Breaking News: Gambia Releases MFDC Rebel Leader Kamougue Diatta & Sadia Bodian  From Mile Two Prisons

By Ebrima G. Sankareh

  
  Presidents Wade & Jammeh

Despite claims to the contrary that The Gambia government did not know the whereabouts of MFDC rebel leader Kamougue Diatta, The Gambia Echo's unimpeachable sources in Dakar have confirmed the release of Kamougue Diatta, and a colleague named Sadia Bodian from Mile II Prisons in Banjul.  The two rebel leaders traveled to Ziquinchor yesterday, interrogated by both the French and Senegalese army intelligence before being transported to Dakar.

              The readership of The Gambia Echo will recall that Kamougue was the subject of our recent report following the serious accusation by Sarja Taal of the Daily Observer that  Senegal was bent on destabilizing The Gambia.  The now infamous editorial in the Daily Observer captioned : 'Senegal Continues to Destabilise Gambia' claimed that Kamougue Diatta was leading the so-called 'Jakai rebels' in the Cassamance with the support of President Wade.  Jammeh accused Kamougue and his group of rebels to have aided and facilitated the escape of army Chief of Staff Colonel Ndure Cham, the alleged leader of a failed coup de’tat in March 2006. Once more, Jammeh has been caught lying about Kamougue Diatta who was his prisoner all along while giving the impression that the rebel leader was in the bush killing supporters of Salif Sadio. 
 
             The inflammatory editorial in the Observer, which was a typical misinformation piece by Sarja Taal and Jammeh, led the Gambia Echo to contact the leadership of the MFDC who immediately, and in the strongest terms, intimated to this paper that Kamougue Diatta's last known address was Mile II prisons in Banjul.  Our source within the MFDC continued by stating emphatically that if Jammeh is suggesting that Kamougue was in Cassamance leading the 'Jakai rebels then Jammeh has murdered Kamougue'.  Our report evidently caused grave concern within the Jammeh camp because the leadership of the MFDC was accusing Jammeh of murder.  Pressure was applied by MFDC to President Wade to seek the freedom of all MFDC members imprisoned by Jammeh in The Gambia led to the mission to Banjul by State Minister Serign Diop.  It is expected that another batch of prisoners will be released soon to include Alexanda Djibba, Ismaila Mange Dieme and others.
 
              Meanwhile, we are serving notice to Yahya Jammeh, if one is needed, that The Gambia Echo will continue to monitor Gambia's role in the Cassamance conflict using every resource available to us to ensure that we play a positive role in the conflict.