Editor Mathew Jallow reacts to Gambian Justice Minister
By Mathew K. Jallow, Associate Editor
Civil society organizations in Africa are increasingly emerging from the shadows of fear and oppression; strong, purposeful and effective, and making impressionable impact, but many challenges and obstacles continue to thwart progress. This week, a well represented African NGOs forum held in The Gambia, challenged African governments to respect the human rights of their people. One of the main highlights of the forum was the remarkable comments made by Edward Gomez, The Gambia’s newly appointed Justice Minister. Like his predecessor, Ms. Marie Firdaus, Mr. Gomez, in his glib defense of Jammeh’s murderous regime, has only succeeded in precipitating the wrath of the Gambian media. Mr. Gomez, who saw his long campaign to impression Yahya Jammeh for a cabinet position come to fruition, appears position shocked, and inebriated with scornful power. In a news story carried in the Jollofnews, Minister Gomez challenged anyone to come forward with any evidence to support accusations of human rights abuses by Yahya Jammeh’s regime. We take the challenge seriously and respond accordingly.
mendacious Justice Minister Edu Gomez
By this cavalier denial of human rights abuses in The Gambia, Mr. Gomez is aggrevating the pain and agony that families of murdered, disappeared and incarcerated Gambians have faced over the span of Yahya Jammeh’s reign of terror. Mr. Gomez’s excoriation of Gambia’s media, therefore, speaks more to his opportunism and moral bankruptcy, and proclivity to defend the indefensible. With a regime in a state of quandary and Jammeh in a state of denial, the toxicity in the country for dissenters and media practitioners is glaringly self evident. But Mr. Gomez’s shameful denial of human right abuses in The Gambia cannot be explained rationally. He is once again proving himself to be malleable, yet boisterous to the vulnerable in society. As a example, last year Mr. Gomez shamelessly threatened Radio journalists in Brikama with arrests; even having the dare to think he had the power to order police to arrest them, in effect taking the law into his hands, contrary to the laws of The Gambia. And by his denial of human right abuses in our country, Minister Gomez had probably descended to a state of moral oblivion over the past decade and half, but the facts and the reality of human rights abuses in Gambia cannot be impugned. The Italized paragraph below is a reproduction of the preamble of an open letter to Mohammed Chambas, then president of Ecowas and copied to a dozen African governments and regional and international human rights organizations.
The human right abuses and the tragedy of Jammeh began a decade and half ago with the murder of Koro Ceesay in the woods of Busumbala village, where his government issued Mercedes Benz was turned into his fiery grave. Since then, the horror stories emanating from The Gambia have not ceased coming to light, despite Yahya Jammeh’s best efforts at sealing information flowing from behind the fortified walls of our State House. So horrifying are some of the stories that it is hard to even believe that Gambians committed the atrocities against fellow citizens. One of the instances of ritual barbarity, a story that only came to light last week, relates to Yahya Jammeh’s watchman at his Kanilai farm, Ismail Ceesay Jatta (affectionately called Ceesay Jatta) who after being arrested by Solo Bojang and (Bombardier) Kawsu Camara, on Yahya Jammeh’s orders, had his tongue cut, and his mutilated body left by the road side. The watchman is only one of many who have suffered a similar fate at the hands of Jammeh’s executioners. Even more unbelievable, but true, are the stories still to be told, of the level of brutality and carnage carried out at many secret detention and torture centers around the country, but specifically, in Kanilai village.(Echo 2009).
We reproduce, for Mr. Edward Gomez’s studied judgment, the long history and trail of murders, disappearances, incarcerations, arrests and detentions, tortures, intimidation and hiring and firings, that have become synonymous with The Gambia under Yahya Jammeh’s deadly regime. Mr. Gomez will do justice to the families of everyone on this list by apologizing for his insensitive, if not cruel denial of human rights abuses in our country. Just this week, the body of Private Momodou Sowe, a native of Sare Gallo, in the North Bank, accused of complicity in the failed overthrow of Jammeh's regime, was discovered on the beach in Barra Town in the North Bank. While the others accused of complicity in the plot attempt got detention and trials, Mr. Sowe was summarily executed by Jammeh's henchmen. For the information of Minister Edu Gomez, this article will, in the coming few days, be copied and mailed to participants at the recently concluded NGO forum in Banjul, as well as to concerned governments, regional and international human rights organizations, and to The African Union, The United Nations, Commonwealth Secretariat and ECOWAS. The list below, victims of Jammeh's murderous regime, is self explanatory.
