Breaking News: Gambia Government Issues Over 100 Diplomatic Passports to Foreign Nationals
-Among them Moroccans, Sudanese, Cassamance rebels, Guinean Drug barons and Mercenaries
By EBRIMA G. SANKAREH, Editor-In-Chief
Abdourahman Cole is Acting Gambian ambassador in Washington, DC
Unassailable sources nestled within the corridors of state power reveal that in the past year alone, the autocratic government of President Yahya Jammeh has issued well over 100 Gambian diplomatic passports to very dubious foreign nationals with worrisome credentials. A highly placed source in the Foreign Ministry says most of the passports were issued to belligerents in the Cassamance debacle, hardcore fighters for the independence of Senegal’s southern region. “I can say without any fear of exaggeration that at least there are well over 50 Cassamance rebels holding Gambian diplomatic passports and mobile phones registered in The Gambia and paid for by President Yahya Jammeh,” reveals our Foreign Ministry source that begged strict confidentiality.
Reveals our State House operative Kissy Kissy Mansa; “Some of the Cassamance rebels with Gambian diplomatic passports are also issued Gambia government vehicles (usually SUVs) that they use to attend clandestine meetings across the border with intelligence complemented by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) about Senegalese government surveillance.” A highly placed source within the NIA confirms this allegation and retold in great detail how in late 1996 an entourage of Guinean nationals were intercepted in the Gambian border village of Giboro with a trailer of contraband materials and how the lead baron threatened the NIA officers with serious consequences if they were not let go. “No sooner had we began our questioning than the lead baron pulled out a highly sophisticated mobile phone and rang up State House and in a matter of minutes, we had a call from Headquarters asking us to leave the Guineans alone lest we loose our jobs” reveals our source. In fact, according to this source, once powerful presidential wheeler-dealer and now convicted felon, Azziz Tamba was among the cadre of Cassamance rebel operatives issued a Gambian diplomatic passport. Tamba later ran afoul of the Gambian dictator and is now serving harsh jail terms at the beleaguered country’s Mile II Prisons.
“At least 8 of those holding Gambian diplomatic passports are of Middle eastern nationalities from Sudan and Morocco all claiming loyalty to the Gambian state and alleging consanguinity with Gambian First Lady Zainab Jammeh who is of Guinean and Moroccan stalk” reveals our NIA operative Waato Seeta. According to Seeta, “some of these elements are dying to reach western nations and are usually willing to give out bribes amounting to well over $30,000 only to secure a Gambian diplomatic pass.” Reveals Seeta, holders of diplomatic passports are usually treated with a higher degree of respect and in most cases; it is a tacit approval for a western visa stamp hence the desire to give bribes.”
Asked how they apply for visas once the passports are issued, our correspondent Kissy Kissy Mansa says the application process is left with the Foreign Ministry where a gang of kleptocratic Tsars does the rest of the bureaucratic work. As long as you have money and you are willing to bribe government officials, you can get a Gambian diplomatic passport in a week and add little more to get a western visa. According to Kissy, there are instances where people who could barely spell their names in the English language; Gambia’s official language, are issued diplomatic passports and western embassies given fake credentials about visa applicants. Currently, three former senior officials of the Gambian Foreign Ministry Messrs: Batata Juwara, Willy Joof and Bai Ousman Secka are in the law courts battling barrages of visa fraud allegations. However, since the matter is before the courts, we will as customary allow the process to take its natural course lest we be accused of acting sub judice.
However, there is evidence aplenty that Gambian diplomatic passports are the cheapest to get especially in the case of foreign nationals willing to be used as conduits in nefarious activities. Babanding Fantaka Sissoho, the shady Malian millionaire was in 1996 arrested by US Customs and Border Enforcement agents in Miami, Florida holding Gambian diplomatic passport and trying to bribe federal agents. Francisco Casso, the Italian murderer and criminal was issued both a Gambian Service and Diplomatic Passport while training personal protection officers of President Jammeh and recklessly and remorselessly killing innocent citizens. According to Kissy Kissy Mansa there are instances of Nigerian drug barons and West African mercenaries issued these documents as long as they are willing to carry out criminal activities both in The Gambia and within the West African sub region. Amazingly and by a cruel twisty of irony, The Gambia Echo has been reliably informed by a highly placed Foreign Ministry official that there are Gambia Government officials who carry two valid diplomatic passport- a gross contravention of passport laws around the world. According to Kissy Kissy Mansa, the very powerful financial attaché Lamin Sanyang in Washington who claims close proximity to the Gambian President is allegedly among the lot. In some instances, even after they are sacked or retired, the holders of these passports never return them to the Government of the Republic of The Gambia. Yet, on coming to power on July 22, 1994, the Jammeh junta promising to fix “rampant corruption,” confiscated all diplomatic and service passports issued to officials of the PPP government and even accused them of issuing diplomatic passports to girlfriends and concubines to travel to western nations. Today, what we have is a mess, a kleptrocracy that is unredeemable, and a dictatorship that is carcinogenic. In sum, a kakistocracy by every stretch of the imagination.
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