the “back way” to reach Europe. Many are perishing in the desert sands of North Africa and the high seas of the Mediterranean where ship wreckages have become their watery graves.

The spiraling hike in the prices of commodities without increase in the earning capacity of Gambians continue to make it difficult for the average Gambian to afford a decent two square meals a day. Farmers’ produce, particularly groundnut, the mainstay of the economy, have still not been bought. Our women continue to die from unsafe child labour while children continue to die from preventable diseases thanks to a crumbling health system where the basic drugs and equipment are unavailable.

Instead of utilizing our meagre resources to alleviate the country’s problems, the APRC regime lavishes our taxes and other public funds on grand festivals, musical jamborees and countless celebrations that defy all logic for anyone who has conscience and indeed the Gambia at heart.

Respect for human and people’s rights remains in the doldrums with the independent press repeatedly harassed and gagged, and political opposition brutally suppressed. We continue to mourn our fallen companions – heroes and heroines, who died from beatings and tortures meted out to them by the security apparatus of this brutal dictatorship. We will continue to demand the unconditional release of one of our leaders Amadou Sanneh currently languishing in jail as a result of politically motivated charges. We also continue to demand the freeing of all other prisoners and detainees of conscience, including journalist Alhaji Abdoulie Ceesay. We shall never relent in our demand to know the whereabouts

of UDP’s Kanyiba Kanyi, Journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh, and the two US nationals of Gambian origin, Ebou Jobe and Alhagie Mamut Ceesay who mysteriously disappeared under the regime.

Fellow Gambians, the year 2015 witnessed events in The Gambia that have marveled not only the ordinary citizens but the world at large.  It was a year that saw the mass release of different categories of prisoners including rapists, murderers and international drug dealers who made The Gambia the target of their nefarious activities because of our weak control systems. Alleged coup plotters and other prisoners convicted for committing misdemeanor were also set free with supposed motive of national reconciliation. However, political prisoners like Amadou Sanneh and other prisoners of conscience are still languishing in jail.

We have also seen serious efforts by the government to not only stifle dissent by attempting to stop the UDP from conducting its peaceful political activities with its constituents but has passed an electoral law that constricts the democratic space in The Gambia.  The UDP shall  use all lawful means to combat this obnoxious electoral amendment which shakes the very fabric of our democratic foundation.

2015 also witnessed some of the most outlandish statements made by the President one of which is a direct assault on the secularity of our republican status. In late November 2015, the President in complete disregard for the constitution, declared the Gambia an Islamic State at a public rally in Brufut Village. The declaration is not only another indication of the misrule that has prevailed for so long, but also an attempt to plant the seeds of discord among the citizens who up to now have been living in peace and harmony. Such irresponsible statement could lead to religious zealotry and extremism. What practical benefit would the citizens derive from this declaration? How will the declaration of an Islamic State be received by our international development partners and potential tourists? Will this declaration be just another exercise of empty rhetoric just to indulge in mock battles with his imagined imperialists? If the latter is the case, it will further isolate The Gambia in the international community. It is clear that this was ill thought out and completely misguided.

With presidential elections due in less than twelve months, Gambians should be resolute in their determination to resist any move by the administration to thwart their wish to elect a government of their choice.  From now on, no parent or school authority should allow children to line the roads to cheer presidential convey.  Gambians should boycott all goods and services offered or run by his (President’s) family enterprise (KGI).

As for Gambians in the diaspora whose concern about the nations plight has been remarkable and appreciated by all, it is time for them to intensify their quest for the restoration of democracy in the Gambia and continue to expose the regime’s brutality. These actions may look insignificant but if taken on a collective and sustained basis, they would have the desired impact of forcing the regime to recognize and respect our rights.

Fellow Gambians, ours is a great country and we are a great citizen. We have the ability to peacefully change this near hopeless situation of our country, and leave a legacy that generations unborn will be proud of. This however, we cannot accomplish unless we rededicate ourselves to the building of a just and equitable society. I therefore appeal to every citizen to approach the affairs of this nation dispassionately and as true patriots, and this we must do “towards the common good” as we are enjoined by our national anthem. 2016 is The Gambia’s year of redemption.

On behalf of the entire membership of the United Democratic Party (UDP), and on my own behalf, I wish you all a pleasant and prosperous 2016, endowed with peace and tranquillity. May God the Almighty bless us all.

Long live the Gambia

Long live the UDP

U.D.P Secretariat

Banjul, The Gambia

1st January, 2016

The Gambia Returns to the old Identity Cards and Drivers License due to inability to pay over a million US Dollars owed to Pristine Consulting

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The Gambia will from this month, January, 2016 return to the old National Identity Cards, months after the country’s Immigration Department stopped issuing biometric ID Cards to Gambians and Non-Gambians. Sources close to the Immigration Department has indicated that the Government of the Gambia through the Ministry of Interior was unable to convince Pristine Consulting to continue running the costly Gambia Biometric Identity System (GAMBIS), which was launched in August, 2009 despite criticism analysts that The Gambia wasn’t ready financial and technically for such an ambitious project.

