Am I the only one outraged by the "Daily Observer's"
article on the massacre of the Gambian students
yesterday?  If you have not seen it yet, see for
yourself below (As posted by Momodou Camara on G-L)

How dare they?  The article suggested that the
student's were the cause of the escalation of the
incident, to the point of murder by the paramilitary
officers.  It suggested that the Paramilitary
personnel, only acted out of fear for their safety and
out of desperation.  Almost as if they only reacted in
self defense. Is observer hinting that the dead
students are responsible for their own death?  Will
someone explain to me how trained, armed, killing
machines like those "Jammeh Assassins" can justify
their fear of defenseless school children?  How can
they justify their "claimed acts of Self Defense"
against innocent youths armed with nothing?

I swear as I was reading it, I was almost sure that I
was reading a report on the incident put out by Jammeh
and his "Puppet Government."  What is going on
OBSERVER? What happened to the brave front you used to
present and your usual reporting of injustices by the
government.  Why have you decided to play it save in
this, the Gambian People's most hour of need?  I have
to say, as a former fan of the newspaper, that am
greatly disappointed.  This is not a time to report
"Government Friendly Material."  It is a time to
report the truth, a time for you and all other
vehicles of journalism to use that unrivaled power of
the press, to make sure the voice of the Gambian
people are heard world wide.  I think that if our
young can be out in the streets of Gambia facing
bullets and laying down their lives, we the adults can
surely be shocked into action.  For we have indeed
failed them.  If we had knipped Jammeh's lunatic
outbursts of crazed dictatorship from the beginning,
then our young will not have found it necessary to lay
down their lives in other to achieve justice.  As it
is, we should be ashamed of the fact that we did
indeed watch on and in the process, let our brothers
and sisters down.  For we should be the protectors of
our future leaders.  Hence, the least we can do now,
is to make sure that those who died did not die in
vain.  And if anything, I would expect the press to
lead this call for justice.  I definitely did not
expect the Daily Observer to be the one poking at our
wounds by almost blaming our dead for their own
murders.  Please tell me that you were monitored or
forced to write this article against your will.  For I
cannot believe that such a fine mechanism of
journalism would drop the batton in the midst of the
race.  In the Spirit of true journalism, I invoke you
to divert this course your newspaper has taken.  We
all know that often, it is the press who help re-write
modern history.  So help us re-write our history.
Help us take the reigns of our country from these
murderous, inhumane creatures.  In Your Heart You Know
The Truth, So Let It Be Heard or better yet, in this
case, Let It Be Read.


I look forward to FOROYAA's version of the events.

Momodou Camara

The Daily Observer Published 04/11/00


 10 DEAD IN STUDENTS DEMO

At least ten people are reported to have died
following clashes between
demonstrating students and armed police and soldiers
yesterday.

Students from schools in Serrekunda, Banjul, Brikama
and Bakau, went
out on the
streets to protest against what they said was the
'slow pace' of
justice in the
prosecution of the Brikama fire officers who were
alleged to have
caused the
death of student Ebrima Barry, and an unidentified
uniformed officer
alleged to
have raped the 13-year-old Brikama-ba school girl.

Among the dead in yesterday's clashes was Red cross
volunteer, Omar
Barrow, who
is also the editor of Sud FM Radio, Banjul.Last week,
students under
the aegis
of Gambia Students Union (Gamsu) sent messages to
schools in the
Greater Banjul
Area informing of the strike. Messages on posters were
also pinned up
in
schools and along  streets in Serrekunda.

Alerted about the strike, the department of state for
the Interior
Sunday
issued a press release warning students against
staging a strike and
stressed
that no attempt to disrupt the peace will be allowed.

Sources at Interior said the executive members of
Gamsu were invited to
a
meeting where they were briefed on government's
efforts to speedily
prosecute
the alleged errant officers.

However, at about 8am Monday, students carrying white
banners with
slogans,
"Justice for Ebrima Barry", "We rather die than
injustice", "Respect
the future
leaders", "Redeploy Brikama fire officers" and
chanting, "We are hot,
very,
very hot!", "We want freedom and justice!", began
gathering at GTTI
where they
were to begin the supposedly "peaceful" demonstration.

A contingent of paramilitary officers arrived at the
scene and
cautioned the
students to call off the strike. They refused to
comply. A short while
later,
armed forces chief of staff, Babucarr Jatta, and army
commander, Lt Col
Momodou
Badjie, arrived and urged the students to remain calm.

The students began throwing stones when the
paramilitary officers
barred their
way.  The officers reacted by firing shots into the
air. There was
pandemonium
as some of the students ran amok while others did mock
battle with the
armed
officers.

The paramilitary officers regrouped at the mobile
traffic unit as the
students
in disparate groups advanced towards the Westfield
junction, setting up
road
blocks and setting vehicle tyres on fire.

At the Westfield junction, Col Jatta and Interior
secretary, Ousman
Badjie,
tried to calm the students without success.

The students vandalised the Westfield Gamtel office,
burning the
building and
smashing to smithreens the computers and furniture.

They continued on the stoning spree along Kairaba
Avenue breaking shop
glasses
and setting ablaze vehicles. The students were joined
by street boys
and shops
and stalls were looted.

