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The Gambia: The way forward!

By Sheriff Kora

There is no tragedy greater than the citizens of a nation resigning their citizenship due to the lack of faith in their own abilities to change their political condition. This is the unfortunate reality in The Gambia — a country clutched in the hands an autocratic regime with less regard for human rights or the rule of law.

Whilst the greater part of the West Africa region is embracing the democratic ideals of freedom of expression, assembly, free and fair elections, and transparency, Gambians are confronted by a state of misrule and intolerance to any opposition and political dissent. Arbitrary arrests, torture and disappearances of political opponents have become the mainstay of the current regime. Fear of repression has left the country without any strong political action groups to exert any formidable democratic pressure on the government. Since, the democracy envy of the Arab Spring swept past The Gambia, Gambians have generally been left in a state of simmering frustration. The recent electoral reform laws, which, are poised to tilt the scales in favor of the ruling APRC party, have further heightened the political misery of the Gambians, and led to a boiling point between the APRC and the opposition UDP.

Despite the heavy criticisms levied in the past against the opposition parties for their passivity towards the excesses of the government, the bold actions of Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, and his executive members of the United Democratic Party on April 18, to march on the streets in a peaceful protest to demand justice for Solo Sandeng and his fellow arrested and tortured protesters, is not only an exemplary act of citizenship, but demands commendation from all genuine Gambians and true defenders of human rights. The key lesson in the events that transpired between April 16 and April 16 is that the strength and weakness of democracy resides in the people.

For a country to be liberated from dictatorship, citizens have to be willing to sacrifice some of their interest to guarantee the freedom and liberty of others. This has been the hallmark of all revolutionary leaders in history. Nelson Mandela gave up his liberty for his people, Kwame Nkrumah was jailed in his independence struggle for Ghana, Steve Biko was murdered fighting to end apartheid in South Africa, and most recently, Aun Sung Suu Kyi kept under house arrest for decades, emerged as the leader of the ruling party in Myanmar.

Ousainou Darboe left his house armed only with words of peace and his convictions that enough was enough, and there was no more time to watch illegal behaviors pass with impunity. As pictures of the armed security forces arresting Lawyer Darboe and his party members with miniature Gambian flags emerged, a huge contrast was drawn to remind every Gambian that true leaders should serve as missionaries and mercenaries to their people.

It is now up to the Gambians to decide whether they will choose a missionary leader or a mercenary. Solo Sandeng, Fatoumata Jawara and co paid the ultimate price sacrifice for guaranteeing our freedoms. It is very uplifting to see Gambians both at home and abroad reciprocate by rising to the occasion to put the government in check. Not only is this is an unprecedented act of bravery and citizenship, but a clear sign that nothing binds people more than a common enemy. The events of the past few days not only show the rage, disenchantment and the lack of fear in Gambians, but they also highlight the significant reformation going on in our beloved country. The masses are now aware of the hypocrisy and the lies that have sustained the system for all the past 22 years. The plain defiance and open condemnation of awakened Gambians who took to the streets of Kairaba Avenue or Independence Drive may not be able to predict the immediate or long-term impact of their political actions, but their boldness is evident that they know the prevailing system in their country is a farce, frustrating and utterly hopeless. Thus there is an urgent need for a political change.

Reformation is undoubtedly a pre-requisite and an antecedent to any successful political revolution or reform. Gambians should be proud and praised for reclaiming their sovereignty. However, despite the rising hopes of many Gambians for a regime change, it is important not to relent or draw into a comfort zone. One must not fall under the illusion for an instant and a dramatic political change. Social movements for political change require effective organization, discipline and a depth of persistence. By all measure of the current situation, the mounting forces clamoring for change are undoubtedly having the upper hand against the status quo. Gambians have garnered the attention and sympathy of the international community, and Gambians should forge ahead with their coalition building of essential partners, however, it will be a farfetched wish, and ignorance of the conventional norms of the international system to believe that the United States will deploy the 82nd Airborne Division on our behalf; or that Senegal will invade the country to free us.

We have to scratch our own itch. Nobody else will sweat our fever for us. In every new creation is also an inherent danger of destruction. To succeed, the masses have to adapt to the tactics and strategy of the regime. The current withdrawal of the security forces and the allowance of free expression of opinions should not be taken as a total victory. Whilst applaudable, we should be equally skeptical. Dictators are expedient creatures full of patience and tricks. This act of restraint could be a normalization strategy to create militancy fatigue and eventually blow steam out of the current situation back home. It’s wise to be optimistic yet weary. Adaptation and unpredictability is the lethal force to counter tyranny. What will determine the success of our current experiment is how effectively we manage the crisis at hand.

Political action comes from persistence and keeping the heat on. The events in Burkina Faso, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Egypt and Tunisia have shown that no political leader sits on a hot issue if you make it hot enough. It is a smart thing for all Gambians to remain peaceful, but we must also be steadfast and keep to our convictions. We must not let this crisis fizzle out as the current regime is hoping. God bless The Gambia, and long live peace and freedom.

Sheriff

 

Blind prejudice of Yaya Jammeh

This court case reveals something interesting about Yaya Jammeh’s character. He is stranger to most of what would generally be considered the Gambian virtues: humility, mercy, compassion and grace. It is very clear he is interfering with this court case by instructing Nigerian mercenary judges not to allow oral argument before the open court. They keep adjourning this court case to psychologically punish all UDP executives and innocent protesters to break them down, hurt Gambian pockets with constant back and forth to courts, pitch Gambians among each other. He sows bitterness, influences his followers to lose all sense of proportion and teaches them to answer with hate to their innocent brothers, sisters and parents.

 

 

Gambians are alien to these rebel virtues. Instead, his actions are marked by a long list of enemies he vows to sack, exile, crush, shred, destroy, jail and bury whomsoever he wants without proper rituals. He constantly manufactures an atmosphere of menace in which there is no room for compassion for his opponents, for anything but disgracing and counterattack of severe punishment. He exploits and exaggerates everything about him in such a hateful combative manner that is destined to further marginalize weak Gambians. This guy was on welfare from day one of his life; from food he eats, school fees, and generous Gambian hospitality. In return, everything he does is such with pagan brutalism, overzealous application of the letter of his draconian law in a way that violates the spirit of fairness and mercy.

 

 

According to the point newspaper, Hawa Sisay-Sabally made an application with regards to be given medical care and to also have food from their families which are being denied by prison officials. This instruction is clearly from dictator Jammeh. There is not a hint of compassion, gentleness and mercy. He constantly lays down an atmosphere of apocalyptic fear. This court case is tailored such a way that is guaranteed to bring out fear-driven reactions and this time, he can’t survive this by GOD’s grace. Everything he does is to deny the slightest acknowledgment of our common humanity, take the bully’s maximum relish in his power over the weak and innocent.

 

 

Like everyone, I am revolved by Yaya Jammeh treatments of Gambians. It is not on only the horrendous way he does it but – the monstrous way he does things beneath even the minimal standards of modern civilization. The question for Gambians is: How many infants should be fed to crocodile? How many Gambians deserved to be buried without proper janazah? How many of our dead deserved to be given to the jalangs for rituals purposes? Gambians, please put this man out of his misery and give power back to the people.

