Is it true, as stated in thi snews article, that some members of the
Gambia Armed Forces were arrested by Senegalese authorities?

-Laye

The Gambia: Is it sliding towards Anarchy?
By Scott A Morgan
Wed, 18 Mar 2009
Feature Article

Since the recent events in Guinea-Bissau which led to the Deaths of
both the Country's President and the head of the Army, West Africa has
been on the Radar of Most Activists. Now there is another Country in
the Region which will soon be facing International Scrutiny for its
Internal Politics.

Over the Last few weeks the Online Media that covers Gambian Issues
have been rife with Articles regarding Events in that Small Western
African Country. First of all there is a crackdown going on inside the
Country. Who are the people that are considered to be threats to the
Gambian Nation? Are they Independent Journalists who report on these
incidents as they take place? Hardly. Are they Members of the
Political Opposition? Not at First however. The leader of One Party
was arrested after going to Investigate these reports for himself. But
who are the targets of this new effort?

Believe it or not they are Witch Doctors. For the sake of discussion
the term Practioners of Traditional Medicine will be used to described
them. A Recent Press Release by an Opposition Party stated that "the
average Gambian believes that Witches and Witchcraft do exist." This
happens to be an interesting label one can place on a Person. This
label can also be transferred to that Individual's Family as well.
This issue is the root cause of the current rift between President
Jammeh and the Head of the Gambian Army General Lang Tombong Tamba.
The Stepfather of the Army Chief was reportedly seized by the
Witchhunters.

Once can ask is there any room for Optimism within the Gambia? This
Week Amnesty International released a report Indicating that roughly
1,000 people have been detained during this crackdown. They have been
forced to drink concoctions that have led to serious Kidney Problems.
At least two people are known to have perished after drinking these
dangerous cocktails. People who have been taken into custody reported
that the " Witch Doctors" were accompanied by Police, Members of the
Army and National Intelligence Agency Members. In Some Cases the
"Green Boys" the Personal Protection Force for President Jammeh were
escorting the "Witch Doctors" as well.

What could the end results be of this crackdown? Could there be a
border clash or outright hostilities with Senegal? Some of those
currently in flight from this Government Action have fled into the
Casamance Region of Senegal. On March 17th some members of the Gambian
Military were detained by Senegalese Security Forces as they were
chasing reported Witch Doctors across the border. Currently there are
reports that villagers have approached the United Nations seeking
redress in this matter. Another result is that the Political
Opposition could form a United Front to capture the Presidency. This
appears to be a viable option as several Political Parties have
condemned the Arrest of the head of the National Alliance for
Democracy and Development.

There is a Wild Card in this situation. In recent weeks a New Group
has been formed in the United States. This Group the National Movement
for the Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia (NMRD-G) was founded by
a Gambian Journalist In Exile. It seeks to restore, nurture and form
the Institution of Democracy in Gambia. In the Short Term the Group
plans to purchase Air Time to broadcast Information into the Gambia
from Dakar. The Long Term Goal is to set up and run a Radio and
Television Station to broadcast into the Gambia. The Group also seeks
the assistance of the United States in this matter.

This region is once again becoming unstable. The Narcotics Trade is
using several Countries as a transit point to ship Narcotics from
South America to Europe. Recently there has been a series of Coups in
the region as well to further highlight the General Instability of
Several Governments in the region. The Actions by the Gambian Security
Forces will just add more fuel to the fire in an impoverished region.
That alone should be reason enough for concern. But Will it?

The Author Publishes Confused Eagle on the Internet at
morganrights.tripod.com and also comments on US Policy towards Africa.

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