GNA Deputy Chief, Gen Drammeh sacked?

As Ismaila Sambou goes to Dakar, Gibou Joof, Tehran

--Also, Cpt. Baba Jallow sacked; Cpt. Saikou Jallow sacked & arrested

By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor-In-Chief

As President Yahya Jammeh’s madness metastasizes, the political reverberations of his rash actions particularly, the daily sackings and hiring of officials, continue to pummel the beleaguered West African nation of The Gambia forcing many to wonder if the mini-nation too, is not headed to cataclysmic gloom. This picture of uncertainty, juxtaposed against a backdrop of increasing and renewed international pressure from rights groups over his harrowing human rights record, is all the more worrisome as The Gambia inches towards a new election year. For now though, Jammeh continues to rule albeit, recklessly.

Only moments ago, our highly placed sources hinted that while they cannot confirm at this hour, it is almost likely that, Army Deputy Chief of Staff, Major General Yankuba Drammeh is either sacked or may be sacked latest, Monday. Our sources stated no reason for Drammeh’s alleged sacking or probable sacking as in Jammeh’s regime, officials are only given a one-sentence letter stating, interalia, “…you have been relieved of your duties….” If confirmed, this would be Drammeh’s second sacking in the last 5-months. It can be recalled that towards the end of 2009, he was demoted to the rank of private and then sacked from The Gambia National Army only to be reinstated within 48-hours with a promotion.

According to our military affairs operative, Officer X (a.k.a ‘OX’), President Jammeh has moved his Aide-de-camp, Captain Baba G. Jallow to the Yundum Barracks and shortly thereafter, sacked him from the army. He is replaced by Captain Lamin Manneh (a.k.a Col. Gilbert); a Jola from the army’s 10^th intake, 1988. Until his appointment, Manneh was the Presidential chief orderly following the arrest of Lieutenant Bakary Camara in 2008. Reveals OX, President Jammeh has also sacked Captain Saikou Jallow of the State House Guards and Jallow has since been arrested and reportedly held incommunicado at an unknown location. Reveals OX, there are several military detainees across the country and some have been missing for years now and if they will ever see the light of day is anybody’s wildest guess. “All we can do is to pray and continue to expose these crimes by Jammeh until the day we too are arrested or he is removed from power,” an emotional OX tells The Echo.

In another twist, The Gambia Echo has reliably learnt that erstwhile Local Government Minister, Ismaila Sambou, who was axed by Jammeh only two weeks ago, has been appointed as Gambian Ambassador to the Republic of Senegal. Ironically, while Yahya Jammeh came to power promising to fix corruption, Ismaila Sambou for most of the 1980s was a fugitive from justice in Guinea Bissau after he stole enormous funds from the bankrupt Gambia Cooperative Union where he served as Secco Secretary and later, Inspector for many years. How such an irredeemably corrupt character with a penchant for prayer beads and ubiquitous kaftans, masquerading as a born-again Islamic purist, runs a ministry let alone, competently represents The Gambia in Senegal, seriously raises eyebrows. But in Jammeh’s government everything is possible. Lamentably, ours has become a country where village Alkalolu and food vendors become ministers, pimps, prostitutes, bandits and felons run the regime.

According to our competent sources, Gambia’s current ambassador to Senegal, Gibril Joof who was only last month named US Ambassador designate, has been moved to Tehran, Iran. Joof replaces Lamin Kaba Bajo who was appointed Minister of Fisheries and National Assembly Matters two weeks ago.

As we went to press, our State House operative, Kiss Kissy Mansa has hinted that the appointment of Fatoumata Ayo Sidibeh as DCM to Washington, DC, has been rescinded. Instead, a fellow identified only as “one Mr. M’boob from the Gambian Consulate in Havana, Cuba” is to relocate to Washington as DCM. Reveals Kissy, for now, it is difficult to even say if the rogue diplomat, Ebrima J. T. Kujabi, spotted at the Yundum airport on Friday, will ever return to the Washington, DC, Consulate because the dude has a heck of a job to wrestle with in Banjul. Meanwhile, Kissy Kissy Mansa has confirmed Alieu Ngum’s appointment as Ambassador to Washington, DC. If confirmed by the US State Department, Ngum is expected to face so many questions about the utterly criminal character of the Yahya Jammeh government; a regime he has willingly served since it came to power on July 22, 1994. According to our sources, Alieu Ngum is privy to a lot of damning evidence especially, the murder of Finance Minister, Ousman Koro Ceesay, the brutal suppression of the November, 11, 1994 alleged counter-coup and the most gruesome liquidation of over 55 West African immigrants, mostly Ghanaians in 2005 when he was Secretary General.