Date:       Sun, 4 Jun 2000

From:       ebou colly <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:    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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