By Ebrima G. Sankareh, Editor- in-Chief
In what a highly placed State House source characterized as “swift and emphatic”, a senior cadre of the MFDC-Democratic Movement for the Freedom of Cassamance told Banjul “if Yahya Jammeh is claiming that Kamouge is in the war zone and not at Mile II Prisons, then Yahya has murdered Kamouge Diatta, the leader of the MFDC.”
The senior official of the MFDC was reacting to President Yahya Jammeh’s Daily Observer Editorial of May 19th 2007 alleging that Suwarebou Kamouge Diatta is currently leading the ‘Jakai rebels’ in the Casamance conflict. Says our competent source, “the editorial is deliberately misleading and designed to conceal his failed policy of insincerity and deception in general and the Casamance issue in particular.”
Kamouge Diatta, referred to in the Daily Observer as Suwarebou Kamouge Jatta by Jammeh reveals our source, “is in custody in The Gambia for the second time in three years. He was first released and handed over to President Wade in early 2005 by Jammeh. In March of the same year, Kamouge appealed to Jammeh to return to Banjul where by his own account, he felt safer than Dakar. No sooner had his wish been granted than Kamouge was immediately arrested and returned to jail. At about the same time, Soulayman Ndéné Ndiaye, former Secretary General Office of President of Senegal, Environment Minister and until a week ago Minister for Maritime Economy was dispatched to Banjul to secure the release of Ismaïla Mangdiemé and Alexanda Djibba two faction leaders of MFDC opposed to Salif Sadio. Ndéné Ndiaye’s mission to Banjul curiously coincided with the recapture and incarceration of Kamougé at Mile II where his compatriots (Mangdiemé and Djibba) are also housed.” According to our source, President Wade is not the least worried about Diatta’s fate; Kamougé can rot in Jammeh’s jails. He is responsible for his current predicament because of his decision to return to Banjul after being released at the intervention of Senegal.” At this point, Wade is only interested in securing the release of the others who have collaborated with the Senegalese government forces to dislodge Salif Sadio from the Southern Front of the Casamance. But to his disappointment Ndéné Ndiaye was informed by Jammeh that neither Mangdiemé nor Gjibba were in his custody which was, of course, false. Both faction leaders were held at Mile II while Salif Sadio, a frequent guest at Kanilai was free to traverse Gambian territory on a regular basis. Reveals our most competent source, “The Senegalese have withering indictment of the Jammeh regime-unassailable evidence, including photos of Sadio and Jammeh dining together in Kanilai. They also have proof that both Mangdiemé and Djibba are inmates at Mile II.
Argues our source, “If Kamouge is incarcerated at Mile II, why would Jammeh want us to believe that Kamouge is leading ‘Jakai rebels’ against the rebels of Salif Sadio? Jammeh’s motive for deliberately placing Kamouge Diatta in the war front or the marquis at this material time is not altogether evident. What we can say for now is that Jammeh’s claim that Senegal is destabilizing Gambia is a non-starter and we are happy that President Wade and his government are on the same page with the majority of Gambians on this one.
Editor’s Note: It is a welcome development that those within the corridors of power are now leaking most vital information about the Jammeh regime. We understand that you guys have to be there to run the government, but giving us the right information is equally, a sacred duty to you as Gambians Hopefully very soon, we will have an exclusive interview with the Cassamance rebels to help reveal how Yahya Jammeh has been using them as pawns in the on-going crisis. Copyright © 2007 All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this article or any other article or image, or portions thereof, in any form or context without the expressed permission of The Gambia Echo Newspaper.