MUSA LEAVES HIS AUDIENCE BATTLE EMOTION

From the left Musa Saidykhan, Ebrima Sankareh and Fatou Jaw Manneh

Kibaaro News Editor was on Saturday accorded standing ovation at the Gambia Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Musa Saidykhan’s presentation on media freedom in the Gambia touched the hearts of many delegates. It all started with an honest introduction of Mr. Saidykhan by the Editor and Publisher of the Gambia Echo. Ebrima Sankareh, who moderated a session, described Mr. Saidykhan as “an icon who represents the struggle against Jammeh’s impunity. He has been abused, misused, tortured and exiled. Sometimes you see the photo that is blinking with a person having his entire back lacerated. That’s Musa Saidykhan’s back. He has been seriously humiliated and abused but he is still seriously kicking on.”

Then it was time for Mr. Saidykhan to share delegates an inkling of something that he has to live with throughout his life. “I was tortured beyond human imagination but the good thing is that it hasn’t affected my humanity.  The whole essence of torture is to dehumanize a person, and I refused to be dehumanized for whatever reason,” he said amid a round of applause.

“My story is a graphic one; it’s a story that is brutal and cruel, and should not have happened to anyone. I have had, endured and gone through all,” he said, explaining how he had at first struggled to piece together his three nights of inhumane systematic and physical tortures which had left lacerated marks all over his body and a broken hand.

“At first it was a great pain for me to tell my story but I came to a conclusion that my story has to be told. But the fundamental question was how my torture story should be told, considering the fact that some part has to remain private. I asked myself “am I suppressing information just like dictators? That was a difficult situation for me.”

At this stage Kibaaro Editor emphasized the need for responsible journalism. “Not everything that a journalist knows is meant for public consumption. As journalists, we need to become sensitive to everything around us: tribes, religions, cultures. We should endeavor to respect the rights of individuals. We need to treat stories with maturity just like I the way I handled my own story,” he said.

Musa’s presentation filled the conference room with uncontrolled emotion, especially when he recounted accidentally exposing his battered body to his five-year-old son. “I had done enough to avoid exposing my kids from seeing my battered body,” he said, narrating the quagmire he had found himself when his son had touched his wounds and asked him to explain. “I told him that I was a victim of the Jammeh regime’s brutality. I could see tears on his cheeks. He said “if I were old enough I would kill anyone who battered my father’s body. That tells you how the Jammeh regime is hurting even innocent children.”

Mr. Saidykhan also explained Kibaaro’s road to responsible journalism. “We are doing our best to be responsible. We must not use our pen, keyboard or microphone to divide politicians, shatter families or abuse others. It’s unfair for us to divide our people with our instruments, for we will not do justice to the future of our country and its great people.”

Musa explained why he had engaged the Gambia government on a legal battle. “I wrote my case file and sent it to the Media Foundation for West Africa because I believe that someone needs to take Yahya Jammeh down and I wanted to be that sacrificial lamb.”

Ends

A “New” Minister of Justice & Solicitor

General? The Debacle Continues

This week saw yet another theatre of musical chairs at the Justice Ministry with the removal of the controversial Minister of Justice Lamin Jobarteh with Justice Ajie Amie Joof and the replacement of Solicitor General Pa Harry Jammeh with Justice Basiru Mahoney respectively. Some online papers called it a “welcome move” presumably because they considered both Lamin Jobarteh and Pa Harry Jammeh bad elements who were doing Yahya Jammeh’s dreadful bidding. Although one may say that these two elements may have been unprincipled, dishonest and insincere but do we really need to be excited about their removal and replacement? I guess our moods should be that of amusement and a wait and see approach.

One wonders why people accept such positions from Jammeh especially at this period in time when all and sundry knows what Jammeh stands for. You do not need to be a rocket scientist, a clairvoyant or  consult a “marabout” to know the kind of job that awaits you when you take up such appointments and the outcome of one’s demise.  Unfortunately for Lamin Jobarteh and Pa Harry Jammeh, they like most Gambians who take up Yahya Jammeh’s appointment (like Mamburay Njie and Benedict Jammeh to mention a few) believe somehow that they were untouchable and unaffected and consequently they spewed out a lot of garbage and hot air during their reign and considered anyone with different and dissenting opinion as non loyalist and unpatriotic.

All these characters who have now fallen out of grace were until their downfall privy to all the horrendous deeds of Yahya Jammeh i.e. the extra judicial killings, unlawful detentions, torture, drug trafficking, money laundering etc, etc. They however made a choice and opted for a career to be one of Yahya Jammeh’s henchmen. Working for Yahya Jammeh is like working for Al Qaeda, sooner or later you will be requested to plant bombs. It appears now that these fallen characters are currently having a dose of their own medicine at one of Yahya Jammeh’s many “5 Star Hotels”- but seriously speaking, should we feel sorry for them? Where they not part and parcel of the establishment that carried out atrocities on Gambians and especially as law officers held briefs and defended all those atrocities?

