Quoting highly credible reports our State House operative Kissy Kissy Mansa reports that Salif Sadio executed Ismaila Magne Dieme, the MFDC faction leader who, only last year collaborated with Guinea-Bissau’s General Tagme Na Wai to drive Salif Sadio’s forces from their Baraka Mandioka Camp in the Portuguese speaking West African state. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is reported to have handed the rebel leader over to Sadio.  Jammeh is convinced that Ismaila's camp is either harboring the March 2006 Gambian coup leader, fugitive Army Col. Ndure Cham or has facilitated his escape into Senegalese territory and therefore, must pay with his life. 
 
FOROYAA  reported citing Alexanda Djibba, former spokesperson of MFDC and official guest of the Jammeh regime on numerous occasions, amongst the 30 prisoners that were seen paraded at the Banjul Magistrates’ Courts on October 1st.  We can now report that Ismaila Magne Dieme the executed MFDC rebel was also amongst the group of MFDC prisoners seen at the Banjul Magistrate Court who was apparently handed over to Salif Sadio.  The readership will recall that The Gambia Echo reported concerns expressed by the MFDC leadership about the safety and well being of both Ismaila Magne Dieme and Alexanda Djibba and the fact that their names were never mentioned in the Gambian press (except Foroyaa) and were not among the 8 MFDC rebels charged.  In retrospect, MFDC's concerns were well justified. 
 
With the major MFDC players imprisoned at Mile II, Caesar Atoute Badiate who allied with Ismaila Magne Dieme in defeating the forces of Salif Sadio is the only major MFDC faction leader who is not in Jammeh's custody or killed. The ease with which 30 MFDC prisoners were captured by Jammeh is explained by the fact that these men were official Jammeh’s official guests in The Gambia.  Some of them have families in the Greater Banjul area with children attending area schools.  The Gambia Echo has reported extensively on this and related issues.  
 
Undoubtedly the Casamance rebel movement has been dealt a devastating blow by Yahya Jammeh.  The handing over of Ismaila Magne Dieme to Salif Sadio and the imprisonment of the military cadre of MFDC at Mile II, including the 8 charged with treason, has effectively demobilized the entire military wing of the MFDC. 
 
How the handing over and eventual execution of Ismaila Magne Dieme will play out is anybody's guess.  What is evident is Yahya Jammeh has gained the upper hand, albeit temporarily, in the Casamance crisis but at a huge and unspecified cost.