The issue between The Gambia Government and Pristine started in the first quarter of 2015 when Pristine Consulting made frantic efforts to recover more than One Million Dollars (39 million Dalasi) owed to the company over the years by The Jammeh regime as part of the GAMBIS project partnership.

The partnership was in such a way that Pristine Company was pre-financing the ordering of materials, production of the biometric identifications and maintenance of the system. In return Gambia government was to occasionally remit the incurred costs and part of the proceeds to the company, which government has failed to do regularly over the years accruing the huge debt. Pristine has since insisted that The Jammeh regime must pay the over 1 million dollar accumulated amount before they can continue the partnership. Unable to pay the money due to the country’s struggling economy, the Immigration Department could not for several months issue Identification cards and driving licenses and yet ask people to pay the fees. Receipts were given after payments with an excuse that the “Machine has a Problem but will be fix soon”.

The Gambia Biometric Identity System (GAMBIS) project was intended to be an integrated system in which Government will capture biometric details for all citizens and aliens in the country such as National Identity Card, Residential Permit and Driving Licenses. If it was successful, the project was to include passports and others such as birth, death and marriage certificates.

Cognizant that Pristine Consulting will no longer be spending money to order materials unless paid what is owed to them, the Interior Ministry through the Immigration has reintroduce the old laminated ID card and through the Police Force, the older small booklet type of the Driving License.

21 YEARS LATER … AFRICA’S MOST BRUTAL DICTATORSHIP STILL LINGERS!

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With reference to the commotion and political insurrection confronting Gambian society in recent years, I wish to undertake this research on the situation therein with the aim of highlighting pertinent issues and questions for public debate, discourse and convergence. The article has identified five major political and socio-economic ills tearing apart at the fabric of Gambian society; albeit there could be more! Although there has been talk, and continues to be much need analysis of the ill-fated 21 years Jammeh misrule, yet consensus building and amalgamation or uniting of the various dissenting groups as one being the focal point of the struggle fighting the dictatorship still seems a distant reality.

History and empirical evidence has shown that ‘unity breeds strength’ and as such Gambians must do away with selfish egos and vested interest for utilitarian values if we are to achieve our collective aims of living in a civilised and prosperous society. On the eve of a New year 2016, the Gambia has found itself at major crossroads as highlighted below:

Since assuming office in July 1994, corruption has festered at the very heart of government trickling all the way down to the local and provincial levels of government respectively. It is troubling reporting that the Gambia has morphed into a state in which the president and his closed-knit cronies embark on a daily grind with such ‘can do’ attitude as such – ‘Take what you can, as long as you don’t get caught’. Based on sound analysis and findings in the public domain, today, Yaya Jammeh owns more property than any other African leader or head of state on earth. Not only does his children attend private school in New York, his wife frequently fly private jet attending to their vast network of businesses and vested interest stretching across the world at the expense of Gambian tax payers. History books and post-Jammeh investigations shall uncover an systematic fraud and abuse of the public purse and trust accorded to the presidency; a massive web of lies and deceit aided and abetted by the Central Bank of the Gambia. The governor of the Central Bank is the longest serving political appointee in that administration and that says it all. Paper trail has revealed the corrupting influence of power and all those with stained hands will be held to account! Ninety-nine percent of Yaya Jammeh’s promises and proclamations are mere political theatre uttered at the spur of the moment through his TV station. Lying to the electorate has become a strategy for the presidency in maintaining relevance more so during campaign season where office-seeking politicians will say and promise anything to an unversed electorate with promises of utopia. This is a characteristic of African politics and must change!

Counterfeiting of the local (Dalasi) currency is of concern to all, much less the IMF and diaspora Gambians. The high rate of inflation and monthly (sometimes weekly) fluctuations of the Dalasi coupled with price hikes at the markets continues to put burden and stress on Gambian families in their daily lives. The West Africa region, including the Gambia, Senegal, Nigeria, the Ivory Coast has witnessed soaring incidents of counterfeiting and currency fraud related cases. Interpol has seen its remit extended to tackling this menace but it doesn’t help when the very leadership you are meant to collaborate with are participating in and profiting from the crime. Misleading quantitative easing measures and currency manipulation continue to hurt our economy as the IMF finally caught them red-handed. The economic loss to the Gambian treasury is catastrophic with annual GDP rates shrinking, the country’s domestic and foreign debt burden is 100% of GDP; latest IMF figures show.