What motivates supposedly clever men and women to take up such positions? Well no doubt greed and self gratification has a lot to do with it. No Minister of Justice under Yahya Jammeh form 10 years ago to date can fool themselves into believing that they are going to provide any genuine advice to Jammeh in furtherance of rule of law and good governance. The fact of the matter is that Jammeh has repeatedly demonstrated by his deeds, actions and words that he neither believes nor respects the rule of law.

I am not familiar with the newly appointed kids on the block at the Justice Ministry but I am well informed that the current Minister of Justice Ms Ajie Amie Joof is the former wife of Lye Conteh who happens to be the former Mayor of Kanifing Municipal Council. Mr. Lye Conteh if you remember was forcefully removed from his position as Mayor, he was later unlawfully detained for months and tortured and to crown it all, his Bakoteh home was attacked by arsonist and damaged by fire by confessed Kanilia thugs and he and his then wife (now Ministry of Justice) and their child narrowly escaped death and serious injury.  Following a long protracted court proceeding against Mr. Conteh in the courts on bogus charges, he finally fled to the UK where he now sought asylum. If my sources are therefore correct, Minister Aji Amie Joof is fully aware of her host that is to say devil Yahya Jammeh. Hers is therefore a career choice and as a legal person she has all the facts at her disposal and let us hope that she has weighed them all. Remember s/he who takes the benefits must carry the burden as well.

FAMILY SEEKS HELP TO SEND HIS BODY HOME 

The late Nfamara Jarju

Gambians at home and in the diaspora are mourning the sudden and untimely demise of a young, industrious and intelligent man.

Nfamara Jarju, a brother to Lamin Jarju, the publisher and proprietor of Samakung Public Radio (www.samapublicradio.com) in Seattle, Washington State, was on Monday found dead in his apartment room in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nfamara Jarju was born in Wellingara in Kombo North district. The 20-year-old man was a graduate of the School of Nursing in the Gambia. He traveled to the United States to pursue further education.

The management and staff of Kibaaro News wishes to extend its condolences to Lamin Jarjue and the family. We pray for the departed soul to rest in perfect peace.

The family of the deceased is seeking for donation to send the body to the Gambia for a fitting burial. Donations – big or small – will be surely appreciated.

Anyone who wishes to donate can do so using the following account details:

BABA MASS

BOFA

ACCT #000652231638

or

Modou Camara

LYNWOOD WA

BOFA ACCT #4257738660

Ends

HE SELLS EVEN DIAPERS AND USED CLOTHING

Ousainou Mbenga, Amadou Scattred Janneh, Ousainou Darboe and Muhammed Lamin Sillah

President Yahya Jammeh’s former minister has accused Gambian leader of treating Gambians with disdain.

Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh, Coordinator of the Coalition for Change – The Gambia (CCG), punched President Jammeh for turning the nation’s coffers and resources into his personal property.

“Despite constitutional prohibitions, Jammeh is actively involved in virtually every sphere of economic activity in the country — from selling diapers, used clothing, bread, and beef to vegetable gardening,” the former Information Minister told the just concluded Gambia Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in North Carolina. “In the process, he has used not-so-subtle bullying tactics to stifle competition in the economic arena. From targeted tax audits to outright theft of private property, the President blatantly uses state power for the advancement of his narrow, private economic interests.”

Dr. Janneh was a victim of the Gambia’s malfunctioning judicial system, resulting to his incarceration. He was convinced that the Gambia’s “judiciary has become largely an arm of Yahya Jammeh, doing his bidding in dealing with enemies, both real and imaginary. The outrageous, ill-advised, and overtly unfair decisions taken by the highest courts of the land confirm the widely held contention that the institution is run by foreign mercenaries paid with public resources, but loyal only to their master and their pockets.”

In September last year, the United States Civil Rights Activist, Reverend Jesse Jackson secured the release of Dr. Janneh and Tamsir Janneh, the former top immigration official. The two were expelled from the Gambia.  Janneh has since become an important player in the struggle to shatter the pillars of the Jammeh dictatorship.

He described the Gambia’s legislature as “a big joke,” as its “chamber is packed with a bunch of puppets whose task is primarily to carryout Yahya Jammeh’s dictates; flying even before he says jump. Jammeh manipulated the constitution to ensure that he becomes Puppet-in-Chief. After cheating in elections and gaining almost total control of the National Assembly, he got his cronies to amend the constitution to his tune. For instance, any member who is expelled by his party automatically loses his seat in the legislature. As Jammeh is the only one empowered to expel members from his APRC party, he uses the threat of expulsion to ensure total conformity.”