The Gamtel Serrekunda Exchange, Gambia Television
offices and the
adjoining
Serrekunda Post Office were attacked. The post office
was vandalised
without
restraint as windows were smashed, post boxes opened
and parcels
looted. Gamtel
coin phone booths were not spared as well as the Daily
Observer
offices.

At about 9.18am the Churchill's Town Fire and
Ambulance Services
compound was
attacked and two fire machines, one bearing the number
plate, G3A 4214
were
burnt.

The Bundung police station was burnt as well as part
of the Serrekunda
police station where inmates were freed.Kotu police
and fire station
were attacked. Sources in Brikama said the fire
engines were attacked and
the pol
ice station gutted to the ground. Armed personnel were
said to have
been redeployed in the town.

The mobile traffic headquarters was also attacked,
windscreens of
vehicles smashed, including one police siren car and
three motorbikes.The
students jeered at the deputy inspector general of
police and Baba Jobe
when they
 tried to calm them. The students seized DIG Badjie's
cap but returned
it to him later.

The president of Gamsu, Omar Joof, and some of his
executive members
had to flee on board a pick-up vehicle in a hail of
stones after he tried
to address the students.

Some of the students seized police shields, helmets
and uniforms,
wearing them.Our reporter, Ben Gomez, said he saw a
student pick up a gun
dropped by a fleeing paramilitary officer and wanted
to open fire but
there was n
o cartridge.

The paramilitary officers were said to have been
barricaded in a
building where they ran for safety for about 20
minutes as thick smoke from
burning tyres oozed on them.The officers then opened
fire and according
to our r
eporter, three students wearing black and white
uniforms fell down and
were motionless.

At the Serrekunda Post Office, Col Jatta, who was
making frantic
efforts to douse the flames of violence was accosted
by the students who
escorted him on foot along Kairaba Avenue to the
paramilitary base in
Kanifing wher
e he was rescued. The students were forced to retreat
under rounds of
gunfire lasting 20 minutes.

By last evening, Red Cross officials said at least 10
people have died
and many injured including a three year-old-boy. Most
of the injured
were admitted at the RVH intensive care unit.

Armed soldiers were patrolling the streets
yesterday.The violence,
damage to property and loss of life have been roundly
condemned by many
people who appealed to the security forces to ensure
that Monday's encore
is not r
epeated.



Omar Barrow Killed



Omar Barrow, a Red Cross volunteer and the editor at
Sud FM radio
station, Banjul, was shot to death during the student
demonstration
yesterday.

In a press release issued last evening, Gambia Red
Cross Society
(GRCS), explained: "Mr Omar Barrow died at the Royal
Victoria Hospital in
Banjul after all efforts to save his life.  Omar
Barrow was shot within
the premis
es of GRCS whilst rendering humanitarian services
during the student
demonstration of Monday, April 10, 2000. At the time
of the gunshot, Mr
Omar
Barrow was wearing a clearly marked protective Red
Cross emblem, that
is, a Red
Cross bib and helmet, which is in line with the
international code of
conduct
in relief operations and in conformity with the Geneva
Conventions.

Mr Omar Barrow is a member of the GRCS emergency
response team and the
resource
development committee. Mr Barrow, a very active and
dedicated Red Cross
volunteer, died in the line of duty.

The entire membership of the Gambia Red Cross Society
will observe a
week of
mourning for the late Omar Barrow, effective April 10,
2000, all in
ceremonial
uniforms or Red Cross T-shirts."

The Red Cross said it extends condolences to the
family and friends of
Omar
Barrow.The late Omar Barrow is survived by a wife and
a seven-month-old
baby
girl.





Region 1, 2 schools closed
Following yesterday's bloody clashes involving
students and armed
police and
soldiers, Office of the President has ordered the
immediate closure of
all
schools and tertiary institutions in Banjul, Kanifing
municipal area
and
Western Division.

A press release to the effect, issued yesterday
afternoon read:"This
morning
some students in regions 1 and 2, under the leadership
and guidance of
the
Gambia Student's Union, went into rampage causing
obstructions to
traffic and
disrupting school mock exams that were in progress.

It is further known that certain students forced their
way into some
schools
and dragged their colleagues to join them in this
unwarranted and
unruly
behaviour.

Number of casualties and the level of damage to
property are currently
under
investigation.Government has therefore decided that
all schools and
tertiary
institutions in regions 1 and 2 be closed with
immediate effect, until
further
notice.

All parents are hereby advised to keep their children
at home and to
await
further instructions from the department of state for
Education.The
security
services will be on full alert and patrol to ensure
the safety of lives
and
property.

The general public and all visitors to The Gambia are
assured that the
government will not compromise the security and
stability of the
country under
any circumstances. The situation is completely under
control and all
are
advised to go about their normal business as usual.

Everyone is urged to fully cooperate with the security
services and to
report
any criminal act and banditry to the nearest police station."

=====
"NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL INFERIOR WITHOUT YOUR PERMISSION"

                       ALSO

"NOTHING IS UNACHIEVABLE, THE ONLY QUESTION IS, WHETHER ONE IS WILLING TO DO WHAT IT TAKES TO ACHIEVE WHAT IS DESIRED"

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