The issues of illicit drugs, both hard and soft illegal under the Gambian constitution and international law yet the leadership allow it, and participate in the trade festering affecting all facets of society. As early as the 1990s cocaine was alien to Gambian society, but since the advent of the Jammeh regime, slowly it found its way on the scene and onto Gambian streets. The effects on the youthful population cannot be detailed on these pages. Each passing month and year we continue to witness lost youths to the harmful effects of drugs, no wonder families are falling apart and farming is in decline. Drugs have caused havoc in every society it festered costing Stretching budgets in the West. Countries such as Colombia, Guinea Bissau, Mexico and many other societies ravaged by the endemic illicit trade are all grappling with the human cost too, and the Gambia is heading in that direction. In a 2008 interview with CNN founder Ted Turner, Fidel Castro debunked U.S claims and accusations of narcotics dealings through Miami. This led to further U.S sanctions on the Island nation; but Yaya Jammeh was busted [2008 BBC Gambia cocaine case] yet prevailed scot free?! There are major challenges facing the country post jammeh era in not just restoring democracy and bringing sanity to the economy, cleaning up the mess will take years counselling and rehabilitating those abused and lost childhood. Drug money has corrupted Gambian government officials including the military, police, to immigration officers and it need an independent and strengthened judicial system and process as a curb ensuring ethics are upheld and complied with.

Prostitution – The menace of prostitution was once-upon-a-time alien to Gambians and Gambian society. However, since the advent of the Jammeh-led military junta the internal dynamics in our once serene nation began a dramatic shift fast changing beyond recognition and acceptable parameters. A despotic and criminal president leading a political and socio-economic system where anything goes politics of thuggery became the norm. Photographic evidence and testimony of young girls has emerged of the president himself engaging in illegal sexual activity with unconsenting teenage girls drugged with sedative drinks or bribed with bundles of cash.

In today’s Gambia the systemic abuse of young girls go unabad, with rape cases lining court rooms across the nation. Research has also shown that, in fact, most incidents of rape do go unreported due to the stigma attached, in that no husband would want them in marriage. Gambia, how did we came to this situation where mothers and young girls of barely teenage years exchanging pleasures of their bodies for money in order to put food on the table? Poorly trained police officers in handling such sensitive cases of rape need to be addressed and the traumatic young girls be provided with health care aiding recovery and psychological counselling. The lasting damage to these countless number of girls is undone but any responsible government should have the decency making sure justice is served with punitive strikes against the culprits availing dignity to the victims.

The fifth vile vice I have come up with is that of – Decline of ethics and moral compass, the culmination of the above problems has created this new caveat in society where honesty and respect-for-the-other has become an expensive commodity. Growing up in the early part of 1990’s rural Gambia, those conservative values of ethics instilled in the young had been our moral guidance. The Gambia under president Sir Dawda Jawara had been the most respected with the sub-region on democracy barometers, hence the establishment of the African Centre for Human and Peoples Right was headquartered in Banjul.

A civilised citizenry with regards to the law of the land. Murder cases were if any and the common crimes were that of burglary and theft in an expedite judiciary the public had confidence in. The campaign to get rid of Yahya Jammeh should have been accomplished years ago, but for the pride and ego of a Gambian male – stubbornly reluctant to let a fellow countryman take the lead in a single unifying campaign. So many egos in this struggle each with an agenda promoting hype. Damn it! Let Halifa Sallah take the lead, a gentleman of profound intellect with capable and steady hands for the task ahead. Fellow Gambians this should and could be the consensus if your intentions and motives are sincere and true!.

Empirical evidence has shown that seeds of discord in any organised campaign is a recipe for failure, or at best bound to produce mixed results. Casting an audacious eye across the Gambian domestic political scene as snowfall cascades through the hills here in the north of England, one is confronted by various political parties with each professing the national cause as its rallying cry yet, 21 years later … still unable to strategize, nor find consensus in unseating that dictatorship.

“Islamization” of The Gambia In Full Force! Female Soldiers Being Rounded Up for Skin Bleaching!!!

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It seems that Yahya Jammeh is making good on his promise to turn Gambia into an Islamic State, for in what seems like his opening salvo, female soldiers are being rounded up already – their crime?  Skin bleaching.  Most of those arrested so far are from the State Guard, they are being detained in a cell at the Fajara Barracks according to our source on the ground.  The arrests were continuing as we went to press.

If you think this is bad enough, well;  more bad news on the way – there is already a directive being written that, according to our sources, will instruct all female Civil Servants to wear head tie to work at all times, never to apply skin bleaching, and not add hair extensions.

At the time of his declaration to turn Gambia into an Islamic State, Yahya promised that nothing will change and that dress codes will not be affected at all.  This act is a departure from that pronouncement. Observers are not surprised by the U-Turn though, because as one of them put it: “Jammeh is after all erratic, and his policy decisions depend heavily on his mood for the day and whatever sinister plans he has in mind.”