Murdered Journalists.
Deyda Hydara
Omar Barrow
Ebrima Chief Manneh
Arson Attacks on Journalists and Media Premises
George Christensen & Radio 1 FM
Alieu Bah & Radio I FM journalist
October 2003: Independent Newspaper offices set on fire
April 2004: Independent printing press set on fire
August 2004: Ebrima Sillah’s home set on fire
Arrest and Detention of Journalists
October 2005: Abdoulie Sey
2005: Musa Saidykhan
March 2006: Musa Saidykhan
March 2006: Madi Ceesay
April 2006: Lamin Fatty
April 2006: Juldeh Sowe
July 2006: Ebrima Chief Manneh
May 2006: Musa Sheriff
May 2006: Pa Modou Faal
May 2006: Lamin Cham
May 2006: Sam Obi
May 2006: Malick M’boob
September 2006: Dodou Sanneh
March 2007: Fatou Jaw Manneh
December 2005: Ramatoulie Charreh
2006: Njemeh Bah
December 2006: Baron Eloagou
December 2006: Abdougafar Olademinji
June 2009: Arrest and detention of Journalists
Emil Touray
Sarata Jabbi Dibba
Pa Modou Faal
Pap Saine
Ebou Sawaneh
Sam Sarr
Abubakr Saidy-Khan
Abdulhamid Adiamoh
Augustime Kanja
Gambian Journalists Exiled: 1994-2009
P K. Jarju
Alagi Yorro Jallow
Kemo Cham
Pa Ousman Darboe
Musa Saidykhan
Sulayman Makalo
Omar Bah
Alhagie Mbye
Sulayman Darboe
Fatou Jaw-Manneh
Momodou Thomas
Musa Saidykhan
Ansumana Badjie
Pa Samba Jaw
Buba Ceesay
Sarjo Bayang
Pa Nderry Mbai
Cherno Baba Jallow
Ebrima Ceesay
Baba Galleh Jallow
Ebrima G. Sankareh
Yankuba Jambang
Mathew K. Jallow
Murdered Civilians
Ousman Koro Ceesay
Deyda Hydara
Sidia Sanyang
Omar Barrow
Lamin Sanneh
Ousman Ceesay
Sarjo Kunjang
Ebrima Barry
Ousman Ceesay
Saja Kujabi
Haruna Jammeh
Yaya Jammeh
Executed Military and Security Officers
Daba Marena
Staff Sergeant Manlafi Corr
Sergeant Major Alpha Bah
Lieut. Ebou Lowe
Lieut. Alieu Ceesay
Sgt. Fafa Nyang
Lieut. Basiru Barrow
Cpt. Sadibou Hydara
Lieut. Almamo Manneh
Lieut. Abdoulie Dot Faal
Lieut. Bakary Manneh
Lieut. Buba Jammeh
Lieut. Momodou Lamin Darboe
Cadet Officer Sillah
Lieut. Basiru Camara
Corpl. Mendy
Lieut. Gibril Saye
Sergeant Dumbuya
Momodou Sowe
Military/Security Mysterious Deaths
Captain Tumbul Tamba
Captain Musa Jammeh
Colonel Vincent Jatta
Lieut. Solomon Jammeh
Pa M. Jallow
Manlafi Sanyang
Boye Bah
Military/Security/Civilian Recently Detained
Lang Tombong Tamba
Bore Badjie
Omar Bun Mbye
Demba Njie
Lamin Fatty
Yankuba Drammeh
Malamin Jarju
Kawsu (Bombardier) Camara
Ngorr Secka, NIA
Ensa Badjie
Bun Sanneh
Sarjo Fofana
Military/Security/Civilians: Detained, Released, Fled
Captain Bunja Darboe
Capt Yahya Darboe
Capt. Wassa Camara
2nd Lt Pharing Sanyang
Alieu Jobe
Tamsir Jasseh
Omar Faal
Demba Dem,
Col. Ndure Cham
Abdoulie Kujabi
Kemo Balajo
Alieu Singhateh
Foday Barry
Landing Sanneh
Military and Security Executed in 2006
Daba Marenah
Alieu Ceesay
Alpha Bah
Manlafi Corr
Ebou Lowe
Students Massacred April 11th. 2000
Reginald Carrol
Karamo Barrow
Lamin A. Bojang
Ousman Sabally
Sainey Nyabally
Ousman Sembene
Bakary Njie
Claesco Pierra
Momodou Lamin Njie
Ebrima Barry
Wuyea Foday Mansareh
Bamba Jobarteh
Momodou Lamin Chune
Abdoulie Sanyang
Omar Barrow
Burama Badjie
Gambians Missing and Disappeared Since 2005
Ebrima (Chief) Manneh: arrested July 2006
Kanyiba Kanyi arrested September 2006
Haruna Jammeh arrested in 2005
Marcie Jammeh arrested in 2005