 

By Habib

Torture at mile 2; Life of a Prison Officer in danger

The Fatu network is getting disturbing reports of severe torture inflicted on a junior officer of The Gambia Prison Services at Mile 2 Central Prison.




According to credible sources, Borry Jallow, a 27 year old prison officer was accused of helping inmates in getting essential support from their families. Mr Jallow was arrested last week during a routine search by prison officers who accused him of smuggling letters and other essential needs for inmates at mile 2.

 

 

Mr Jallow is said to be a kind hearted young man who always sympathizes with inmates. However this time around he was said to have been caught with the usual things that inmates badly need in prison such as toiletries. It was there that authorities at mile 2 arrested him and subsequently subjected to severe torture.




Prison authorities have accused him of being a possible threat to national security. Since his arrest last week, he spent more than five days at a notorious single cell in mile 2 where our sources say all forms of torture are administered.

Prison Officer Jallow

 

 

As it is now, Mr. Jallow has been handed over to The National Intelligence Agency for further interrogation. We have also been informed of torture and other forms of degrading punishment being inflicted on him right now at the NIA. As one of our sources said, the way Mr. Jallow is being mercilessly tortured could lead to his death.




The Fatu Network is seriously monitoring this situation and we are warning the security forces that The International Community is already informed of the situation this young security officers finds himself in at the moment.

Prison Guards Warned To Show No Mercy To UDP Leader Lawyer Darboe and Co As They Continue To Languish In Illegal Detention

The Fatu Network is getting disturbing reports that the Director General of the Prisons David Colley has warned his officers not to show any form of mercy towards Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) and his party militants being detained at Mile II prison.




 

According to insiders who narrated the story to us, David Colley has given a stern warning to his staff not to particularly show any respect or sympathy towards Lawyer and his co detainees since according to him they came out in the streets to disrupt the peace and stability of the country.

 

 

 

Although staff are said to be afraid to openly sympathize with the detainees, a source inside Mile II said they are also cautious in doing anything illegal because of the high profile nature of some of the people currently being detained at Mile II.




 

That notwithstanding, conditions at Mile II prison have always been a source of deep concern to rights groups. Each year several inmates die in captivity due to poor diet, torture and overcrowding. The recent death in Mile II was just two months ago when one of the transport union leaders died mysteriously while in remand there.

 

 

 

David Colley who is the prison director has been described by people who know him as someone notorious for showing and administering cruelty towards detainees brought to Mile II especially those branded as enemies of dictator Yahya Jammeh’s government. He and the dictator are from the same village of Kanilai and he was himself sacked several times and kept in Mile II as a form of punishment for being disloyal.




 

The Fatu Network has got credible news that some of the detainees including female detainees, have varying degrees of bruises on different parts of their body. The UDP leader himself has a bandage on his forehead. His daughter is also said to have bruises on her legs and a bandage on her finger. The Fatu Network has confirmed that these bruises might have emanated from the initial confrontation at the protest site when overzealous security officers roughened up peaceful marchers and were seen even throwing some of them in waiting military trucks like a pack of wood.




 

We are monitoring this story and any maltreatment of any prisoner will be fully documented and the perpetrators reported to the relevant international organizations for appropriate action.

April 24 – Building a Sovereign Gambian and Gambia

By: Madi Jobarteh
Introduction

 
Today 24 April 2016 marks the 46th independence anniversary of the Republic of the Gambia. The start of independence was marked by a ceremony on that day in the capital then called Bathurst when the British-born Gambian Chief Justice Sir Philip Bridges sworn in Dawda Jawara as the first president of the Gambia as per Section 32 of the 1970 constitution, and following the republican referendum held two days earlier on 22 April.

 

 
Forty six years after independence, the Gambia is yet to become an independent country because the Gambian person is yet to become a sovereign citizen. This is a malaise that was created by our independence leaders and intellectuals that continues to be perpetuated through the years until today 24 April 2016. After the defeat of formal colonialism which was introduced all over the Gambia by 1902, the new independent state that emerged on 24 April 1970 and its officials failed to politically educate the Gambian citizen to realise that indeed independence means the nation is one unified entity in which the owners of the voice, power and resources of the new nation are the people themselves. Rather since independence, the rulers in the first and second republics protected state sovereignty, but weakened and hijacked citizenship sovereignty and national independence. This is the crux of our malaise as a nation.
What is Sovereignty?
Chapter 1 Section 1 of the 1970 Constitution stated that the Gambia is a sovereign republic. This constitution went further to identify fundamental rights and freedoms, thus manifesting citizenship sovereignty under Chapter 3 as belonging to Gambian citizens that must be protected by the state. These rights include the right to life, liberty and security of the person, speech, association, assembly, privacy, and property among others. These are entrenched clauses that can only be changed by a referendum because these rights are sovereign rights establishing our self determination as a people.
In the 1997 Constitution, not only did Section 1 states that the Gambia is a sovereign secular republic as an entrenched clause changeable by only a referendum, but also Section 2 went further to unequivocally stipulate that the sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people of the Gambia and that the state derives its legitimacy from the people and on whose behalf it performs it functions. Furthermore, Chapter 4 identified a set of fundamental rights and freedoms in entrenched clauses for which it categorically places the primary obligation for their protection and fulfilment on the State in Section 17. Again these fundamental rights and freedoms are the basis of our sovereignty. It is these rights that colonialism seized and damaged with impunity. Thus with independence, it is these same rights which were rescued and restored to us as a sovereign people.

 

 
The essence of sovereignty therefore is that people who are sovereign determine their destiny by being their own law and policy makers in all aspects of their lives. It means power and voice of the nation resides in the people who are the independent owners of the wealth of the country. Sovereignty means the State is an instrument of the people charged with the responsibility to manage the affairs and resources of the people for the benefit of the people. The State is fundamentally tasked with only two functions in a sovereign republic which are; first, to respect and protect the fundamental rights of the people as specified in the constitution and other laws as sovereign rights. Secondly, to fulfil the needs of the people as emanating from those rights which are now claims that citizens can make on the state. It is in the fulfilment of these sovereign rights and needs that citizens enjoy public goods and services hence development in the form of affordable, accessible and quality healthcare, education, good roads, water and electricity supply and protection of personal liberty and exercise of personal freedoms among others.

 

 

Thus in Chapter 4 of the 1997 constitution, Gambians have a list of sovereign rights such as right to life, liberty, education, political participation and association and peaceful demonstration among others. The role and responsibility of the state is to establish the necessary institutions and employ competent citizens to utilize our national or sovereign wealth which comes from our taxes, loans and grants to fulfil the needs of our people as their rightful claims by law. In this case therefore, the state is nothing other than a servant of the people because the state emerged from the will of the people and charged with the responsibility of fulfilling the will of the people. Thus in a sovereign democracy, the State cannot be more powerful than the people, or citizens become afraid of the government or the state. Rather it is the state that is afraid of the people because the people are the owners and masters of the State and all its agencies and officers.
Our Malaise
The failure of the Gambia since independence, and therefrom the poor human development and limited civil liberties of Gambians emanates from our failure as citizens and as well as officers of the state to realise the value and purpose of sovereignty and act on it accordingly. For this reason, instead of the governments in both the first and second republics protect our fundamental rights and needs as entrenched in both the 1970 and 1997 constitutions, these governments have served to mainly trample on these rights and abandon these needs. This situation became more aggravated by the masses, who, by lacking in political consciousness and republican values as sovereign citizens only served to rather help and strengthen the irresponsibility and violations of the state. There is no gainsaying that the average Gambian public officer including security officers considers himself and herself as not a servant but a master of the people who is beyond reproach and scrutiny by the people, when they perform their duties such as delivery of goods and services.