This development is very troubling in the sense that this moves puts the country on a slippery slope – more restrictive rules could be implemented that could plunge this already traumatized and terrorized nation into the abyss. Observers fear that terrorist organizations could already be viewing the Gambia as a place friendly to their cause and could therefore start making moves to set up base there.  Just a couple of weeks ago, a group calling itself Boko Haram committed what even Police Investigators called one of the most brutal crimes they have seen in a generation – they brutally killed a young boy and went into town with their blood socked clothes to brag about it.

Faturadio will be paying close attention to this matter and report back any developments.

“The year 2016 will be a great opportunity to remove The Gambia from being a pariah nation under Yaya Jammeh, to being a responsible member of the international community” OJ Jallow, PPP’s New Year Message to The Gambians.

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My fellow Gambians, my name is Hon. Omar Amadou Jallow. I am the interim Secretary General of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). On behalf of the PPP, I wish to take this occasion to wish each and every one of you, and your families, a Happy, healthy, prosperous 2016. This is also a moment of reflection, because 2015, has been a difficult year for The Gambia, and we look forward to 2016 with hope and optimism.

Many of us lost loved ones, including myself, yet we also celebrated the arrival of new members to our families. So we are very grateful to God for all the countless blessings. We are grateful for family and friends, especially those in the diaspora, who are burdened with supporting the less fortunate.

On behalf of the PPP, I also wish to take this opportunity to denounce Yaya Jammeh’s recent unilateral declaration, that The Gambia is now an “Islamic State”. This is not only another meaningless, inconsequential pronouncement, but it’s also counter to our secular constitution and entrenched tradition. Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara built and maintained an exemplary, harmonious and tolerant society, without infringing on, or threatening anyone’s belief system.

It should remain so, hence, this is an unnecessary and juvenile proclamation.

Yaya Jammeh illegally seized power through the barrel of the gun in 1994, promising to end perceived corruption, vowing to stay in power no more than 10 years. My question is, how has he kept those promises? Today, corruption under Yaya Jammeh is on steroids for someone who claims to be a “Pan-Africanist”. We all know Yaya Jammeh’s illegal business interests, and the KGI holdings have permeated and dominated every industry in The Gambia; from bakeries, transportation, land holdings, farms, to name a few. Yet, in 21 years, Yaya Jammeh, has not established any institution or job program that has provided continuous employment for citizens over a period of a year.

The pretentious employment he touts are for his personal businesses, ran by the “Green boys” and paramilitary forces, who are not under any contract or fixed salary. These are the very reasons our youths are risking their lives by going through the backway in pursuit of better economic opportunities. There are more Gambian migrants per capita, than any other country not in an open war fare. We are yet to see a recognition or admission, by the APRC regime, of this major demographic issue and depletion of our youth and human resources. These resources could have been better utilized in infrastructure development, technological advancement and or the depleting agricultural sector that, in addition to everything else, is hampered by natural calamities.

The first responsibility of any responsible president is to implement policies that would improve the lives of the citizens, increase their economic and social security. Yaya Jammeh has failed miserably in that respect. On the economic front, Gambians are enduring some of the highest cost of living in the sub-region. The quality of life, or standard of living in The Gambia continues to decline significantly, because citizens can no longer afford the prohibitive cost of basic goods and services they need to live in dignity. Gambians are spending a disproportionate percentage of their meagre incomes just to buy basic goods and services.

Today, in many homes, families are no longer able to afford the traditional three square meals a day, and most can no longer even afford fish, much less meat, without remittances from the Diaspora. In 1994, a quality 50 kilo bag of rice was D150 at most, today, a lesser quality cost D1, 300 –D1, 500! This price constitutes some 50% of the monthly income of most members of the security forces, or teachers. You be the judge if that is a sustainable and harmonious state of affairs. This is a massive failure of the APRC government under Yaya Jammeh, that after 21 years, the average Gambian is experiencing low level malnutrition and hunger.

My fellow Gambians, 2015 has been a difficult and challenging year, and no Gambian is proud of the direction of our country under 21 years of Yaya Jammeh’s dictatorship, massive corruption and mismanagement of the affairs of the country. You can look at any developmental indicator – political, economic, employment, agricultural, educational, human rights and social norms – you will come to the conclusion that, The Gambia has been and is still under a critical decline. To affirm this, all you need to do is, evaluate your own situation, your friends’ or families’, and ask whether you are happy or proud of where we are as a country.