Ends

The Raleigh Accord

Raleigh, North Carolina U.S.A. May 19 2013:  The three-day Gambia Conference on Democracy and Good Governance organized by GDAG, STGDP, and DUGA successfully concluded in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The convention brought together Gambians, political leaders, civil society organizations, and non-Gambians alike, far and wide under one roof to discuss ways of restoring democracy, good governance, and the rule of law in the Gambia. 

Delegate pool included Hon Ousainou Darboe of UDP, Hon Hamat Bah of NRP, and Hon Omar A Jallow of PPP – all representing the Gambia.  Dr Sedat Jobe represented the Gambian community in Senegal while former Vice President Bakary Bunja Darboe and Abdoulie Jobe represented the UK and Europe.  Representing the Gambian community from Mali was Mrs. Adelaide Sosseh. Leadership of PDOIS and Mai Fatty of GMC were unable to attend but the latter sent a message of solidarity on behalf of his party GMC. In a letter sent to the organizers of the conference, Halifa Sallah – Secretary General of PDOIS wrote, “I have been asked to convey to you the deep admiration we have for those of you who spared no effort in sacrificing time and resources to bring sovereign Gambians together to reflect on the past, present and future of our country. We applaud your initiative and wish you utmost success.”

In North America, delegates flew or drove in from coast to coast.  From New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Seattle, Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia, Georgia and more – men, women and children came.  In Raleigh, North Carolina where the conference was held, residents turned out in large numbers to support their local organizers.  Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Eugene Weeks, United States Congressman David Price, and Regional Liaison Michael Jones at Senator Kay Hagan’s office were present.  Also in attendance was a returning Peace Corps volunteer from the Gambia Marisa Benzle, aka Fatou Manjang.

On Friday May 17, 2013 Raleigh Mayor Pro Tem Eugene Weeks, introduced by Co-Chairman Alkali Conteh, welcomed guests to the city and wished delegates a successful convention.  Chairman Conteh thanked the Mayor Pro Tem for coming and requested for the city to proclaim May 17 or May 18 as Gambian Day in Raleigh.  On Saturday May 18 2013, delegates deliberated on the most poignant issues of the gathering such as the violations of human rights in the Gambia, putting up a united opposition front against the Gambian dictatorship, lack of press freedom, enlisting the international community in our struggle, and mapping sustainable ways of financing the struggle.  The opposition party leaders pledged their commitment to work with the Gambian Diaspora to bring down tyranny in the country.  Conference delegates agreed to pursue legal actions against Yahya Jammeh, his government, and his interest pursuant to his continued disregard for the rule of law and human rights.  Convention concluded with the signing of a communiqué that comprise of action plans.

Below is the full text of the communiqué.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has reportedly fired the Attorney General and Minister of Justice from his position on Monday.

Mr. Lamin Jobarteh’s firing was announced over Gambia Radio and Television. Gambian President relied on constitutional provisions to announce Mr. Jobarteh’s termination of services.

He was replaced by Justice Amie Joof.

Mr. Jobarteh, affectionately called Babadinding,  was appointed Attorney General and Minister of Justice, following the constitution of a new Cabinet on 3rd February 2012. He had previously worked at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as the Director of Operations until his firing in February 1998 after a scandal involving counterfeit currencies was uncovered at the spy agency.

Jobarteh has been a private lawyer until his elevation to the position of a high court justice and subsequently the Justice Minister. He has defended the Gambia government’s illegal execution of 9 death row inmates in August last year.

It’s not clear whether the Gambian president will recycle the man who had recently demonstrated immaturity during a prank call by Freedom Radio. It was not however clear whether his sacking has anything to do with the call.

WE MUST NOT LET FEAR TO PARALYZE US

Sillah on the right with Ousainou Darboe, Amadou Scattred Janneh and Ousainou Mbenga

Gambian activist has called for an urgent need to put concerted efforts together in a bid to take down a dictator who “terrorizes us out of wits by the nearly two decades of virulent dictatorship, repression and state terrorism.”

Muhammed Lamin Sillah, the anchor of Gambian Experience on Kibaaro Radio, was the moderator of the Rule of Law at the just concluded Gambia Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in Raleigh, North Carolina.