 

 

Public servants act as if they are first and foremost doing a favour to the people. They hold that these public goods and services are a charity for which the people must be grateful to them. These public officers do not know or just ignore the fact that they are merely performing their obligation according to law to protect the rights and fulfil the needs of the people.
Conversely, our people, because of their limited sense of sovereignty, generally also perceive the State and its institutions and officers as more powerful masters. The product of this malaise is therefore a culture of impunity in which state institutions and officials not only fail to fulfil their responsibilities to the people, but continuously violate citizens’ rights with impunity, while the people even defend and support them in this tragedy. To further fester this malaise, both the state and the masses have infused misconceived Islamic beliefs and oppressive and exploitative socio-cultural ideas to perpetuate the disempowerment of the masses and the abuse of the state.

 

 

This state of abnormality consequently made the people lack the capacity to hold the state to account and ensure transparency of state institutions, officials and processes. In this way, we have collectively inflicted excruciating harm on ourselves that has continued for 46 years unabated thus making us all both victims and oppressors at the same time.
Our political parties, both ruling and opposition since the first republic, also became complicit in this national malaise by not only failing to provide the necessary political education (excepting PDOIS), but also failed to create the necessary policies, institutions and processes within these parties to nurture a culture of rights and good governance, hence disempowered our citizens to exercise their rights to informed political participation and nation building. It can be seen therefore that since independence, each and every political party in the Gambian continues to be engaged only in sham internal party democracy while the levers of power, voice and control in them are held only by one person or few individuals who are mainly men. This is also the reason why no opposition party becomes viable enough, while the PPP in the first republic and the APRC in the second republic became quite powerful only because of their control of state power.

 

 
The manifestation of our low level of citizen sovereignty can be seen in the current political crisis unfolding in our country. After 46 years of independence today, we have an opposition leader and his team incarcerated for exercising a fundamental right that is entrenched in our 1997 constitution. We have political activists that are being arrested and detained by the police and some died in custody for merely exercising their sovereign rights in Section 25 of the 1997 Constitution. While these people are denied their entrenched fundamental rights by our State, one would see in a faraway but truly sovereign nation, Norway where both the State and citizens enjoy sovereignty, a mass murderer could have not only his life spared, but even enjoys human dignity by the conditions in his prison and been able to even take the State to court for what he considered as damages to his sovereignty and getting them restored to him.

 

 
Thus if we look at various social, economic and political indicators of the Gambia, one can therefore realise that we face an abysmally poor state of civil liberties, an expensive and erratic delivery of public goods and services which are largely unavailable to all citizens, and a limited space for popular participation of citizens in national issues. This is clearly a manifestation of the poor level of citizenship sovereignty.

 

 
What is to done?
The task before Gambians therefore is a collective and individual question as to how sovereign are you, and how much are you exercising your sovereignty? How much of your voice and will determine the manner of the State, and how is the state protecting your rights and fulfilling your needs? The question must be extended to our political parties as to whether we deserve parties in which only individuals and cliques control them yet they use our voice and power to exert themselves on us without transparency and accountability. We must engage in honest self examination as to whether as an individual public or private citizen, one is fulfilling his or her role to ensure that each and every Gambian is an embodiment of dignity.

 

 
In the height of the liberation struggle in Guinea Bissau, Amilcar Cabral made the point that our nation and struggle must be led by our best sons and daughters. As a Gambian, are you among the best sons and daughters of the Gambia? How have you raised your consciousness to realise that the sovereignty of the Gambia resides in its citizens and that the sole purpose of the state is to fulfil the will of the people? Have you positioned yourself, regardless of your station in life to identify yourself with the deepest aspirations of the people? In other words, are you able to commit, what Cabral calls ‘a class suicide’ in order to join the masses of the people? This is particularly significant for the middle class and the pretty bourgeoisie in the public sector, private sector and civil society sector, who thanks to the opportunities provided by the Nation-State that they enjoy, now remove themselves from the people. They do not share in the concerns and legitimate interests of the masses rather continue to take advantage of the unjust socio-economic and political system to make more money and enjoy more privileges when all around them are oppression and exploitation of fellow citizens. When the members of the middle class and the petty bourgeoisie, the nouveau riche, lack the necessary political consciousness they can only become oppressors and exploiters of the people creating huge inequalities, poverty, powerlessness and voicelessness in society.

 

 
This is why Thomas Sankara noted that a soldier (and we can add that a business executive, a police officer, a civil servant, a law maker, an NGO worker, a chief, an imam or priest, a judge, a lawyer, an opposition party leader, etc) without political education is a virtual criminal. A person without political education is one who does not identify himself or herself with the concerns, aspirations and interest of the masses, but rather considers only his or her individual concern, interest and aspirations and utilise the wealth and privileges and opportunities provided by the nation and the state to his or her individual benefit without regard to those of the masses. Just as a police officer or soldier without political education would beat and shoot to death fellow citizens without remorse, so also a policy or law maker or civil servant would not cringe at making unjust laws and stealing public money to benefit only him or herself. It is a parasitic form of life in which such a person only seeks avenues that provide undue advantages even if these unjust opportunities only serve to perpetuate injustice and inequality in society.

 

 
Raise your Political Consciousness

 

 
Frantz Fanon said each generation must discover its mission, to fulfil or betray. Are you a Gambian who has discovered your mission to your society, i.e. to realise that you bear an obligation to serve your people, to stand for the welfare and rights of your people and to stand up for justice and human dignity. One cannot discover one’s mission if one lacks the political consciousness talked about by Sankara. Thus given the current state of affairs in the Gambia and Africa in general, one can confidently diagnose this malaise as the lack of discovery of our mission by the masses of our people, particularly our youth, the middle class and the petty bourgeoisie due to our low political awareness.
At 46 years and going beyond, I urge each and every Gambian to look beyond one’s position, and one’s party, and one’s tribe, and one’s religion, and one’s family, and one’s business, and one’s institution or organization and one’s selfish interest and see the Gambian Nation. Only then can we build a nation that fits our humanity and can deliver and ensure our dignity. It is such a society that can deliver development to us from the unlimited wealth and opportunities that abound in our country. Gambia and Gambians are still unable to realise their full human potential and tap their huge resources and opportunities because the individual Gambian citizen is yet to be sovereign and independent. But to create this dignified and sovereign independent Gambian and Gambia, we must become new citizens to exhibit qualities that Nkrumah said constitutes the African Personality,
“Africa needs a new type of citizen, a dedicated, modest, honest, informed man and woman who submerges self in service to the nation and mankind. A man and woman who abhors greed and detests vanity. A new type of man and woman whose humility is his and her strength and whose integrity is his and her greatness.”