The year 2016 will be pivotal in ending Dictatorship in The Gambia, and charting a new course for equal opportunity for all, respect for human rights and a competitive environment for strong economic development. The PPP has several campaign tours lined up for a long and grueling campaign season, culminating in the General Elections. The PPP hopes to be part of a strong and united Coalition, to fight this election together. We demand the resignation of the current and illegal Chairman, Carayol, and also demand electoral reforms for a free, fair and peaceful outcome in 2016. With your help, we can and shall end this prolonged nightmare under Yaya Jammeh. The PPP has a proven record of running the affairs of this country smoothly with dignity. Under Sir Dawda’s leadership, the PPP:

  • Peacefully steered the affairs of the country for almost three decades
  • The Gambia had a stellar human rights record that was respected globally
  • We nurtured a strong economic growth that withstood challenging times
  • We built a strong education system that met most international standards
  • The Agricultural sector flourished and sparked economic growth under PPP
  • The Tourism industry boosted job creation and stimulated small business growth
  • The Transportation system was affordable and effective in moving people and goods across the country
  • The Dalasi was one of the strongest currencies in Africa under the PPP regime

Compare the aforementioned achievements and the state of the country today, are we better or worse off? We are seeking your support and help in bringing about the needed change to resurrect our comatose economy, foster a sustainable development and restore the dignity we so deserve as a people.

Gambia’s Human Rights record, under the APRC, remains abysmal and the cause of international isolation and chastisement. The PPP is convinced that human and people’s rights are important inputs in development, and our differences must be respected and protected. We call for the unconditional release of all political prisoners, the investigation of all disappearances and mysterious deaths since 1994.

Too much blood has been shed, and too many families have been crying far too long. We demand the release of all political prisoners of conscience, icluding Amadou Sanneh, Ebou Jobe, Alagie Mamut Ceesay and countless others. We demand justice for the April 2000 students, Koro Ceesay, Deyda Hydara, Chief Manneh, Daba Marenah and others. We support travel bans and freezing of assets of anyone associated with persecuting and disappearing Gambians.

My fellow Gambians, when it comes to foreign relations, the Gambia needs and demands a reset of our relations with Senegal. Our relations with Senegal, under Yaya Jammeh, has reached its lowest point, causing hardship, tension and suspicions.

Publicly disrespecting and admonishing foreign leaders, especially Senegal, is neither bravado nor machismo, but a sign of immaturity and or insanity. The Gambia cannot develop peacefully and efficiently with the way relations are with Senegal. We need a mutually beneficial co-existence and relation based on respect and pragmatism. Yaya Jammeh’s recent public tantrums are counter to what ECOWAS has been trying to achieve in regionalism, and no wonder Gambia has lost its cherished place of respect among our peers, and the reason why Jammeh has never chaired ECOWAS, in 21 years. In the third republic, the PPP will reset our relations with Senegal, the Commonwealth and other responsible development partners.

My fellow Gambians, all is not yet lost. The year 2016 will be a great opportunity to remove The Gambia from being a pariah nation under Yaya Jammeh, to being a responsible member of the international community. Gambia deserves better than a belligerent, bombastic president like Yaya Jammeh who has failed to improve the lives of Gambians, and has failed in every indicator. It’s time to hold him accountable to the promises he made in 1994 when he seized power through violence. We will not rest until democracy, dignity and the rule of law is restored in The Gambia. May God bless us all and our dear Gambia.

President Yahya Jammeh Taunts and Mocks Families of December 30!!!

Fatu Camara
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Decency dictates that we adhere to decorum at all times.  You can tell the scumbags and the worst of the rotten by the way people act in circumstances where basic norms of humanity are supposed to be followed.  Those basic norms are the reasons why we have the Geneva Convention for example.  That Convention established protocols in war with a view to set rules as to what is acceptable and not acceptable even in situations where mortal enemies are engaged in a confrontation.

How to treat prisoners of war, return of dead bodies to the opposing side, not shooting when the enemy surrenders, are all rules that every decent country must follow.  The ones that are not following these rules are scolded for their lack of decency and respect.  As it turns out; criminals, Terrorist, scumbags, evil people are not surprisingly the main culprits.

So when Yahya Jammeh decided to not return bodies of the December 30 attacks, it did not come as a surprise since that man is evil, vindictive, criminal, and lacks basic human decency.  This is the man who wouldn’t to this day hand over the bodies of the prisoners who were executed in 2012 for decent burial by their families who would also need that to bring closure to their sad ordeal.  The man is a Terrorist and has no morals.

To add insult to injury, Jammeh decided at the last minute to organize a marathon race in Banjul on the same day (December 30) that families of the Freedom Fighters of that fateful day’s attack a year ago are mourning the dead.  He asked the various Security units to compete for various prizes.  According to our sources, the Army took the first prize: D1,000,000 ($25,000), while individual prizes of D13,000 ($325) and D10,000 ($250) went to first and second places respectively.   This was his way of mocking and taunting the families in what he considers the victor’s justice – The Gambia is surely doomed.