Alfusainey Jammeh arrested in 2005
Momodou Lamin Nyassi arrested in 2005
Ndongo M’boob arrested in 2006
Buba Sanyang arrested in 2006
Alieu Lowe arrested in March 2006,
Sgt. Sam Kambai arrested in 2006
Bakary Gassama arrested in 2007
Kebba Secka arrested in 2007
Ebrima Dibba arrested in May 2008,
Ebrima Kunchi Jammeh arrested in May 2008
Attempted Murders: Fled Gambia
Ousman Sillah: Attorney/Lawyer
Mai Fatty: Attorney (Attorney/Lawyer
Foreigners Massacred in The Gambia
44 Ghanaians
2 Senegalese
1 Togolese
2 Nigerians
72 Ministers: Appointed and Fired
Mass Axi Gai
Angela Colley
Kanja Sanneh
Neneh Macdoual-Gaye
Therese Ndong-Jatta (resigned)
Maba Jobe (hired & fired before taking office)
Momodou Lamin Sedat Jobe (resigned)
Joseph Henry Joof (resigned)
Satang Jow (retired)
Yankuba Kassama
Margaret Keita
Ousman Badjie
Samba Bah
Lamin Kaba Bajo
Musa Bittaye
Amie Bensouda
Fatou Bom Bensouda
John P. Bojang
Momodou Bojang
Nyimasata Sanneh
Bojang Mamat Cham
Ebrima Ceesay
Momodou Nai Ceesay
Ousman Koro Ceesay (murdered)
Sulayman Massaneh Ceesay
Bakary Bunja Dabo
Fasainey Dumbuya
Samba Faal
Omar Faye
Sadibou Haidara (murdered)
Sheikh Tijan Hydara
Blaise Jagne
Balla Garba Jahumpa
Momodou Sarjo Jallow
Dr Amadou Scattred Janneh
Manlafi Jarju
Tamsir Mbowe
Dominic Mendy
Alieu Ngum
Bakary Njie
Omar Njie
Susan Waffa-Ogoo
Hawa Sisay Sabally
Sana B. Sabally
Abdoulie Sallah
Hassan Sallah
Momodou Sallah
Sidy Morro Sanneh
Kebba Sanyang
Samsudeen Sarr
Cheyassin Secka
Musa Sillah
Edward Singhatey
Raymond Sock
Amina Faal Sonko
Baboucarr Jatta
Famara Jatta
Kumba Ceesay-Marenah
Mustapha Marong
Fafa Mbai
Musa Mbenga
Sulayman Mboob
Bolong Sonko
Bai Mass Taal
Fatoumatta Tambajang
Bemba Tambedou
Yankuba Touray
Crispin Grey Johnson
Antouman Saho
Lamin Bojang
Marie Saine Firdaus
In March 2009, Yahya Jammeh began his witch-hunting campaign around the country. A full and clear picture of what really happened is still being pieced together. Preliminary reports indicated that as many as one thousand five hundred people, mostly elderly and frail men and women were detained, with many forced to drink from potent locally made hallucinogen concoction drinks “to rid” themselves of witches. When it all ended, at least five people were reported dead and as many as two dozen were hospitalized. Many of the victims came from villages in the Kombos, St. Mary’s Island and Fonis; including Barra, Makumbaya, Mandinari and Sintet, among many others. Despite all what we now know about Jammeh and his regime, much of the nebulous and esoteric aspects of his brutality still waits to be told. Mr. Edward Gomez, as Justice Minister, should order investigations into these deaths, disappearances, accusations of torture and the never ending arrests and detentions of Gambians without reason. That is, if he DARES; otherwise forever shut your windpipe, Mr. Minister of Injustice, Edward Gomez. Reporters Without Borders recently categorized The Gambian regime as one of forty media predator countries in the world. Go to the link below.
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http://en.rsf.org/predator-abdallah-ibn-al-saud,37208.html
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