 

 
Just imagine if Edward Francis Small, the Father of our Nation did not discover his mission to realize that he was an embodiment of dignity and sovereignty? EF Small cried out that there must be no taxation without just representation because he realized that no human being is a donkey to be exploited by another human being. It was that cry for sovereignty that eventually gave birth to the Republic of the Gambia as our collective sovereign property. How come 46 years down the line, we face worse conditions than those faced by EF Small in 1920?

 

 
Creating a New Gambian

 

 

It is distressful that for 46 years we have failed to build sovereign citizens. So long as our people are not sovereign, not only the State and its officers will fail to become responsible as a means to protect our rights and satisfy our needs, but also each and everyone one of us as well as our businesses, NGOs, political parties, traditional and religious institutions and indeed our young people cannot become an embodiment of dignity, and nurture a culture and a society of justice and equal rights. We cannot find our ability to do for ourselves even when we sit on a mountain of wealth and opportunities. Our fertile land and all the cereals, crops and plants that can grow on it, our unlimited waters underground, in our rivers and tributaries and our rains, our wind and sunlight, and our almighty people with unbound intelligence and strength will all be inadequate to provide us the quality and dignity of life we deserve. We shall continue to be a society of wretched people who can only find solace and hope outside of the Gambia, while we continue to oppress and exploit each other in our country.

 

 
Let us build a sense and a culture of sovereignty based on republican values which hold that the people are the owners and masters of the country. Republican values are established on the incontestable fact that all citizens are equal and all of us have equal right to all opportunities. Republican values require that we remove from our midst all ideas, institutions, practices, relationships and systems that oppress and exploit and dehumanize the human being. Whether these are cultural or religious beliefs or unjust and unfair laws and practices in our homes, offices and communities, oppression and exploitation of one human being by another human being has no place in a sovereign republic. All human beings, men and women are equal.

 

 

No tribe, no culture and no religion have precedence or significance over another. In a sovereign republic, there is no majority and minority tribe or religion or better culture. All cultures must be civilized and democratized to liberate the human being, and not to enslave some sections. Let us create a society of just and fair systems and laws and institutions that develop and upheld human dignity, knowing full well that in any society the only guarantor of peace and stability and human development is the respect, protection and fulfillment of human rights. Positions, guns, tribes, religion and culture have never provided safe haven for individuals in history. Only human rights protect and develop the human being. When a right is damaged in any society, and it is not repaired immediately and in full, then no one is safe in that society regardless of your position, religion, tribe or ammunition.
Forward to the Building of a Sovereign Gambian and Gambia.

 

From Madi Jobarteh’s Facebook page

Open Letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon

Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
United Nations
405 E 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
United States
Cc. Yahya Jammeh
President of The Republic of The Gambia
℅ Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN
336 E 45th St.
New York, NY 10017
April 19, 2016
Dear Sir,
“If I were there, and I was in charge, I WOULD F*CKING OPEN FIRE ON THEM” – Gambian diplomat tells citizen about unarmed peaceful protesters.
These are the words of Samsudeen Sarr, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of The Gambia to The United Nations on April 18, 2016, speaking on the arrest, torture and killing of unarmed peaceful protesters in The Gambia.
On April 14, 2016 a group of Gambian political activists decided to stage a peaceful protest march to demand electoral reforms. As anyone who is aware of the modus operandi of the 21-year regime of Yahya Jammeh would know, they were met by security officials dressed in full riot gear with batons, tear gas and guns. “Thankfully”, they only used their boots, batons and tear gas this time. The unarmed peaceful protesters were only beaten, kicked and arrested. Oh, it’s terrible alright. I only use “thankfully” because the last time unarmed students decided to stage a peaceful march to protest the rape of one of their peers, and the murder of another, both by uniformed security officials, they were met with live ammunition, killing and maiming tens of Gambians in what was, until then, the darkest day in Gambian history. That was on April 10 and 11, 2000. What came out of it? Well, the government later passed The Indemnity Act of 2001, indemnifying all the criminals involved in this act of brutality and passed the Public Order Act, a law that requires people to obtain a permit from the police to stage a peaceful protest. So yes, I say “thankfully” because these security officials had all the encouragement and licence from the APRC government to murder again.
Two days later, reports emerged that the arrested protesters had been severely tortured and their leader, Solo Sandeng, National Organizing Secretary of the opposition party, UDP, had been killed while in detention and two other female protesters were each in a coma. The party leader, Ousainou Darboe, along with his senior executive, led a peaceful march demanding to see Mr. Sandeng “dead or alive”. Again, in typical fashion, they were quickly and forcefully rounded up, again with batons, boots and tear gas, and sent to jail.
As a Gambian citizen living in the USA, I decided on the morning of April 18, 2016, to visit the Gambian Mission to the United Nations in New York, to demand answers from my representatives. I met Mr. Sam Sarr (no relation to the author), Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of The Gambia to The UN. I identified myself as a Gambian, showed him my Gambian ID card and stated that I was there as a citizen seeking answers from my representatives. On that premise, I am of the belief that Mr. Sarr’s statements are representative of the Gambia Government’s position on the matter. The fact that Mr. Sarr also told me that his secretary had informed him that I had a recording device leads me to further believe that he wants to be quoted and that the government would stand by his statements. In a discussion that lasted over 2 hrs, at no point did the Gambia Government, through this diplomatic representative, express any regret over what had taken place. Instead, he was adamant that “anyone taking such action (of a peaceful demonstration) should have been ready to lose his life”. Mr. Sarr was also very clear and unapologetic when he told me “If I was there, and in charge, I would f*ucking open fire at anyone (demonstrating peacefully)!!!”, after admitting that he had not seen even a single footage, and had no indication that any of the protesters was armed or was seen throwing so much as a punch or a stone, even in self defence.
For a government whose leader has publicly threatened to behead homosexuals, claimed he can cure several diseases including HIV and more recently declared The Gambia an “Islamic State” without any referendum or consultation with the citizens, I am not surprised that the Gambia government would appoint such an insensitive and callous individual to be its second highest-ranking diplomat at the UN. I cannot, however, for the life of me, reconcile how the United Nations, an organization millions around the world look to for any hopes of justice and human dignity, or at least diplomacy to foster such, can have such an individual continue business as usual while uttering such statements that go against everything the UN stands for.
Addressing the same incidents in The Gambia, on April 17, 2016, a day before my discussion with Sam Sarr, a press release http://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sgsm17678.doc.htm issued on your behalf stated, “The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the apparent use of excessive force and the arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators on 14 April 2016. He calls on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested, including UDP leader Ousainou Darboe, and uphold the rights of the Gambian people to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
The UN Human Rights Commission expects nations to be guided by “Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials”. This Document, adopted by the Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders, Havana, Cuba, 27 August to 7 September 1990 states that,

 

 