What makes this latest irresponsible act of callousness even more bizarre is the fact that while he is dishing out all these cash prizes to the soldiers, the salary obligations to those very security personnel have been recently difficult to meet.  That problem is so acute that the Military Finance department had to take a loan from the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) to be able to pay the soldiers.  The State House is also bankrupt according to Fatu Radio sources there.  But then again, all this is expected of a man who metes out all sorts of abuses on those very soldiers, including beating them with cables, arbitrary arrests, disappearances, killings, working as slave labor at his farms and businesses, and all other forms of abuses.  Considering that Yahya cannot physically on a one to one basis beat any of these soldiers, one is left with no choice but to wonder what is going on in the minds of the current crop of soldiers in that country.

We find comfort in the fact that the Diaspora, with the leadership of Tukulor Sey, Oumie Andrews and Ndey Jobarteh, gave a fitting tribute to those men who put their lives on the line for Gambians on December 30 resulting to the death of Lamin Sanneh, Njaga Jagne, and Alagie Jaja Nyass.  We commend them for a job well done.  We shall never forget!

Honest Men Who Gave Their Country Their All!!! We Shall Never Forget!!!

Fatu Camara
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I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”  George Washington, First President of the United States.

George Washington, as we are all aware also knew that the meaning of honesty is being “free of deceit and untruthfulness; sincere” because he has lived it.  His courage in leading the troops and inspiring them during the war of Independence from Great Britain by the United States is to this day the stuff of legend.  When names of men of courage are called, his is always a forgone conclusion.

As it turns out, our dear Gambia also has her own George Washingtons, They come from every part of the country; both urban and rural, and from all backgrounds.  These are the men that are willing to put their lives on the line for their nation in an attempt to secure freedom, peace, and prosperity for a people denied these basic rights.  They have names like Alhagie Jaja Nyass, Njaga Jagne, Lamin Sanneh, Modou Njie, Alagie Barrow, Bai Lowe, Papa Faal, Banka Manneh, Cherno Njie, Landing Sonko, Dawda Bojang, Musa Sarr – all of them men of highest integrity.

Njaga Jagne, Papa Faal, and Alagie Barrow have similar stories.  Before he died fighting to liberate Gambia from the clutches of tyranny, Njaga Jagne led an ordinary life as a U.S Army Captain.  He did several tours overseas before settling with his wife and kids in Kentucky.  If his occasional Facebook postings expressing disgust and frustration at the human rights abuses taking place in The Gambia are anything to go by, he was one person who showed signs of desperation to do something about it.  Alagie Barrow and Papa Faal were rarely on Facebook if at all.  They too were in the U.S army, did several tours during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, rose through the ranks, and left honorably.  They didn’t exhibit any signs that they intended to do something about the mess in their homeland.  All of them men of few words, but that is the Modus Operandi of brave men – less talk and more action is what defines their attitude towards issues.  Njaga, Alagie, and Papa aren’t the type that will beat their chests in an attempt to intimidate or boast.  When you talk to family and friends of theirs, words like loyal, kind, gutsy, resolute, caring get dropped like rain in describing these mild mannered gentle giants.

Alhagie Jaja Nyass is yet another ordinary gentleman.  Kejau Touray of GambiaDaily’s description of this patriot couldn’t be more apt: “Jaja Nyass, hailed from Bakau, a nephew of army commander Ndow Njie and because of that many of us did not regard him with any seriousness, but Jaja proved everyone wrong, he was down to earth, one of the fittest Gambian soldiers, daring, physically and mentally courageous, who, the Turkish Training Team, often cite as an example of physical and mental courage, primarily because of his daring jumps from very tall obstacles, half way down the swinging ladder.”  Before he left the UK to take part in the liberation fight, he led a quiet live and even got married just barely a month prior.  He gave his young bride a goodbye kiss not knowing whether he would return or not.

Lamin Sanneh was the State Guard Commander prior to leaving The Gambia to settle on asylum in the United States.  He had fallout with Dictator Jammeh because he was not happy with the abuse going on.  When Yahya discovered that Lamin was not a Jola (Lamin’s Sanneh last name is very common among Jolas and he also hailed from Foni, a predominantly Jola Constituency), he was much eager to get rid of him.  Upon arrival in the U.S, Lamin got a job and settled with his wife and kids in Maryland.  However, the memories of the human rights abuses he left in The Gambia continue to haunt him – his conscience wouldn’t allow him to ignore them unlike many before him have done, and just move with his life.

Modou Njie, Dawda Bojang, and Bai Lowe’s stories are similar and intriguing on so many levels.  They all served in The Gambia National Army, and left on principles because, just like Lamin Sanneh, were not happy with the killings and brutality against innocent civilians.  But unlike Lamin, these took what is described as the “Backway” to reach Germany.  The “Backway” is the riskiest form of travel since it involves going through other countries – often very hostile environments, to get to Europe.  They suffered a lot before they could get there.  Yet, after arriving and beginning to settle down, they picked up their bags and decided to head back to The Gambia to liberate it from the madness that obtains there.

