Ous Mbenga,
Good job on a comprehensive and well written letter.
I am not sure what the international protocol is regarding the initiation of
an enquiry into our problems, but this letter serves as a record of our notice
to the World at large about the ongoing atrocities and tyranny that the
Jammeh regime has adopted as it's standard.
Jabou Joh
In a message dated 4/5/04 3:35:33 PM Central Daylight Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:
>
> Mr. Kofi Annan Secretary General United Nations United Nations Plaza New
> York, New York 10017.
>
> Dear Mr. Annan,
>
> It is in utmost despair with increasing uncertainty for our peaceful
> existence in the Gambia that we write to you in an official capacity, with the hope
> that you will intervene on our behalf to avert the impending doom the Jammeh
> regime wish upon us.
>
> Since July 22, 1994, the vast majority of Gambians have known only terror,
> brutality and intimidation from the Jammeh regime. His regular trademark of
> intimidation of "heads will roll" and "six feet deep" on national television,
> radio and rallies have been acted out against Gambians several times with
> impunity. It is these atrocities that we endure under the Jammeh regime that we
> want to bring to your attention.
>
> Following their "lift on to the saddles of power", the myth of their
> slogans, "soldiers with a difference, transparency, accountability and probity"
> quickly evaporated into thin air as quickly as it was concocted. Here is what
> became of the Jammeh regime:
>
> The basis for a functional state rests solely on an operational constitution
> that guarantees fundamental democratic rights to its citizens. From 1994 to
> present, the Jammeh regime's "constitution" basically operated on decrees
> with a total of nine constitutional amendments to rest absolute power to the
> president with total disregard for parliamentary procedures. To us, no
> constitution exist in the Gambia, what we have is the " the law according to Jammeh"-
> the blatant abrogation of our democratic rights, which consequently explains
> why the atrocities listed below went uninvestigated and without redress.
>
> On June 23, 1995 the regime's first Minister of Finance, Ousman Koro Ceesay
> was found burnt to death in his official government car. Until this day no
> investigation has been carried out to rule out foul play or accidental death.
>
> On August 11, 2001, the FM1 radio station was fire bombed during which the
> owner George Christensen almost lost his life. Again no investigation was
> conducted.
>
> On April 10 and 11, 2000, the Gambia Student Union (GAMSU) organized a
> peaceful demonstration for redress in support of two fellow students, Binta
> Manneh, a victim of rape by paramilitary soldiers and Ebrima Barry, a victim of
> physical abuse by the Fire and Ambulance service personnel. On these eventful
> days in April 2000, 14 students were gunned down and scores injured and maimed
> for life by the paramilitary, police and National army. Jammeh gave the
> orders to "shoot those bastards" while in Cuba during the Third World Economic
> conference.
>
> Again, there was no investigation conducted and the original coroner's
> inquest on how the deaths occurred still remains a mystery. Even the state's
> version of the murders is yet to be made public.
>
> Based on the coroner's inquest and the commission of inquiry's findings,
> they made recommendations to prosecute some state officials and their
> collaborators. But the Jammeh regime instead put aside the report and the
> recommendations and instead made legislation to indemnify the soldiers and other officials
> who were involved in the students massacre.
>
> On September 20, 2003, the office of the Independent Newspaper was
> firebombed inflicting severe eye injuries and burns on the night watchman. In
> addition, the Editor-in-Chief, Abdoulie Sey was arrested and detained to intimidate
> the rest of the staff while the Managing Editor was in the United States Of
> America.
>
> On December 26, 2003, Ousman Sillah, a Gambian Human Rights lawyer was shot
> at least twice near his residence but he survived losing one kidney. The
> state's official position blurted by Jammeh went thus; "my soldiers are
> professionals, they will not shoot at anyone twice and miss". Again, we expect no
> investigation in this assassination attempt on Mr. Sillah.
>
> In the Gambia, arrests and indefinite detentions are the order of the day.
> The "law according to Jammeh" is that one is "guilty until proven innocent" as
> oppose to " innocent until proven guilty", a blatant reversal of the dictum
> of justice. Because of this travesty of justice, Lamin Waa Juwara, the
> secretary General of National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM), Dumo Saho and co.
> are languishing at the Mile 2 prisons on trumped-up charges of "sedition" and
> "treason" respectively because of the highly corruptible Nigerian judges and
> prosecutors at Jammeh's behest
>
> Rising from obscurity and deprivation, Jammeh proved to be most vulnerable
> to the follies of African presidents such as the unscrupulous accumulation of
> ill-gotten wealth, implementation of ill-planned projects and creating a
> breeding ground for sycophancy and praise singing ultimately succumbing to
> delusions of grandeur.
>
> Adding insults to injury, Jammeh perceives the country as his personal
> property. It took a mere nine years for Jammeh to declare on national television
> that, " I will never be poor again, my children and great grand children will
> never be poor".
>
> Jammeh harbors all the negative elements that potentially lead to the path
> of "civil unrest" and the subsequent reactionary violence and wars that
> continue to plague Africa.
>
> The fact of the matter is that, Gambia is equally pregnant with the same
> social and political contradictions as Sierra Leone, Burundi, Rwanda and
> Liberia. We are fervently determined to abort the gestation of these conditions in
> the Gambia as oppose to allowing the conditions to bare the poisonous fruits
> of "civil war".
>
> We have long burnt all illusions that what happened in Sierra Leone and
> Liberia can't happen in the Gambia. Who would have thought that the Ivory Coast
> would ever fall victim to the madness of secessionists and the tyranny of
> unscrupulous politicians? In the absence of a heightened social consciousness and
> a rudderless leadership, it takes little effort for such a society to plunge
> into the abysmal wretchedness that Sierra Leone, Liberia, Burundi, Rwanda
> and Congo have fallen into.
>
> Mr. Secretary, we want to go on record as other oppressed countries and
> people have done in the past, to exhaust every possible source for the redress of
> these violations of our human rights. The camel's back has long been broken
> and our patience has long run dry. It is our ever-living love for peace and
> mother Africa that we let reason and critical thinking guide our actions. God
> and the ancestors forbid we ever taint our hands with African blood.
>
> We therefore make our humble demand for your assistance to convene an
> independent investigation into these atrocities committed by the Jammeh regime
> against the Gambian people. This independent investigation, in our view, will
> deflate the potential revenge and "witch hunt" in the future and allow us to
> chart a new path for a bright and proud-future Gambia.
>
> Relevant Links
>
> West Africa
> Gambia
>
>
>
> On April 9, 2004, we will be commemorating the 4th anniversary of the
> students massacre by marching from the Gambia Mission in New York to Dagg
> Hammerjold Park for a brief rally. We hope you or your designated representative will
> be able to meet with our delegation for a brief discussion. We await your
> kind and considerate reply.
>
> Yours sincerely Ousainou Mbenga Deputy Secretary General, National
> Democratic Action Movement
>
>
>
>
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