4. Law enforcement officials, in carrying out their duty, shall, as far as possible, apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms. They may use force and firearms only if other means remain ineffective or without any promise of achieving the intended result.
7. Governments shall ensure that arbitrary or abusive use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials is punished as a criminal offence under their law.
8. Exceptional circumstances such as internal political instability or any other public emergency may not be invoked to justify any departure from these basic principles.
Sir, for a nation to not only flout these binding agreements, but to have their senior diplomats openly contradict the organization’s principles and challenge the Secretary General’s very objective statements, is disturbing. What would be even more disturbing is the thought that the organization has no standards for members who serve in top positions. Would it be too much to expect senior diplomats at the UN to have at least some basic sense of decency, a moral compass or belief in basic respect for principles of human dignity? What is the point of the UN and all the meetings, resolutions, principles and other agreements if the senior diplomats cannot be held to any standards? For the dictatorial regime of Yaya Jammeh in The Gambia, I would not be surprised if this letter helps Mr. Sarr get rewarded with a promotion for his “bold” threats to shoot unarmed civilians. But having such individuals at the UN is like appointing vampires as the custodians of a hospital blood bank.
Meanwhile, at the time of writing this piece, April 19, 2016, 11:59pm, all the protestors arrested on April 14 and April 16 are still in detention. The state media of The Gambia is yet to acknowledge the protests or the arrest, detention and torture of the protesters! So much for the statements by the UN Secretary General.
Sincerely,
Sana Sarr

Cc. General Assembly of the UN
℅ President Mogens Lykketoft
United Nations General Assembly
405 E 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
Cc. Department of Political Affairs
United Nations
405 E 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017
Cc. Ousman Tangara
Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN
336 E 45th St.
New York, NY 10017
Cc. Sam Sarr
Deputy Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN
336 E 45th St.
New York, NY 10017
Cc. The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
Republic of The Gambia
℅ Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN
336 E 45th St.
New York, NY 10017
Cc: Amnesty International USA Headquarters
5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10001
Yahya Jammeh
President of The Republic of The Gambia
State House
Banjul, The Gambia
Cc: Mama Fatima Singhateh
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice
Attorney General’s Chambers
Ministry of Justice
Marina Parade
Banjul, The Gambia

 

By Sana Sarr

Seven Days Of Madness In The Gambia But Its Also Seven Days Of Public Defiance To The Dictatorship

It is now one week today when The Gambia Government through its security agents descended on peaceful, unarmed protesters comprising mainly youths that were out in the streets on Thursday April 14 demanding electoral reform ahead of the 2016 general elections.




 

The state security agents armed with batons, teargas and AK47 guns seriously manhandled the protesters before whisking them away to an unknown destination. Although the exact number of arrests made at the protest site is still being compiled, sources have told The Fatu Network over 50 people were arrested.

 

 

 

All those arrested according to our sources were brutally tortured in groups of four at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA). Apparently, the head of the peaceful protest Solo Sandeng who at the time of his arrest was also the National Organizing Secretary of the UDP was so brutally tortured that he eventually died in the hands of his torturers. The government has still refused to acknowledge that he died.




 

After two days of frantic efforts by the leadership of the UDP in demanding answers from the authorities without success, the party leader Lawyer Ousainou Darboe led a hand full of party stalwarts towards the police station which arrested Mr Sandeng.

 

 

 

But no sooner had they gone a few meters, than the security forces started descending on them. They were doused with teargas and beaten with batons before they were thrown into the back of waiting military trucks. Some of the marchers especially the elderly were wounded.




 

Events continue to move fast amid a high tempo likely to degenerate into violence. The European Union and other diplomatic missions accredited to Banjul have been making subtle trips on both the government and the house of the UDP leader where the party’s executive have assembled for the past five days. The diplomats have been pushing for a solution to the current crisis.

 

 

 

Meanwhile Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and some members of his executive are still held in communicado detention amid reports that some of the detainees especially the elderly have been already released.




 

Reports coming from Banjul also say that the authorities are planning to take Lawyer Darboe and his executive to court where they are likely going to be charged under the Gambia’s Public Order Act which forbids anyone to organize certain category of procession without a permit from the police.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, Gambians in different parts of the world came out in their large numbers to protest against what they called the brutal crackdown on innocent, peaceful marchers. They also demanded that the international community do more to stand in solidarity with the Gambian people who they say have suffered two decades of brutality under Yahya Jammeh who has been ruling the country with an iron fist.

 

 

 

The UDP has also released a statement insisting a broad range of demands as shown below in the statement:

 

 

Petition On The Continued Illegal Detention Of The Executive Members Of The United Democratic Party (UDP) and The Death Of Solo Sandeng While Under State Custody

Introduction:
The leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP) Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and five members of his executive remain in state custody after being picked up by members of the Gambian security forces on Saturday 16th April 2016 as they embarked on a peaceful march. What precipitated their peaceful march was the arrest two days earlier of about 25 youth activists drawn from across the political spectrum who gathered to demand comprehensive electoral reform in the run up to the December 2016 elections. They have been kept in communicado detention since and their conditions are still unknown. They are denied family access and legal representation in total violation of the constitution of The Gambia.
Seven of those arrested were youth members of the UDP executive. Credible reports are that they were brutally tortured leading to the death under custody of the UDP National Mobilizing Secretary, Mr Solo Sandeng. Three other female youth executive members of the UDP (Ms Fatoumata Jawara, Ms Nokoi Njie and Ms Fatou Camara) remain in critical conditions following two days of sustained brutal torture and other forms of inhumane treatment.

 
The state has since expanded its brutal crackdown to include the systematic rounding up of dozens of supporters and community leaders of the United Democratic Party. The exact number of the abductees remains unknown but so far the UDP has confirmed that 50 people are held in different detention centers.
Demands
1. The UDP urgently demands the unconditional and immediate release of all political prisoners.
2. We demand The Gambia Government fully account for Mr Solo Sandeng and all of his colleagues he was detained with.
3. We also demand a full, thorough and a credible, independent investigation into the conduct of state security agents that brutally assaulted and detained peaceful, unarmed citizens who were exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights.
4. We insist that the electoral reform demands that were put forward by the group of six opposition political parties by fully complied with before any elections can be held.
5. We call on the international community to take note of the existential threats The Gambia Government poses to its people.
Consequently, we urge the international community, especially the regional bloc, ECOWAS to take appropriate steps to mitigate the very significant dangers the regime poses to its people.

How AU and Ecowas have let down Gambians

By D. A. Jawo

 
Once again, our African institutions have failed us, with both the African Union and Ecowas keeping so mute over the deplorable and naked human rights violations being perpetrated against innocent Gambians by their very government.

 
We have heard the swift condemnations of the atrocities being committed in the country from the United Nations, the European Union as well as the United States and other members of the international community, but we are yet to hear any condemnation of the situation from our very own continental institutions as if they do not care about the welfare of ordinary Africans. This is no doubt why the AU is making frantic efforts to facilitate the withdrawal of its member states from the International Criminal Court apparently because while it is always ready to come to the defense of those despotic leaders who would do anything to cling on to power, they do not care about the welfare of ordinary Africans.

 
Any reasonable being would have expected that both Ecowas as the sub-regional bloc and the AU, as the continental body should have been the first to react to the situation rather than behave as if they do care what happens to Gambians. This is indeed a shame that those institutions we expect to defend ordinary people do not seem to care what happens to those people.

 
It is even ironic that the atrocities are going on in the Gambia at the very time that the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, the continent’s leading human rights institution, is going on in the country, and yet, there has so far not a single reaction from the Commission itself. One would therefore wonder where ordinary Africans should turn to for protection against their own despotic leaders when the very regional institutions that should have protected them seem to be more concerned about the welfare of the leaders than that of ordinary Africans.