Musa Sarr was also an ex-member of The Gambia National Army –a principled soft spoken man with a very calm demeanor about him.  But don’t let the calmness fool you – he explodes like a grenade on any suspicion of injustice towards anyone.  He too left the army bitter about the wrongs done to his colleagues and overall abuse in the country.  He sought refuge in the neighboring country where he was always on standby to join any effort to end the dictatorship in his home country.   He is truly a man of his words.

Not much is known about Landing Sonko, but word is that he worked closely with Lamin Sanneh when Sanneh was an officer in the army – Sonko was a junior ranking soldier.  His commitment to duty and country was what attracted Lamin to this fellow.  He believed that it is the patriotic duty of soldiers to come to the rescue when the constitution of the country is being abused especially when it is costing innocent lives.  This was his driving motivation.  He was in the country serving in the army when he decided to join the gallant men.

Banka Manneh and Cherno Njie have similar stories.  They both came to the United States to seek education and after graduating, stayed to pursue the American dream.  Cherno went on to create one of the most successful real estate companies in Texas, while Banka went on to work in corporate American mainly in the Construction Industry.  They have both been very troubled by the abuses in their country of origin, despite their U.S citizenship statuses.  Banka for his part has always been an activist, he organized protest marches against the killings, disappearances and tortures in The Gambia, lobbied International bodies and governments to intervene, helps the Opposition parties with funds and was even part of the group that helped create the only amalgamation of all opposition parties to contest in the elections called National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), engages in social media campaigns, generally very active in the Diaspora, and at the local level in Atlanta.  Cherno has funded many initiatives for democracy advocacy in The Gambia.

So looking at the profiles of these individuals, one can wonder why they were willing to sacrifice all the comforts they are enjoying to liberate a faraway country that some of them haven’t even visited in a long time.  The answer for that question lies in the daily reports of killings and other horrible human rights abuses in The Gambia that come from human rights groups, personal stories, online radio stations, and President Yahya Jammeh’s own open pronouncements and actions that have turned this once peaceful country into the worst dictatorship anyone can imagine.  Many Gambians care deeply about their country and these daily briefings do take their toll.  Some have resigned our faith to God, but this minority of gallant men has decided our faith as a nation lies in our own hands.  Freedom is neither cheap nor handed on a silver platter.  Their honesty, integrity, and courage forced them to make the ultimate sacrifice just like George Washington and those gallant men and women did to free American from the bondage imposed on it by the British.  The conscience of these brave Gambian men didn’t allow them to sit still, continue with their daily good lives and pretend it is someone else’s responsibility to free their nation from slavery.  In doing so, they have proven to us all that they “possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what” we “consider the most enviable of all titles” – “the character of an honest man.”  For that, we remain indebted to them forever.

Njaga, Jaja Nyass, and Lamin Sanneh lost their lives during the battle.  They fought bravely too.  We will continue to pray for their souls and comfort their families.  We owe them a debt of gratitude for making the ultimate sacrifice.  Modou Njie was captured; we will continue to fight for his release.  We are hopeful that freedom and justice will prevail someday soon; their sacrifice will not be in vain.

Honest men who gave their country their all, we shall never forget that!

DUGA’s MOBILIZATION AND HOMECOMING

Fatu Camara
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After 21 years of activism, advocacy and sensitization from the diaspora. DUGA is calling on Gambians, all over the world to put all hands on deck, as we prepare for our final HOMECOMING and CIVIL MOBILIZATION  in Gambia.

We call to action, all civil society organizations and concerned citizens to coordinate and cooperate as we prepare for our final push to take our country back from the APRCdictatorship. To avoid spontaneous and disorganized mobilization, we are reaching out to all interested parties in the diaspora, to join us in the preparations and mobilization of resources as we organize to maximize the effect of our efforts.

To all diaspora Gambians we at DUGA, are seeking Activist Ambassadors to assist us in our effort from:

North Carolina

Texas

Atlanta

Minnesota

Kansas

New York

Ohio

California

Norway

Holland

Finland

U.K

Germany

Sweden

Denmark

Too much blood has been spilt and too many tears shed; 21 years is enough, time for a CHANGE!

Gestapo Style Policing Currently Being Employed By the NIA!!!

Fatu Camara
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The issue of policing has been and continues to be – even if mostly contentious, a matter of national dialogue and concern in every country where there exists even a small semblance of rule of law.  Since Gambia doesn’t fall into that category for obvious reasons – there is a total breakdown in rule of law and even a semblance of justice is nonexistent, it will be foolhardy of us to expect such.