“Many say it is because of fear,” Mr. Sillah said, believing that “fear is normal and human and even at times healthy. We can be afraid but we must not let fear to paralyze us. Fear is not a permanent quantity. It is dynamic, ever-changing even ephemeral and manageable with sober risk- assessment and risk taking. The thinking that Gambians are innately peaceful or cowardly is a myth held on to by those who have not studied our history properly. Between1850, when the king of Kombo was slain in Busumbala, to March 21^st 1901 with the defeat of Foday Kaba , all the communities straddling the Gambia River valley knew no peace, only war.”

“In our struggle for the restoration of sanity,” contended Sillah, “democracy and the rule of law in the Gambia therefore, the problem is not lack of courage, but lack of concerted direction of efforts. The problem is not the will but the way.” He said this was why “we have been called to assemble in this august gathering to try to collectively chart out a way forward towards National Liberation. We are on the verge of liberation and we must define a way towards that liberation and what that liberation is. In these deliberations, pluralism of views must be respected but once decisions are reached, commitment to compliance and implementation are paramount. In these deliberations we can hope to exhaust the questions around the way forward but not the definition of the liberation. That definition cannot be usurped by this conference as that is the work of voters in elections and referenda in the coming post Jammeh era.”

He said the august gathering was called “in order to take stock of efforts so far, by patriotic Gambians at home and abroad, to take back our country from the hands of an insane and bloody autocracy, and to chart a way forward towards achieving this goal,” he said, blaming Gambians for allowing “tyranny to triumph over us for too long. The incidence of tyranny may not have been sufficient to call a society weak, but its longevity certainly does. July 22^nd 1994 might have been an accident of history, an aberration, a whimsical episode, but its prolonged duration may be an indication of the health status of our society, the moral courage of its members and the level of commitment to it by its citizens.”

Mr. Sillah said “the Gambia is not a dictatorship by a caste, class or tribe of governing, exploiting and oppressing group of privileged people, as elsewhere. No. What obtains is a one-man rule, an autocracy that is not only kleptocratic but also psychopathic. An autocracy that seizes hold of hundreds of thousands of hectares of farmland  from communities all over the country and compel citizens, from soldiers, police officials, villagers, university students, to members of religious sects, to toil free-of-charge on those expropriated farms. An autocracy that claims to have cure for almost all the diseases we know of; that decides on the composition of the boards of Islamic bodies; of imamates, and of even the times we should do our prayers. A one-man rule which holds the country in an iron grip, emptying it of all its purposes and its raison d’etat.”

He said the Gambia’s “system of rule cannot exist for so long without citizens of that particular country being liable for some blame.” He asked whether the country’s small size of population and geography make it vulnerable and maneuverable to the whims and caprices of a tyrant and autocrat. “Is it that we are innately so cowardly that anyone can trample on us and our rights as he or she likes?  Are we as Gambians, so cheap and ignorant that we are ready to surrender all our rights and civil liberties for the sake of some ill-conceived, ill-planned and ill-coordinated gains in infrastructural developments? Gains, in fact, that for the most, look like they were more for the show, the kickbacks and the politicking than for their economic logic. Where are the signs of our manhood, our commitment to community and our sense of patriotism, solidarity and sacrifice for the right course?”

The former Secretary General of Amnesty International in the Gambia said the Raleigh conference must help to answer to answer so many vital questions such as where do we go from Raleigh, how do we help build a National Front of all opposition parties, groupings and tendencies inside and outside Gambia around a minimum program of working for the ousting of the Jammeh autocracy; its replacement with a transition government, enabling of national discourse to precede the usher of Third Republic. What institutional arrangement do we work out for the front that will unite and coordinate the activities of both domestic and Diaspora activities?”

He also believed that the Raleigh deliberations were crucial since they clearly defined the methods of struggle we are going to adopt – peaceful or armed, mass-based or conspiracy, coups or the hatching of plots.

“With Jammeh’s tightening control over Gambian Islam and ceaseless onslaught on the Muslim clergy, how can we court Gambian Islamists into our movement without losing the secularity of the struggle? How do we, as a front deal with foreign governments, especially Dakar? How do we avoid letting our struggle degenerate into personal squabbles, ethnic strife and national disintegration? How do we avoid the front becoming another epitome of disunity? Where do we stand on the coalition of the Six Opposition Parties and their boycott or non-participation in the electoral process, as they call it?  These and many more questions should be addressed in the course of this conference.”

Graduating Gambians in Texas, United States

Saturday May 11, 2013 was graduation day for many Gambians in Texas mainly across colleges and universities in the Dallas, Corsicana and Tyler suburbs, and for the academic year of 2012 – 2013 a record number of 43 Gambians graduated with an Associate, Bachelors or Masters Degrees.