 
The torture and ill treatment is being meted out on ordinary Gambians by our own security forces, whose sole crime is to peacefully protest against the unfair electoral system in force as well as the bad governance in place in the country.

 
It is indeed had to imagine that the whole world is talking about the torturing to death of opposition members as well as the incarceration of the entire leadership of the UDP and yet, there has so far not a single official communication from the government, as if the lives of the people do not matter to those in authority.

 
To add insult to injury, we have all seen how the people were mobilized to sing and dance to welcome back President Yahya Jammeh from Turkey, as if everything is rosy and no Gambian is in distress. It is indeed very un-Gambian to see some people jubilating and dancing whilst many innocent people were being rounded up and subjected to torture and even death simply for exercising their constitutional rights to protest against injustice.

 
It is indeed hard to see how the international community and all people of conscience would continue to ignore the gross injustices going on in the Gambia. Gambians definitely need someone to rescue them from the clutches of impunity where members of the security forces seem to be given a carte blanche to mal-treat the ordinary people anyhow they like, including torturing them to death and get away with it.

April 18, 2016 #TheGambiaRising Lets end dictatorship NOW

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Gambia Rise up and lets end dictatorship

My message is to the government employees, especially members of the security forces – the army, police intervention unit and police officers. I want you to be honest with nobody but yourself.

– Are you happy with the life you are living? Are you satisfied with the salary you take home every month? Is it ever enough to cover your living expenses? Do you own a home or are you renting? Do you own a car or do you take public transportation to work? Better yet, do you stand on the roadside waiting for a ride?

 
– How many of your friends, colleagues and family members receive a monthly salary that covers their living expenses? How many of them come to you to assist them with money for food, fares, rent or other basic necessities?

 
– Is this really the life you envisioned for yourself when you decided to join the security forces? Is this the best you can do in your life or do you think you deserve better? Would a regime that cares about you leave you in this condition?

 
How many times have you, your family members, neighbors or friends been sick and unable to get treatment at the hospital, or had to scramble to get money for medication?
Just think about it!

 
Compare the life you’re living to the life Yahya Jammeh and his family are living. While you’re struggling to get to Serekunda Market, Zeineb Suma is flying first class between Dubai, New York and Paris to do her shopping. While you’re struggling for D200 for your child’s school fees, Mariam Jammeh is chilling in a private high school in New York, fees over $20,000 per year. While you cannot afford cash power, or even candles when NAWEC goes out, Jammeh has 24hrs electricity both in Banjul and Kanilai.
Just think about it!

 
With all this, i did not see Jammeh beating, kicking or arresting anyone during the recent protests. It was YOU and your colleagues! Jammeh was not even in the country. In case you missed it, i would like to point out that this man is NOT worthy of your loyalty or respect. It is sad for you to allow him to continue to use you against your own people. Jammeh cares only about himself and staying in power, and he will do everything to achieve that. He will not hesitate to arrest, torture and murder you like he has done to many others once he is done with you. Where is Lang Tombong Tamba who was so loyal to him? Where is Solo Bojang? Where are Edward Singateh, Yankuba Touray, Sana Sabally and Sadibou Hydara? Where is his cousin, Pa Bojang?

 
Is this the man you will commit crimes to protect? What is in it for you? What do you get for following orders to arrest, beat and torture PEACEFUL protesters?
Just Think about it!

 
See these protesters? These are not strangers. They are not criminals and they are not your enemies for you be aggressive to them. These are your brothers, sisters, cousins, friends and neighbors. The people you live with. Your former school mates or their relatives, your colleagues, the people you meet and share a public transportation with…etc…All they want is for a better life for you and for themselves. All they’re doing is walk the streets and ask that ALL Gambians, including YOU, be treated with the respect every human being deserves – the same oath you made when you signed up for the job you currently have.
Guess what? You are welcome to join them. Yes, you can simply stand and march with them. If you’re sick or in trouble, i promise you you’ll see them before you see Yaya Jammeh by your side!

 
And if you’re not strong enough to join them in the peaceful march, you can stand by them and do your job…of making sure you protect them so nobody can harm them! It is your obligation to disobey any illegal orders, and any order that tells you to harm innocent Gambians is ILLEGAL!

 
My brothers, i beg you to obey your conscience and do what you know in your heart is right! Do it for peace, do it for justice, do it for humanity, do it for Gambia…but above all, DO IT FOR YOURSELF!

 

Sana Sarr

United States Condemns The Gambia’s Response to Peaceful Protests

The United States condemns the Government of The Gambia’s severe response to recent peaceful protests. We call for an immediate end to violence and urge all Gambians to exercise restraint and remain calm.

 
The United States calls on the Government of The Gambia to uphold its international obligations under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including the right to peaceful assembly.

STATEMENT BY SPOKESPERSON JOHN KIRBY

US Department Of State

Statement attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General on the death of Gambia opposition party members

New York, 17 April 2016

 
The Secretary-General learned with dismay of the death in detention in Gambia of political activist and opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) member Solo Sandeng and two fellow party members. They died following their arrest on 14 April 2016 for participating in a peaceful protest in Banjul.

 

 

The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased. He calls on the authorities to conduct a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the circumstances that led to their death while under state custody.

 

 

The Secretary-General is deeply concerned about the apparent use of excessive force and the arrest and detention of peaceful demonstrators on 14 April 2016. He calls on the authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those arrested, including UDP leader Ousainou Darboe, and uphold the rights of the Gambian people to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.

Peaceful protesters still held incommunicado as opposition parties deliberate on appropriate response

The Fatu Network is getting credible news about the fate of the pro-democracy activists who were arrested on Thursday afternoon demanding for electoral reforms in The Gambia.




Although details are still coming, The Fatu Network has so far gathered that up to 25 people among them women have been detained. The biggest opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) has confirmed that seven of its executive members were arrested although the party said it was not aware of the planned demonstration.

 

 

So far The Fatu Network can confirm that about 18 men are currently at the Mile II maximum security wing. According to our credible sources, three of those arrested are seriously hurt from beatings and are in critical pain. Solo Sandeng, an executive member of the UDP is said to be among those seriously beaten.




The women arrested according to our sources are not at the security wing of Mile II. However their whereabouts as well as their physical and medical conditions are not yet known.

 

 

The UDP executive is said to be currently on a meeting discussing an appropriate response to the unfolding situation.




Meanwhile, two leading opposition leader OJ Jallow of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and Amat Bah of the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) were earlier interviewed on The Fatu Network about what they were doing with the situation of the people arrested. Both leaders said they were not aware of the demonstration but that notwithstanding they all agreed that an urgent step has to be taken to get those detained released. Both party leaders expressed solidarity with the people arrested and called on the government to get them released as soon as possible.

 

 

The Fatu Network is still following the story and we will keep you posted with any details.

University Of The Gambia Again: Governing Council Passes Resolution Series Of Petitions By Aggrieved Lecturers

All is still not going well at the University of The Gambia (UTG). For the past several months, aggrieved staffers of the UTG have been writing tons of letters protesting their conditions and the way they are treated by the university administration.




 

Now after several months of foot dragging, the Governing Council of the University of The Gambia finally met to discuss the petitions by the lecturers and other aggrieved staffers.