So when sources on the ground alerted Fatu Radio to current methods being used by the feared National Intelligence Agency (NIA), it didn’t surprise us that they sound similar to those used by the NAZI police called Gestapo in Germany in the 1940s.  What is so troubling about one particular style is how it is being utilized – all in the name of “national security”.  The idea of presumption of innocence is enshrined in all constitutions in every decent country in the world.  As part of that concept, the fact that you therefore have to have probable cause to launch an investigation in anyone’s actions, is also codified into all those laws to be sure abuse of the citizenry doesn’t become common place.  The system in The Gambia is totally devoid of these two concepts, hence the reason why even private citizens using state machinery to settle personal scores have become common place.  The point here is; why should security forces be recording even casual conversations of people who are not under any investigation or suspected of committing any crime?  Terrorizing the citizens is the only thing that comes to mind.  This is nothing short of a “fishing expedition”.

Members of Gambia’s security forces especially the NIA have now been given flash drives that have inbuilt recording devices in them.  This equipment was just recently supplied to them and a lot more are being ordered.  So what looks like a casual wearing of a key chain with different gadgets on it could turn out to be a dangerous ploy to implicate innocent citizens for crimes they didn’t even intend to commit, let alone execute.  Election season is upon us and Dictator Yahya Jammeh figured the good old intimidation tac-tic cannot wait any longer.

When Faturadio contacted Gambia observers to comment on this, one of them raised the issue of courts continuing to remain oblivious to these evidence fabrication schemes.  “In light of these revelations, why are these mercenary judges continuing to make any evidence from the NIA admissible in those courts”, he rhetorically said with indignation.  Another questions why private citizens and political parties are not taking issue with these tac-tics and playing into Jammeh’s hands by respecting any decisions from the courts, especially when no due process is followed from the beginning of an investigation to the time of being taken to court and finally being sentenced.  “The process is so tainted, no citizens in any country in the world who take their rights seriously will allow any decision from it to stand” she concluded.

Faturadio will continue to monitor this new development.  We are hoping the citizens will not be intimidated no matter the Gestapo style tac-tic employed by the regime.

The Life young #Gambian women are living in #Lebanon December 28, 2015

Fatu Camara
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The Life young #Gambian women are living in #Lebanon

source

Sanna Manjang and Nuha Badjie Picked up Alhaji Mamour Ceesay and Ebou Jobe from the NIA!!!

Fatu Camara
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Alhaji Ceesay and Ebou Jobe left the comforts of their successful American dreams to go set up a Computer company in their homeland, The Gambia.  Unbeknownst to them, the environment that they left behind when they came to America to pursue higher education is far removed from the one that obtains when they decided to go back and participate in “national development”.

The Gambia by then had become toxic beyond repair – the state machinery is often used to settle personal scores and grudges, the Dictator running the country, Yahya Jammeh had encouraged a type of division never seen before, people get killed or tortured over the flimsiest reasons, disappearances had become a norm.

So when these St. Augustine’s High alums decided to cash their bank accounts, retirement accounts, and stocks to answer Yahya Jammeh’s call for nation building, they didn’t realize they were making a fatal error.  They kissed their wives and kids a goodbye and boarded planes bound for Senegal, from where they proceeded to Banjul.  Loaded with a lot of U.S dollars, they wasted no time in renting a nice apartment in an exclusive part of town and settling down to put their idea to work.

Growing up, Alhaji and Ebou were raised in a Gambia where people were trustworthy, one could have confidence in a gentleman’s agreement and handshake, people generally left their doors wide open throughout the day without any fear of break-ins, it was common for people to return money found on the streets to the rightful owner.  They were naïve to think that was still the case when they returned, so were never suspicious when strange individuals walked around their neighborhood looking for any clues as to what they brought from the United States with them.

Information has been scanty as to how these two ended up at the feared National Intelligence Agency (NIA), but they somehow did.  There has been information that the dollars that they brought attracted unwanted attention on them from a regime that wastes no time in conning innocent businessmen and even private individuals out of their hard earned money.  This place, according to an unimpeachable source, was where the Junglers (Yahya Jammeh’s illegal security group known for its vicious brutality and killings of innocent people) picked them up in the middle of the night.  Specifically, Sanna Manjang and Nuha Badjie were the two that came for them.  They said they got directives from Yahya to transfer Alhaji and Ebou to the Maximum Security Wing of the Mile2 Prisons.  Sanna and Nuha directed the driver to go towards Cape Point Junction by Sting Corner, from where they headed for Jeshwang.

What happened next has been the subject of speculation.  Some believe they are still alive and being transferred from jail to jail, but some say they are killed and buried in one of the graves in the greater Banjul area.  But what we can confirm, contrary to what Yahya Jammeh has been telling the world, is his regime definitely has these two.  They should be decent enough to give answers to Alhaji and Ebou’s families as to what happened to them, or hand them back if they are still alive since they haven’t been charged with any crime.

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