GAMBIA
GOVERNMENT DOING WHAT
IT IS
BEST AT- PEDDLING LIES AGAIN
What has become of the officials of The Gambia
government? They must be living in some kind of
delusion making them think that they can fool the
people all the time, even if they have to peddle the
most stupid lies imaginable. In the killing of the
armless Gambian school children they tried in vain to
dribble the public with all kinds of tricks, if I may
borrow a football metaphor here. They first tried to
lie about rubber bullets being the only weapons used
by the security forces; that was soon discarded, for
the evidences in the public’s eyes showed otherwise.
They then tried the
school-children-breaking-into-the-police-armory one,
another story too farfetched for consumption. Then
they hit the final and most ridiculous one about the
criminals taking the weapons and killing the children.
All these were eventually dumped for lack of
credibility.
Now, the government has again come up with fresh ones
about the latest Guinea-Bissau-military-training- team
fiasco. After blowing themselves up in a secret
attempt to train the State Guard troops on how to use
those archaic rocket launchers, the Gambia government
officials again think that they can deceive the public
by giving out false information on the matter. Their
late press release on the incident stated that the
Bissau soldiers were training the GNA soldiers on
peacekeeping role they are to perform in Sierraleone
soon. The military training program is said to have
emanated from a bilateral agreement between Banjul and
Bissau, an agreement that seemed to have been totally
hidden from the Gambian public. Or is it safer to say
that I am the only one who didn’t know or hear about
this recent Gambia-Guinea Bissau defense agreement up
to this level where troops from the former Portuguese
colony were deployed to The Gambia? By government
protocol however, sighting that of the one with the
British Army in 1984, the Turkish Army also in the
80’s to the Nigerians’ in the 90’s, government had
always made it a point of duty to officially inform
the Gambian public of all the implications. But in
this Bissau agreement, the only news I once read about
it came from a confidential report once posted in the
G-L- I can’t even remember the source-saying that
Guinea Bissau and Moroccan troops were now the close
protection guards of Yaya at Kaninlai. I think that
report was condemned by some Jammeh loyalists as false
and unfounded, leaving many people doubtful of the
informer and his information. I wonder whether the
private news papers in the Gambia ever made any
attempt, in the light of that sensitive information,
to investigate the Government about it; and if they
did, I would like to know what the government’s
position was on the matter.
Anyhow, considering the nature and implications of
Guinea-Bissau and Morrocan troops secretly contracted
by The Gambia government to come and work in the
country in any capacity, it would be would be more
likely for that story to attract doubters than
believers to necessitate further investigation. We are
all aware of the Guinea-Bissau and the MFDC connection
which has been one of President Wada’s biggest
international concern lately and the strong denial
that Yaya has been propagating all over to prove that
he had nothing to do with the rebellion. In fact it
was on his no-nonsense crusade for permanent peace in
Cassamance that Wade few weeks ago made that bold and
correct statement that Banjul and Bissau have been
acquiring arms from Libya all the time. It was a
disclosure that triggered angry reaction from Dr.
Sidat Jobe whose ignorance around his master Yaya is
turning him into a reckless government-mouthpiece. I
understand Dr. Jobe even came out public stating that
he was going to challenge his Senegalese counterpart
in an ECOWAS meeting in Nigeria on President Wade’s
“allegations”. Well, I don’t know whether he has
returned from there, but I hope the news reporters
would make a follow up on that and ask the secretary
of state how he could explain the origin of the
suicidal rockets the State Guard were testing with the
Guinea Bissau technical- buffoon team. Yes I called
them buffoons, because to operate “Katusha” rockets
one has to be able to read the instructional manuals
and, of course- most importantly- the safety measures
that go along operating them. Most of the Bissau
soldiers are merely robotic illiterates including
their General, Ansumana. They can follow routine
drills to perfection but are very deficient in talent
and modern knowledge. Was it not Yaya himself who
during the Bissau conflict said on national TV that
General Ansumana Manneh should not rule Bissau because
the Junta leader had no education whatsoever? Why then
should Yaya go back to this same person he once openly
ridiculed for his lack of education to send him his
disciples to train the Gambian soldiers who are far
better educated, is a question that seriously baffles
me.
Anyway, the fatal testing of the “Katusha” rockets
has helped in revealing another dangerous deception
perpetrated by the Yaya regime. It has shown that in
secretly encouraging Guinea-Bissau troops to be
working directly for Yaya in The Gambia, Gambia can no
longer claim neutrality in the Cassamance conflict,
which Senegal fully understands now. Their main
contention was that the rebels are based, trained and
equipped in Bissau, but with this the Bissau forces
could now be categorized the same as the GNA. . It is
also clear that the “Katusha” rockets acquired from
Libya for Yaya’s personal use were at Kaninlai and
that one of the three trucks they were supplied with
is now destroyed. And some of those who tried to fire
the weapons got killed in the process. There should be
two more trucks left which I am waiting again for the
suicidal fools Yaya might send to try and fire them at
Polodi range. I doubt as to whether the Moroccans
would agree to do it at all. If the Libyans who
supplied them would not fire the weapons, why would
any mad man want to do so?
For those unfortunate Gambia Soldiers, I would not be
surprised if Yaya would try to coax you into going
back again by providing you with his crazy bulletproof
jujus for protection. Well, take it from me, those
things don’t work on “Katusha” rockets, but the choice
is yours. Going back for a guaranteed suicide in which
your death would be hidden to the public is a sure and
sorry way to hell. So you must be prepared to even run
away than accept that order. You will only die and
some vampire would come and lie about it.
Peacekeeping training for GNA soldiers going to
Sierraleone? How could they say that? Who can the
Bissau troops teach how to perform international
peacekeeping when they have never been in any such
mission in the world? If they had said Ghana or even
Senegal one would understand, but Guinea Bissau; that
was just a desperate excuse laughable but still
worrisome. Bissau troops in The Gambia are nothing to
joke about. But let them visit the UN mandate on
peacekeeping in Sierraleone and show us where any
country is required to deploy troops with such weapons
as “Katusha” rocket launchers. Anyhow if the training
was for peacekeeping in Sierraleone, why in god’s name
did they restrict it to the State Guard elements only?
Certainly, the regular GNA soldiers must be telling
each other “what some shameless liars we have as our
authorities”. They know that there was no peacekeeping
training with any Bissau soldiers, period.
All said however, I am hoping and praying that the
next time one of the last two trucks are to be test
fired, Jammeh Musa, the greatest, the conqueror of
Liberia, invincible in the face of missiles and
explosives would himself, join the firing team at
Polodi range. Amen.
May those souls lost in the last Polodi exercise rest
in eternal peace. Amen.
Ebou Colly.
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