 

 

 

Most of the complaints from the aggrieved staffers have to do with “the bad experience and or treatment by the Finance Director.” Many of complaints were about non-payment of Per Diems and other entitlements.




 

Some of the staffers have been complaining about how their salaries were randomly reduced without proper explanation. Other familiar complaints include favouritism and cronyism where the UTG Finance Director a certain Mr Joko and his Senior Management Team (SMT) are accused of deliberately side-lining experienced staff members of the university whom they consider critical.

 

 

 

In one of the petitions, the Finance Director was accused of using the UTG funds to pay his housemaid. The University Governing Council in their recent meeting, reprimanded the Finance Director and urged him to stop forthwith using the UTG funds to exclusively pay his maid for private jobs at the Finance Director’s residence. The Governing Council urged the Finance Director to restore the services of the maid to exclusively work at the UTG serviced houses in BRUSUBI or she be hired privately by the Finance Director.




 

But some of the aggrieved staffers have rubbished the decision of the Governing Council of UTG as too weak on the Finance Director and his Senior Management Team (SMT). One of the staffers told the Fatu Network: “it has to be understood that many staff actually signed a petition letter and sent it to the Governing Council for the removal of Kojo the Finance Director but still they are spinning and doing a merry-go-round thing. We have also seen that since we submitted our petition to the Governing Council, the allowances of the members of the Governing Council have been increased and since then they have been swaying away from the real issues regarding our concerns as staffers.”

 

 

 

The aggrieved staffers have also questioned why the UTG still does not have a new Vice Chancellor. According to UTG staffers, the members of the Governing Council are paid allowance every month when they do not sit every month. “All these are the reasons why the Governing Council members are in for the Finance Director because they are always in for their own interest. The council monthly sitting allowances need to be investigated. Why are they receiving what they don’t work for?” asked one of the petitioners.




 

The aggrieved staffers have finally called for the sacking of the Finance Director.

However the Governing Council of the UTG in their response to the aggrieved staffers said the Finance Director was given a three year contract in 2010 with a provision to renew it by mutual agreement. “Given the fact that the Director of Finance is still in office with tacit approval of the University administration, there is an implied mutual agreement for a renewal of the contract in November 2013 for another three years, which ends on 10th November 2016,” the Governing Council.

 

The Governing Council finally called on the petitioners to direct their concerns to the Senior Management for appropriate action.

Gambian Youths: Thou Shall Not Be Divided and Manipulated

While a lot of people believe that it is the security service personnel of the Gambia who hold the balance of power in favour of Jammeh, others believe that it is our hard working and indefatigable women who are actually the backbone of his regime. However, my contention is that it is the vibrant, intelligent and dynamic youths of the Gambia who are the real deal makers or breakers. The future of our beloved country lies squarely in the hands of our youths as the last frontier of hope especially with regards to a political change. The writings are clearly on the wall for all to see.

 

 

One manifestation of this fact was on the 4th April when the UDP congressional convoy arrived in the Kombos from Basse. Following the rumours that there was a major demonstration unfolding in the streets of Banjul, there was a plethora of commentaries on social media and some online radios by some Gambians in the diaspora calling for the youths to come out in the streets in full force.

 

 

The impression was that once the youths managed to cross Denton Bridge, Yahya Jammeh will quickly take to the sea and be a refugee in Senegal like Baba Jawara did in 1994. However with the border closure in place, my guess was that Jammeh will not move an inch but will put up a fight. Anyway it was just a rumour and it seemed that the youths have apparently already made a decision of their own that they would not be drawn into any form of violence. Their message was loud and clear: they will not be used by any interest groups whatsoever!!!

 

 

Another example was about 3-4 weeks ago in a political rally in the village of Mariama Kunda. During the adoption ceremony of Mr. Dahaba as the father of the village, a pronouncement was made that the Kombo North Region is a no go area for the opposition. With no legal basis for such a declaration and not a chance that the security services would implement such a whimsical and wishful thinking, this was a ploy to instigate the APRC youths against the opposition. But the fact that the PPP, PDOIS and UDP are all over the Kombos holding political rallies is yet another proof that our youths have reached that level of enlightenment where they can no longer be used by politicians or their sycophants.

 

 

A third incident is a video which is currently online in which the Gambia’s Minister of Interior was addressing what appeared to be APRC youth militants. In this video, the Minister talked about the APRC youths as being not only the biggest in numbers but also the most hot-blooded. He asserted that they will not trouble anyone but anyone who troubles them will be dealt with using the full weight of the security forces. To me, this was a blatant attempt to divide the Gambian youths by drawing a battle line between “us” (the APRC youths) and “them” (the opposition). Again I am certain that our youths have passed the stage in which they can be divided and manipulated by any minister, governor, or other politicians. Not even by President Jammeh himself.

 

 

The wind of political change has finally arrived in The Gambia and change will certainly happen. In addition to overstaying in power, there are so many other reasons why we need a change in political leadership. One good reason is that for 22 years, Jammeh has made numerous promises and revealed several visions of the Gambia becoming an economic superpower and yet we are not even among the list of the top 100 wealthiest countries of the world. In the contrary and according to the World Bank, The Gambia is in fact among the top 10 poorest countries in the world.

http://www.cheatsheet.com/business/10-of-the-richest-and-poorest-countries-in-the-world.html/?a=viewall

Clearly, Jammeh and his government cannot and will not deliver The Gambia to the promised land of freedom and prosperity and so it is therefore time for a change. However, resorting to violence to achieve political change is absolutely not an option. If we set our little country on fire and shed each other’s blood, we will not even be on that list of the top 10 poorest countries at all. Instead, we will join Somalia on the list of failed states. Our voters’ cards are our bullets and the ballot boxes are our guns. By using this powerful weapon, we will achieve change in peace and security without any struggle, violence, reporting each other to the security or even trading insults at each other. We are too civilized, too enlightened, too closely related and too peaceful for all that.

 

 

In conclusion, I challenge each and every youth to go all the way out to convince our mothers, grandmothers, aunts and big sisters (who are the backbone of Jammeh’s regime), to also vote for change this year……even if that change is in the form of a Serrer man from Njongon village in the North Bank Region!!!

 

 

Long Live the Republic of The Gambia, long live our peaceful and harmonious co-existence!!! We can all smile and no one has to cry!!!!

 

 
Author Gano
Posted on April 12, 2016

Breaking News: Journalist Alhagie Ceesay rushed to Emergency ward; Cannot speak as at now

The Fatu Network has received credible information that the embattled journalist, Alhagie Abdoulie Ceesay has been rushed to the emergency ward of The Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital in Banjul, the capital city of The Gambia.




Ceesay is said to be suffering from a serious illness which The Government has still refused to disclose to his family members. He has been rushed to the hospital several times the latest being few days ago where he was released on the same day and returned back to his prison cell.

 

 

This latest one however is said to be so serious that our sources said the prison authorities had to scramble an emergency ambulance which rushed him to the hospital.




Security officials have told The Fatu Network that as at now, Journalist Ceesay cannot even talk. His situation is said to be serious.

 

 

Although details are still being complied, there are concerns that the journalist may have contracted one of the many deadly diseases rampant in The Gambia’s congested prisons.




Indeed Right Groups have documented numerous mysterious deaths in The Gambia’s Prisons due to tourture but also poor diet.