Graduation day in Corsicana has been a longstanding tradition for Gambians living in the United States, particularly for Gambian students in Navarro College and their fellow Gambians in Tyler and the Dallas Fort-Worth metroplex. Guests from The Gambia and other parts of the United States gathered in Corsicana to celebrate the graduation of Gambian students from Navarro College. The day was marked by a commencement ceremony for the graduating students, lunch with family and friends of the students, soccer tournament among Gambians from various localities in Texas, and a graduation party at night.

With a population fewer than 30,000 people, Corsicana, Texas is home to Navarro College, and this small north Texas town is a very popular destination for many Gambian students seeking higher education in the United States. This little known town in Texas began rolling out the welcome mat for the students from the tiny West African country over two decades ago, when a small group of Gambian students first arrived at Navarro College in 1988, and since then, the strong aspirations and conviction by Gambians for academic excellence and personal growth has guaranteed this small town college a steady flow of Gambian students coming to Navarro College every semester. Today, Gambians boasts to outnumber all other international students on the three campuses of Navarro College

The socio-economic impact of these young Gambians coming to the United States and attaining the best education this country has to offer is phenomenal, and it’s mutually beneficial to both the United States and their native country thousands of miles away, dubbed the smiling coast of West Africa. The majority of these students after graduating from Navarro College usually proceed to attain their undergraduate and graduate degrees in various fields of study, and as new highly skilled college graduates, some return home to put their skills to use and immensely contribute to the growing Gambian economy, and others who choose to stay are aggressively recruited and retained by businesses in the United States.

The broad spectrum of benefits for educating these young Gambians has also touched many localities just 45 miles north of the campuses of Corsicana–the Dallas-Fort worth metroplex where many of these highly educated Gambians now call home. Their education and higher earning power allows them a faster economic, cultural and civic assimilation into US society, raising families and owning homes in various neighborhoods of DFW. While they easily assimilate into US society, they are also keenly cognizant of the importance of keeping their rich cultural heritage to enhance the already diverse cultural landscape of their host country. Their deep affection for a united Gambian community and desire to give back to the community led to the formation of a non-profit organization called the Gambian Texas Association, commonly referred to in Gambian circles as the GTA, whose primary goal is to promote the interests and welfare of Gambians both in the United States and the Gambia. For more information about Gambians living in Texas, please visit the GTA website at www.gtatexas.com

Congratulations to the graduates of 2012 -2013 academic year:

From: The Gambian Texas Association (GTA)

AS FORMER NDEA OFFICER SPILLS THE BEANS

Whistle blower Malang Saidy

Drugs packaged in Jammeh’s warehouse

By Bamba Serign Mass

Kibaaro News can today proved with confidence that Gambian President is deeply involved in drug dealing. Malang Saidy, a former officer of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), armed Kibaaro News with substantial evidence proving the secrets of President Yahya Jammeh’s Bank of Allah. 

Our story comes on the heels of the just concluded Gambia conference in Northern Carolina aimed at uprooting dictatorship in the Gambia.

Drugs being processed at warehouse

“President Yahya Jammeh had indeed involved in drug trade way back since 1999,” Mr. Saidy told Kibaaro News. “I can confidently say that President Jammeh never burnt the Cocaine discovered by the so-called joint operation of British Intelligence and Gambian security agents.”

The said drugs were stored in Bonto in Kombo East and in an underground warehouse situated between Kanilai (Jammeh’s birthplace) and Kangfenda. Yusupha Jatta (seen in one of the pictures) who was an Immigration Officer was dispatched by Yahya Jammeh to secretly build another underground building outside Kanilai. Jatta whom yahya Jammeh trusted at the time was moved from Immigrations Department and promoted to Assistant Manager in charge of operations of NDEA. He is now betrayed and sent to Mile 2 by Jammeh.”

Yusupha Jatta supervising processing of drugs

The whistle blower said President Jammeh “made sure that NDEA is filled with only his trusted officers who are paid huge amounts of monthly salary. In fact, a mere constable in NDEA receives more than a police inspector. However, they must swear an oath to keep secrets,” Malang said, adding that he was part of the group that had access of the drugs. “I befriended so many people in the NDEA who are are all cooperating with me secretly providing information they knew about Yahya Jammeh’s involvement in Drug trafficking,” he said.

Bubo’s ship that smuggles drugs to Jammeh’s factory

Packaged drugs

“Despite fragile political institutions and deep-rooted poverty, drug trafficking in the Gambia is on the increase.Yahya Jammeh is deeply involved in the selling, distribution and exportation of cocaine he brags that he is the smartest human being and no one can fool him. When things go tough he sacrifices junior officer working for him as escape goat,” he said, revealing that one Musa  B. Sanneh a former soldier in the Gambia National army was President Jammeh’s personal drug pusher but the duo fell out when Sanneh stole some drugs from the warehouse and sold them to one Vesna Faye Milosavljevic (a Russian) to help his younger brother travel to America. That made the drug baron crazy and Musa Sanneh was sent to Mile 2 and accused of drug trafficking.”

