When he spoke at the State Opening of Parliament on March 31, 2016, President Jammeh’s remarks did not disappoint once again – after all, this is a man that has made a name for himself in raising eyebrows and issuing threats meant to blackmail others.
Jammeh said many things, but of particular interest to observers was his statement in which he declared that Sharia will be implemented as the law of The Gambia and proceeded to admonish the Western countries for calling ISIS, Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations Islamic terrorists while not calling the KKK in the United States Christian terrorists. This; according the observers is not just mere words of a mad man but beneath may lie a very insidious plot meant to destabilize Gambia’s neighbor, Senegal which has recently taken a more hardline position against his many years of belligerence towards her.
Fatu Network reached out to insiders in the regime and security experts to shed light on this declaration and criticism of the West. The answers received are both troubling and dangerous to say the least – observers are right – Jammeh was giving an open invitation to the terror groups that have been threatening to strike Senegal after successful attacks in Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. According to these people, Jammeh has become miffed at the ongoing border closure crisis between Gambia and Senegal, and particularly Senegal’s refusal to negotiate after several advances from him, and this is his effort to show the bigger neighbor that she either come to the negotiating table or he (Jammeh) will be sure to unleash a more deadly enemy on her.
Yahya’s latest move to blackmail Senegal would be considered nothing new except for the scale of brutality he is willing to instigate against Senegal – he has always used the Casamance rebellion as a scarecrow when it comes to his dealings with Senegal. We have witnessed instance after instance in which he would supply guns and ammunition to those rebels fighting for autonomy in Southern Senegal and encouraging them to intensify the war as a means to force Senegal to succumb to his demands because he has presented himself as the only one able to calm the tensions. This bargaining strategy finally lost its value since when Senegal was able to acquire a peaceful settlement with the rebels.
Observers are now saying this act by Yahya amounts to a declaration of war against Senegal, and they insist that the Senegalese must not take this very lightly because the catastrophe that will ensue could have devastating consequences for that country’s economy, not to mention loss of human life.
Fatu Network is closely monitoring and will report accordingly.
