NEWS
CLOSURE OF SUD FM BANJUL RADIO WAS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED -STATE HOUSE
SOURCES REVEAL AS JAMMEH RENEWED ATTACKS ON THE PRIVATE PRESS
BY AN EDITOR
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October 23, 2005
The Banjul based Senegalese popular radio station Sud FM has been closed
down by The Gambian government, following its recent reportage on the
Gambia/Senegalese border crisis, which seems to have angered The Gambian
dictator President Yahya Jammeh, The ALLGAMBIAN online Newspaper can
reveal.
Police plainclothes detectives acting on an order issued by Gambia's Trade
Minister Neneh Madowll Gaye, who is also the caretaker Minister overseeing
the Department of state for Information ordered staffers of Sud FM radio
to suspend operations with immediate effect. Local radio staffers received
no formal notice from The Gambian government to suspend operations, as
police just moved in yesterday to inform the manager of the radio station
that Sud Fm had closed for good.
Sud FM radio is jointly owned by Gambians and Senegalese. It hits the
airwaves in 1997. One of its former News editors Omar Barrow, was murdered
by Gambia's security forces during the black Monday April 10 and 11
student disturbances, which resulted into the deaths of 13 students, while
dozens others were maimed. Highly placed sources in Jammeh's government
say, the closure Sud FM was politically motivated, as President Jammeh is
bent on trying to please Senegalese President Abdoulie Wade, who also
ordered for the closure of the main Sud Fm radio in Dakar last week. While
Wade's government were angered by the radio's recent move to interview one
of the MFDC rebel leaders, who was believed to be dead, on the other hand
sources say President Jammeh was angered by Banjul Sud FM affiliate
station's coverage of the just concluded border peace talks in Senegal.
State House sources say Jammeh was heard saying while in Dakar that upon
his return Sud FM radio will be a thing of the past, as he will order for
its immediate closure. Sources said Jammeh who had a history of strained
relationship with the private press had also asked the Department of State
for Information to revoke the operation license given to Sud FM with
immediate effect.
Gambia's Trade Minister Neneh Macdowll Gaye in an interview with the BBC'S
Focus on Africa Program yesterday, defended the closure of the popular
station. She claimed that the station was bent on inciting trouble between
the two sister countries. The Minister however, failed to give reasons to
support what many observers called her wild charges against Sud FM. The
Trade Minister said the closure was prompted by the radio station's recent
coverage of The Gambia/Senegalese border crisis. The Minister says the
types of comments made by the Sud FM Banjul journalists were not meant to
encourage peace between the two countries, insisting that such comments
were derogatory. On Deyda's killers walking scot-free in the streets of
Banjul, Minister Gaye uses the United States of American as an example, a
country she said also had series of uninvestigated murder cases. The
Minister said "such cases took years in the US before the murder
suspect(s) are brought to book."
Pap Chareh the station's local manager in Banjul also told the BBC that
the police did not give any reasons for the closure, as police insisted
that they were acting on orders from The Gambian authorities. Mr. Chareh
said unless the Department of State for Information come up with a
statement and explain the circumstances leading to such abrupt move they
the local staff would not be in the position to explain. He however said
he was not aware of any acrimonious relationship between Sud FM radio
Banjul and The Gambian authorities.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued yesterday, The Gambia Press Union, the
main journalist body condemned the closure of Sud FM radio. The government
of Yahya Jammeh is in the habit of shutting down media outlets in the tiny
West African country. A popular leading private radio station called
Citizen Fm was closed some years ago by the government. The radio's owner
Baboucarr Gaye, a veteran Gambian journalist was blamed for his move to
announce election results, without waiting for the official version of the
Independent Electoral Commission. Gaye was questioned by the NIA and later
released. His radio station suffered series of closures and intimidation
by state agents. Up till now Citizen FM is closed by Gambia's authorities.
Many observers believed that Sud Fm might likely not come on air again, in
view of what they called the government hostile relationship with the
private press.
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