Sanneh was accused of unlawfully taking heroine from the exhibits and sold them knowing fully it was against the law.  He pleaded not guilty, brutally tortured and threatened with painful death if he revealed the President’s name in court.

“We have more chilling information to supply, especially now that my boss Benedict Jammeh is save from the clutches of the tyrant,” Malang saidy with a sigh of relief.

Saidy added that “President Jammeh’s wife, Zeinab Souma Jammeh, deals directly with Ousman Conteh, son of late Guinean President Lassana Conteh who was indicted by the US a couple of years back together with General Natchuta Bubo of Guinea-Bissau together. They supply President Jammeh with containers of drugs which is mostly smuggled by Zeinab and some diplomats when they travel abroad while some are sold locally. This is how Yahya Jammeh’s Allah’s bank is funded. Sometimes Myriam Souma the sister of Zeinab Souma Jammeh helps with her husband who I learnt is a close friend of Ousman Conteh. It is a chain work and I am sure when ever Ben Jammeh talks all hell will break loose for Yahya Jammeh.”

As you can see in the pictures, a ship from Bissau was sent by General Natchuta Bubo, the Guinea Bissau drug baron who is now under American custody. “Bubo traffics drugs to President Jammeh constantly; they are best of friends and I was able to take pictures of the ship that transports drugs from Bissau to Banjul. This ship is only trusted members of NDEA and NIA agents that can come close to it while I work at the NDEA.”

With the help of our newly recruited agents under the tutelage of Malang Saidy are working tirelessly to provide more chilling information that would be crucial in indicting President Jammeh. Gone are the days when President Jammeh should be allowed to use the media to fool Gambians that he is getting rid of drug trafficking when he is at the center of it all. We will get to the root of the cases of the convicted former police chief Ensa ‘Jesus’ Badjie who had been known to be involved in the trade of the illicit drugs and various other criminal activities well before he was appointed to head the country’s police. President Jammeh is on record describing him as the best police chief he had ever appointed.

“In the recent past, the scale of drug trafficking has increased alarmingly. as Gambians become flabbergasted by the discovery of huge quantities of hard drugs involving public officers, who betrayed public trust and confidence. How can President Jammeh think he is smart? All his close allies are either in jail, on the run or sent to their early graves. Bun Sanneh, Ousman Sanneh (Sembe), Musa Sanneh, and Yusupha Jatta are all in Mile 2 while Ben Jammeh and others are on the run. Does Yahya Jammeh want the rest of the world to believe that he is indeed innocent and his trusted friends are the culprits?”

Saidy concluded his revelations with the wise sayings of the king of raggae Bob Marley thus: “Tell me who your friends are and I shall tell you who you are.”

RESOLUTION SEEKS TO RESTORE DEMOCRACY IN GAMBIA

Delegates adopting the final resolution

The Gambia Conference for Democracy and Good Governance wrapped up in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Sunday, with delegates adopting a resolution that seeks to restore true democracy in the West African country. The three-day conference was attended by Gambians from all walks of life. Below is the full text of the Raleigh Accord.

Preamble

Concerned about the deteriorating political, economic, social and human rights conditions in The Gambia which resulted from the unfortunate event of the AFPRC/APRC coup on July 22, 1994

Recognizing that the national political leadership (the opposition) has not relented in its efforts to restore sanity to Gambian politics;

Aware that the failure of these efforts to achieve the desired goal of restoring true democracy  is largely attributable to the unorthodox and criminal strategies employed by the Jammeh dictatorship;

Realizing that the fragmentation of the efforts of the opposition significantly undermined their impact;

Cognizant of the urgent need to put in place a centralized coordinating  mechanism that would, inter-alia, coordinate the  activities and efforts of the various opposition groups and camps,  and in effect, serve as the face of the struggle to restore democracy,  the rule of law and good governance to The Gambia;

The proposed structure will not seek to usurp the roles/rights of the individual parties and groups, but will strive to coordinate their efforts and strategies with a view to achieving the desired results.

That GDAG, STGDP, DUGA convened a conference in Raleigh North Carolina from the 17th to the 19th May 2013 to bring together the key players in the field (heads of political parties, politicians, civil society, and the media to dialogue and consult on the way forward.

The delegates assembled in Raleigh, NC have agreed to the following:

To form a Steering Committee (SC) to pursue an agenda for democratic change in The Gambia.

That the SC shall be responsible for the effective crafting and representation of the Agenda for change.

