I am forwarding this article because I figured Beran went past his quota for
the day. This is yet another illustration of the lawlessness that has
engulfed our country thanks to Yaya and his band of bandits.
____________________________________________________
>From: "Beran jeng" <[log in to unmask]>
>>Alleged Arson Attack: Ruling Party Accused of Scorch Earth Tactics
>
>
>
>
>The Independent (Banjul)
>
>October 8, 2001
>Posted to the web October 8, 2001
>
>Sheriff Bojang Jr
>Banjul, the Gambia
>
>The Brikama home of Lamin Waa Juwara was the target of a foiled pre-dawn
>arson attack by a man armed with a gas canister, the contents of which he
>had sprayed inside the house.
>
>A full gas canister and petrol to set the building alight, and a thick rope
>were the evidence left by the fleeing shadow of a man who could not be
>identified.
>
>Mr. Juwara's bodyguards had chased the intruder to a waiting car, which
>sped into the night as soon as he had embarked on it. The car according to
>Mr. Juwara was identified as one of those vehicles being used by the APRC
>in their campaign.
>
>The attack comes on the heels of an earlier attempt to torch the home of
>Shyngle Nyassi another hard line critic of the APRC administration.
>
>This latest attack according to Mr. Juwara occurred between 3 and 4 am
>Saturday when he heard a noise from the eastern end of the house, which was
>already suffused in gas, by the time the intruder was discovered.
>
>Mr. Juwara explained that because he was security-conscious he rolled out
>of bed onto the bare floor, avoiding to stand upright for fear of being
>caught by what he thought at the time might unfold as a gun attack.
>
>Mr. Juwara who appeared and sounded unruffled by the experience said the
>intruder upon realising that members of his household had woken up, took
>flight with Juwara's guards in hot pursuit.
>
>The alleged arsonist he said could not scale the fence in time to prevent
>the guards from closing down on him. "However, he managed to escape into
>the night" Juwara a foremost critic of the APRC government noted, adding
>that two other men inside a get-away vehicle were waiting in a back street
>of the neighbourhood and made good their escape.
>
>"It was one of the Afingjang pick-up vehicles owned by the APRC" he
>asserted, pointing out that the masterminds behind the foiled attack have
>failed in their effort to frighten or cower him and his likes in the
>opposition and were instead using violence to achieve their end.
>
>Basirou Manka one of Juwara's guards who was part of the chase said while
>he was in the house he had noticed that someone was behind Juwara's window
>draped in the shadow of the night. He said he soon realised that it was out
>of the ordinary when he (the intruder) tried to ignite a match intended to
>torch the house. He said that the attacker was forced to flee apparently
>unnerved by the appearance of other guards, leaving behind evidence of his
>foiled handiwork, which were five gallons of petrol, a gas bottle and a
>rope.
>
>A few hours after the incident a huge crowd gathered at the politician's
>residence to take stock of what had happened and condemned it in the
>strongest terms.
>
>Meanwhile Juwara said although details of the incident was being given to
>the police, recent statements by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Jay
>Sowe has caused his confidence in the police to wane considerably. Mr.
>Juwara said DIG Sowe had blamed the UDP for causing the violence reported
>in the urban areas and the provinces "even though this was without
>foundation."
>
>Mr. Juwara who said he is unperturbed by the daring nature of the attack
>said "it has not shaken me in any way. I am not scarred by this cheap
>tactic of the APRC. It clearly shows that they have ran out of options
>after failing to convince members of the opposition to join them."
>
>He said the incident is only one among a series of incidents, which exposed
>the APRC as an organisation of thugs.
>
>Mr. Juwara also claimed that his party is privy to some classified
>information regarding a series of planned attacks on groups of coalition
>supporters by what he said are a trained group of APRC militiamen. He
>alleged that one such attack is being planned by "Camp 100" against an
>opposition coalition convoy to be dispatched at Jahally Hill. He also said
>members of "Camp 100" will be deployed along the routes of ballot boxes
>heading for counting centres, to create confusion and disrupt the final
>counting process.
>
>However, Juwara who was under detention in the run-up to the 1996 elections
>has warned that the UDP is ready to encounter any untoward behaviour from
>their main rivals the APRC. "Any encounter might cost lives and we want the
>IEC to stand firm and stamp its authority on the election process," he
>noted. He said contrary to what was reported, UDP supporters had been the
>victims of verbal provocations and physical assaults, causing skirmishes
>between supporters of his party and the APRC.
>
>"We have been peaceful and on the defensive" he said, adding that they (the
>UDP) had backed down for the NCP to hold a rally in Salikene to avoid
>problems. He said the UDP were scheduled to hold a rally in URD, which was
>being put on hold because of a prolonged period of campaign by the APRC in
>the area.
>
>Quizzed as to the UDP's chances in the presidential election, Mr. Juwara
>said they are overwhelmingly confident that the polls would go their way.
>"This is a liberation issue - liberation from the Jammeh dictatorship.
>Naturally oppressed people at some point stand up to their oppressors and
>that's what Gambians are doing," he said of the election. "The dye is cast,
>we are going to throw Jammeh out," he vowed.
>
>Mr. Juwara also said that PDOIS were prevented by the APRC from holding
>rallies in Foni, a situation, which he said PDOIS never endured during the
>first republic.
>
>
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>
To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>
|
