This is the greatest piece I have seen so far which articulated the issues
succinctly. Ebrima, keep up the good work with your peeople on the ground.
This is exactly the point I have been making since yesterday ...all
indications are that Yaya ordered the shootings ...the question is how do we
hold him accountable ....as the message below also suggests, let us call for
the appointment of a human rights activist who lives outside the gambia by
the attorney general .....he promised he would do so in his press release
....as soon as the names are given to the AG, the clock will start ticking
again and if they don't respond accordingly, the same disgust that motivated
the students during the April 10 massacre will again come to play ....the
petitions and letters are fine ...but these are mere words ....what we are
suggesting here are concrete steps that need to be taken to bring these
bandits to justice .....this is the beginning of the end of Yaya

KB

>From: ebrima ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Up-date no.6
>Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 09:00:35 PDT
>
>Gambia-L,
>
>I am forwarding these extracts from an e-mail I received from one of my
>sources.
>
>Ebrima Ceesay
>
>***********************************
>
>
>Ebrima,
>
>I do not know whether you are aware, but your Internet List (Gambia-L)
>is very popular in the Gambia nowadays. In fact, some of the articles on
>Gambia L are so good that they are now being photocopied and distributed in
>town.
>
>So I wouldn't be surprised if the Government tries to enact a new law to
>ban
>the distribution of Gambia L postings in Gambia. I mean it!
>
>I cautioned you in earlier e-mail not to bite the bait thrown by Tombong.
>Well, some on Gambia L did and I swear I could hear some one burp. Amadu
>Kabir Njie is one of the few who read the fine print.  His "Good over Evil"
>was a master piece.
>
>Anyway, the Imams were invited yesterday to State House to WACHE KAMIR or
>to
>recite the Holy Quran. I did not see Imam Muntagga Fye in attendance and
>was
>told that he had declined the invitation. But I couldn't confirm this
>information from Imam Muntagga himself.
>
>I'll try to find out from him why he was absent if possible. Also, a roll
>will be compiled of all those Imams who participated and I'll send it to
>you
>later this afternoon.
>
>Meanwhile, just keep the pressure so that the students who are detained
>will
>be released. They are still languishing in detention without charge and yet
>they are not released.
>
>By the way, President Jammeh is trying to shift the blame to Ousman Badjie
>and Isatou Njie-Saidy in order to divert attention, but he doesn't know
>that
>Gambians are far smarter than him. Anyway, don't be surprised if he
>sacrifices Ousman Badjie and Isatou Njie-Saidy by sacking them so that he
>can get the public siding with him.
>
>However, the fact of the matter is that it was the President, I am quite
>sure about that, who ordered the shootings: in reality the two officials
>only executed orders from the boss.
>
>Even after Isatou Njie-Saidy told an emergency Cabinet Meeting that the
>President had asked her to order the security forces to "open fire on the
>students", both Ousman Badjie and Army Chief of Staff Jatta had to cross
>check what Isatou said, with President Jammeh in Cuba to make sure that the
>orders indeed came from him.
>
>So who is President Jammeh fooling? In fact, the Army Chief of Staff Jatta
>personally was reluctant to go ahead with the idea of shooting the kids,
>but
>it was President Jammeh who insisted that they should shoot before more
>properties were damaged.
>
>To him, his "APRC projects", including his pet, Gambia TV, were more
>important than the lives of the students. Once he learnt that the TV was
>being attacked or targetted by the students, he (Jammeh) then authorised
>the
>shootings.
>
>For your information, the president is leaving Banjul today for Kanilai.
>Banjul is too hot for him; and he is surely missing Kanilai.
>
>Tombong said only 12 people were killed and I told you 14 were killed which
>he denied. Now, the statement issued by Hamat Bah and Lawyer Darboe said
>over 15 dead. It would be interesting therefore to know what Tombong would
>say to the oposition figure for the dead.
>
>Also, the appointment of Ousman Jammeh as Coroner is not a popular one
>here.
>Ousman is a man of integrity, but he is a from the Bench. What people want
>is an independent person, preferably from overseas; not someone from the
>Bench whose arms can be twisted.
>
>I'll stop here, but expect my next update soon.
>
>Signed: "An honest Permanent Secretary".
>
>______________________________________________________
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>
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