That the SC will identify and work with groups, organizations and institutions that are engaged in the struggle to promote good governance, democracy and the rule of law.

That the SC will serve as a link between the opposition movement in the Diaspora, political parties and civil society organizations and the media on the ground to promote the agenda for change.

The SC shall initiate contact with regional, sub-regional and international bodies and organizations with a view to enlist their support towards finding peaceful and democratic solutions to the Gambian political situation.

The SC shall mobilize the required funding and other logistics for the struggle and the agenda for change.

The SC shall encourage and support the reform agenda outlined by the G6.

The conference directs the conveners of the Raleigh gathering, STGDP, GDAG and DUGA-DC to act as committee pro-temp with the responsibility to put in place the permanent Steering Committee comprising representatives from Africa, North America, and Europe within 4 weeks.

Done in Raleigh, North Carolina, on this 19th Day of May 2013

Signed by

Omar A Jallow

A.N.M.Ousainou Darboe

Hamat NK Bah

Adelaide Sosseh

Dr Sedat Jobe

Maila Touray

Dr Abdoulaye   Saine

Dr Amadou S Janneh

Fatou Jaw Manneh

Bakary Bunja Darboe

Miss Sigga Jagne

Gambia Democratic Action Group

Save the Gambia Democracy Project

Democratic Union of Gambian Activist

“Our ultimate salvation is not in Senegal, Brussels or Washington D.C. Our success lies within ourselves; in our willingness to do what it takes to break the bondage of tyranny.  This is not to diminish the fundamentality of conducting diplomacy, which our Party is widely known for. Meetings and statements, important as they are, shall not get us to the ultimate destination. This is time for action.”

The above is contained in a solidarity message to the participants of the Gambia Conference on Democracy and Good Governance in Raleigh, North Carolina, The full text of the message sent by the Gambia Moral Congress party leader Lawyer Mai Fatty. The message below was ready by a veteran Gambian politician Omar Amadou Jallow.

On behalf of GMC, I have the honour and privilege to express our profound appreciation to the co-organisers and sponsors of Gam-conference 2013 – The Gambia Democratic Action Group, Save The Gambia Democracy Project and the Democratic Union of Gambian Activists. Allow me to make special mention of Mr. Alkali Conteh, Lamin Tunkara, Fatty Kunda Nyacho Banka Manneh, the able Pa Samba Jow, Musa Jeng, Comrade Ousainou Mbenga and the rest of crew. If your name is not mentioned, it is not because your role has not been generously acknowledged. Thank you very much for what you have been doing for our country.

Ladies and Gentlemen; I send you fraternal greetings from our Leadership and GMC supporters not only in The Gambia but around the world. We are with you each moment of this historic gathering right through to the implementation of its Resolutions. GMC congratulates you and wish you very successful deliberations. We also welcome the initiatives taken by our compatriots in England at the recent London Congress, which culminated in the election of a Committee under the Chairmanship of Hon. Bakary Darbo.

While congratulating all those elected to serve along with him, we wish to extend to them a generous hand of fraternity and solidarity. Allah, the Omnipotent, bears me witness that if there is anywhere else I would love to be today, it is to be with you right here in Raleigh, North Carolina. I did all within my human capacity to be able to join you here in resolving the urgent challenges confronting our nation and peoples. The Organising Committee of this Conference has been privy to those genuine efforts. Together, they supported me to make it a success, and I am thankful to them. Even with our combined efforts, unfortunately, my presence among you this time was not Decreed by Allah. I accept His Will with total submission, gratitude, faith and patience. I bear testimony to the unconditional acceptance of the undeniable truth that God’s time is the best, and I praise the Almighty for His absolute authority over me and my destiny.

Mr. Chairman, allow me this opportunity to express our strong commitment to our

enduring partnership with the United Democratic Party, in working together to forge significant political changes in our country. The UDP-GMC-PPP Alliance is grounded on trust, sincerity, principle, vision and profound respect. GMC remains loyal to the leadership of our great Alliance. I take this opportunity to convey the goodwill and solidarity of my leadership and that of our Party supporters to the UDP Secretary General and Leader of the UDP-GMC-PPP United Alliance, the Hon. Ousainu Darboe who is here with you in Raleigh. We thank him for his sterling leadership, for his statesmanship, for his rare service to our country, and for being a great role model to emerging politicians like us. Hon. Ousainu Darboe, let me assure you that you remain our leader, and that you can continue to depend on our loyalty and support. To Hon. Omar Jallow, I will compensate you for stealing your wife at a wrestling contest between us if my Nyancho Banka Manneh would be the referee. However, you can have consolation that she is in good hands and about me and her, reserve no worries. Hon Hamat Bah, I thank you for your care and visits during my hospitalization in Dakar. The times we spent together, and the discussions we had are fresh in my mind, and I value those moments. Njaarama.