 

 

We are monitoring the situation and will keep you updated.

Sixteen years on, families of April 10th victims still waiting for justice

By D. A. Jawo

 
It is 16 years today (April 10) when our own security forces brutally put down a peaceful procession organized by the Gambia Students Union (GAMSU), resulting in the deaths of at least 14 innocent children and the maiming of several more.

 
We can quite vividly recall those fateful two days when such brutality was unleashed on innocent Gambian school children while their only crime was to insist on staging a peaceful demonstration in order to protest against certain grievances, including the alleged killing of one of their colleagues by the fire brigade personnel in Brikama.

 
Even though it is 16 years since one of the most dreadful events in the history of the Gambia happened, yet still, the aggrieved relations and friends of those innocent young souls are still waiting for justice for their loved ones, while those who are still nursing the wounds of their offspring had been abandoned to their fate.

 
Certainly, the memories of those little souls who were brutally shot and killed in cold blood for merely coming out to exercise their most fundamental rights to peacefully march and show their grievances, will never fade away from the hearts and minds of those people of conscience who care about humanity and the crave for justice.

 
The only way that such naked injustice against the innocent children and indeed all people of conscience can be mitigated is for those who perpetrated the crime to be brought to justice and punished for their crime, which, unfortunately, this regime does not appear to ever intend to do.

 
Many Gambians still recall the events that led to the mayhem which resulted in the indiscriminate shooting to death of those innocent children. It started on the morning of 10 April 2000 when students in the Greater Banjul Area, under the leadership of GAMSU decided to stage a peaceful demonstration against a host of grievances, including the alleged killing of their colleague, Ebrima Barry by personnel of the Brikama Fire Brigade as well as the alleged raping of a girl student by a member of the security forces. Despite giving enough notice to the authorities about their intention to hold a peaceful procession to vent out their grievances, the police and those in authority, no doubt out of their arrogance and intoxication with power, apparently ordered the security forces to prevent the march at whatever cost, including the use of live bullets, which eventually led to the deaths of the 14 young people and maiming for life of several of their colleagues.

 
However, despite the widespread condemnation of the unprovoked shooting to death of the innocent children in the Greater Banjul Area on the 10th April, the security forces still went ahead to repeat that same brutality the following day in Brikamaba and other parts of the country, shooting to death several more children. It is even alleged that some of those who escaped death were subjected to untold brutality in the hands of the security forces while under detention, resulting in some of them being maimed for the rest of their lives.

 
Even though there was unanimity in the national and international condemnation of the brutality unleashed on the defenseless children by the security forces, the Gambian authorities have since been trying to wipe out that memory from the minds of the people of this country. Not only is any commemoration of the event totally forbidden, but the government has also done virtually nothing to assist the families who lost their loved ones or those children who were maimed. They are instead abandoned to their fate and the families of those who were maimed are left to continue to take care of them with the meagre resources at their disposal, and with no input from those who gave orders to the security forces to open fire with live bullets, and then went on the public media to tell big lies about it.
Therefore, instead of ensuring that justice was done in order to at least help ameliorate the psychological trauma of the affected families, the government decided to instead indemnify all those who were found culpable of unleashing such violence on innocent Gambian children. There is in fact enough indication that the authorities not only did not have any remorse about what happened, but that they have also given clear indication that they would not hesitate to do it all over again against anyone who challenges their hegemony.

 
The regime did not only stop at indemnifying the perpetrators of the unprecedented violence against the children, but they also went ahead to launch a systematic programme to annihilate GAMSU by creating their own surrogate student body; the National Patriotic Students Association (NAPSA), using public money and other incentives, and even coercion to entice students to become members of that puppet body, eventually making it the only legal student body in the country, enjoying unlimited financial and moral support from the authorities.

 
Therefore, through various overt and covert tactics, the authorities succeeded in transforming NAPSA into a formidable student union whose members were given all kinds of privileges and using them as proxies to control the activities of their fellow students and ensuring that they (the students) not only will never again challenge the authority of the government, but they were also instead left with no alternative but to submit to the dictates of the NAPSA leadership who had been imposed on them by the authorities.
What have we seen since then is that most of the original leadership of NAPSA have been absorbed into privileged positions in the government, including some of them being nominated as Members of Parliament and several other prominent positions in the public services. This is apparently as compensation for their role in helping to pacify the students and make them not only forget the brutalities that were meted out to their colleagues a few years earlier, but NAPSA was also effectively used to neutralize GAMSU and all other student bodies that had existed prior to the April demonstrations.

 
It is indeed hard for anyone to imagine that a government which makes so much noise about its concern for the welfare of its people would allow those who have committed such heinous crimes against the children of this country to not only continue to roam the streets with impunity, but for some of them to still continue to occupy important public offices and being paid from the public coffers.

 
There is however no doubt that most Gambians are anxiously looking forward to the day when the names of all those innocent young children whose lives were cut short by bullets of our own security forces, will be engraved in gold in a fitting memorial to be erected in a prominent place in the Greater Banjul Area. Also, those who were maimed and their lives left in miserable conditions would be given the maximum care by the state, while those found culpable for unleashing such brutality on them would be brought to book and justice will be finally seen to be done.

The lives of Dictator Jammeh’s cows are rated higher than that of ordinary Gambians

Wonders shall never cease to end. Gambians; can you imagine that for the past one week, dictator Jammeh has dispatched a full team of intelligence operatives and members of The Gambia Armed Forces to fully investigate and report to him the mysterious disappearances of a number of his cattle from his various ranches.




The security task force has since been visiting various abattoirs to ascertain the true ownership of cattle slaughtered at these abattoirs. Butchers are being forced to surrender the skin and head of any animal slaughtered to ascertain that they have not be stolen from The President’s many ranches.

 

 

Just three days ago, the cattle authentication team of security officers arrested three State Guard officials at The Abuko abattoir accusing them of stealing cattle from The President’s ranch and selling it to butchers. The incident came about when the intelligence officer stationed at The Abuko abattoir sent an anonymous text message to General Saul Badjie, National Guards Commander and Yankuba Badgie, National Intelligence Director, about an attempt by some soldiers to sell meat which he believed came from a suspicious source.

 

It was then that some officials were dispatched to the abattoir and upon arrival the State Guard officials were arrested and accused of stealing by person while on duty at one of The President’s ranches.




Interestingly, a lot of people are surprised about the apparent urgency in looking for missing cattle from The President’s ranches when human beings (innocent for that matter) are still missing in that country and are unaccounted for.

 

 

A lot of people who spoke to The Fatu network have expressed shock and dismay at the lack of interest to conclusively investigate the cases of two US citizens, Alhagie Mamud Ceesay and Ebou Jobe who are still missing in The Gambia and numerous others whose cases are still not investigated, only to discover that Dictator Jammeh has been spending so much resources and security personnel to investigate his missing cattle.




A concerned Gambian who spoke to The Fatu Network has likened dictator Jammeh’s actions to that of a hungry, angry and useless wild beast which does not care about its own family. Another also opined that it is clear now that The Dictator has no respect and value for the lives of The Gambians.

 

 

The Fatu Network is equally shocked with this tasteless move by a  Dictator who continues to willfully and unlawfully arrest, torture and detain incommunicado.

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