Mr. Chairman, there is only one objective that merits exclusive focus: achieving total political change in our country. This effort must be championed and led by Gambians. No oppressed people that depend essentially on external assistance from tyranny ever succeeded in liberating themselves. We beg to differ with those who pin substantial hopes on a foreign government to launch them into the fulfillment of political ambition. The independence of our country shall not be compromised, the integrity of our institutions shall be enforced and the inviolability of our resources shall be protected.

Gambians shall liberate our country without appeasement to a certain country, which may potentially jeopardize our long term stability and independence. It would be unfortunate to subscribe to the principle of power delivered on a silver platter by a foreign government. This would be a dangerous miscalculation, an unrealistic aspiration, and a clear lack of vision. Here in Raleigh, we must pull our own weight and depend on it. We must make the necessary sacrifices ourselves, for no one shall fight our battle for us. By now, we must come to the inevitable realization that only we ourselves shall get the job, and we must assume that mindset supported by the right vision with targeted, pragmatic, result-oriented actions.

Our ultimate salvation is not in Senegal, Brussels or Washington D.C. Our success lies within ourselves; in our willingness to do what it takes to break the bondage of tyranny. This is not to diminish the fundamentality of conducting diplomacy, which our Party is widely known for. Meetings and statements, important as they are, shall not get us to the ultimate destination. This is time for action.

In charting a way forward, it must be understood and appreciated that your natural partner is the internal opposition on the ground. Let me trumpet it and clear here that there can be no successful political transformation that alienates the internal opposition, and by this I mean the opposition Parties on the ground. The international community will not open up to serious dialogue on the future of our country in any initiatives that set to render the internal opposition secondary. I know this. With all humility, we have had more consistent, diverse and extensive interaction and diplomatic intercourse with the international community than any existing Gambian political group.

For us to succeed, the Diaspora and the internal opposition on the ground must embrace each other, complimenting each other. We cannot succeed by mutual antagonism, mistrust, confrontation and competition. There was never a time, and there will not be a time during the struggle to cast aspersions on the internal opposition. The Gambian opposition, like the Diaspora reflects the nature of The Gambian society. We are what you are, so let us look inward. Yet there is hope. This Conference is intended to enable us banish negative values, and in their place enthrone a culture of cooperation and solidarity – working together in a united, concerted action as one entity, one people to deliver change to our citizens.

On the sensitive, but elusive issue of a united opposition on the ground, this is truly vital. It is the unanimous conviction of all stakeholders in the struggle for the opposition parties to unite under a single leadership. Speaking for our Alliance, we share this conviction.

However, it is easier said than done. The issue of a united opposition is the most complex labyrinth in the process. I am confident that the UDP-GMC-PPP Alliance shall continue to search for all avenues for a united opposition. Let me also state that no country in the world has had its opposition totally united in facing the incumbent. To demand 100% unity of the opposition parties is a continuous work in progress. The same way that Gambian Diaspora organisations cannot achieve unity although your objectives are identical, explains how tough the process may be. What is helpful is for you to help us overcome this challenge with wisdom and patience, not condemnation and vilification.

Lastly, our view of a successful conference is one that sets up an umbrella entity with the primary objective of supporting the capacity of the internal opposition as well empowering their structures on the ground. The notion of a conference to empower a diaspora entity as the face and soul of the struggle seeking the blessing of the internal opposition leadership to facilitate the same would be an unrealistic expectation. Anything that has the potential to split us into them and us should not find its way either directly or subtly in our deliberations or Resolutions. Regular contacts, consultation and coordination based on mutual respect, should dictate dealings between both sides.

Mr. Chairperson, GMC assures you our full support within the context of the United Alliance. We shall continue to consult within the Alliance with a view to harmonizing and coordinating policies and efforts that may emerge out of this Conference, where there is a convergence. I can also assure you that, under the leadership of Hon. Ousainu Darboe, the United Alliance shall continue to relentlessly search and work for the unity of the opposition parties on the ground. We ask for your support in facilitating this.

Once again, I pay homage to the organisers of this historic event. I would also like to recognize the presence of Hon. Bakary Bunja Darbo, Dr. Abdoulaye Saine, Dr. Sedat Jobe, Dr. Amadou Scatred Janneh, and all other Delegates who came from different States within the United States and outside of the United States. This is the opportunity we have been calling for. Let us make it a success in the interest of Mother Gambia. I formally request that this Statement be taken as part of the official records of this Conference.

May the Almighty Allah help us in liberating our country. Long Live the Republic of The Gambia! Thank you all.