Buharry,
Thank you very much for your contributions. I read all three of your
postings. The situation about Gamsu would have been almost laughable if it
were not for the lawlessness your postings were documenting. At the risk of
being branded naïve, I must admit that these people continue to surprise me.
It is hard for me to comprehend the callousness being visited on our people
by Yaya and his gang. It is one thing to shoot at someone in hot blood
during a peaceful demonstration; am by no means condoning the murder of our
children in broad day light on April 10 and 11. Am just trying to say that
it brought tears to my eyes to read that these soldiers will go to someone's
house, drag him out and beat him senselessly, while his mom is standing
there begging for mercy. This is just incomprehensible. I mean, what kind of
person will do this to someone in front of his mother. I join others on the
list in asking, where is the conscience of these people? As Coker and many
others observed, maybe we are dealing with animals after all. In this war,
the norms governing relationships between civilized human beings are thrown
out of the window. We would lose out if we treat them as human beings and
they on the other hand, can unleash brute force against us whenever they
want. In this war, advocating for the removal of Yaya through  ANY MEANS
NECESSARY, is not a sign of someone who loves violence or  disrespect the
rule of law or uncivilized. On the contrary, it is the sign of someone who
is tired of hearing these sorry stories and someone who wants action to be
taken before another April 10 and 11 massacre.
These people are illogical. Imagine illiterate parents lecturing top
education officials about the Gambian constitution and how it guarantees
their children the right to assemble and demonstrate peacefully. This is
sickening. That education official and all these supposed intellectuals who
support Yaya know that what they are trying to do is wrong. They play the
fool when it suits them. They abuse us and then turn back to us and play on
our civilize impulses in the hope that we will protect their 'liberties' by
applying civilized standards. Take some of the members on this list for
example ….. they will share a bed with Yaya and abuse our mothers and our
children and then when someone else attacks them on the list, they will run
to Dr. Touray or Musa Jeng etc. for them to apply their sense of justice and
rescue them. It is just like Yaya stalking the deck to rig elections and
then tell us please don't remove me by force; let's have an election. They
are using ANY MEANS NECESSARY to stay in power (elections, robbery, murder,
torture etc.). We lose out if we only use one of those means (elections).
Turning to the immigration issue, I would only say that I wished we had the
foresight to document all Gambians after independence. That way we might
have been saved from people like Yaya, Tombong and the rest of the brute
machine  (whose Gambian identities are questionable).
Again, I urge you to join the debate about what to do after Yaya. When
Norsdam asked about what we were going to do after we remove Yaya, that
should have gotten people started. If nothing else, these plans give hope to
people back home. Shows them that there is light at the end of the dark
tunnel. Like I said before, this is a very dangerous question that we should
have learned from during the Jawara regime. We should leave no doubt in the
minds of Gambians and friends of the Gambia that there are people ready and
able to lead our country back to peace and freedom. People who have just the
right plans for the country. You do not have to agree with the means we
advocate in order to be able to contribute to this debate. On Monday, we
will post another memorandum highlighting some of our points.
I will also take this opportunity to commend Saul and others who eloquently
responded to Musa's observations about the list. I have very little to add
to what you guys already said. Just a word of caution to Musa and please do
not take this the wrong way. In my opinion, no one can stay neutral in this
war. There is also no room for political correctness and not unequivocally
calling these demons what they really are. I can understand being friends
with people you don't share political ideals with. I respect and like a lot
of people who do not share the same political or religious beliefs with me.
I would be the last one to suggest that you should curtail your friendships.
But you must understand that what is happening back home is more fundamental
that having different political views. I don't see people arguing about
political parties or ideologies here. We are calling murderers, liars,
dictators, parasites etc. what they are. In my book if you are neutral in
this war, you are the enemy. I know you are strongly anti-Yaya and you also
suffered some of the effects of his coup like all of us. I also know that
you did not write that piece to protect some of Yaya's supporters on this
list. But am sure you will also agree that some of the reactions to your
posting evinced that Yaya supporters think that they can rely on you to call
on our sense of justice to treat them in a way they do not deserve to be
treated. I challenge you to let them know in no uncertain terms that they
cannot hide behind you to eclipse their hideous words and deeds. I don't
know about other people, but I will never call supporters of murderers,
thieves, torturers and liars my friends. These are not supporters of
liberals or conservatives or environmentalists etc. There are more peace
loving people on the other side worthy of your friendship. WE MUST GET RID
OF YAYA BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY.


>From: MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: My son was beaten to near death  - From The Independent
>Date: Wed, 10 May 2000 23:24:51 +0200
>
>       My son was beaten to near death
>         Distressed Farafenni mother alleges
>
>       Soldiers of the 2nd Infantry Battalion of the Gambia National Army
>stationed in Farafenni have been accused by Farafenni residents of
>'trespass, torture, and intimidation' during last month's student
>demonstrations.
>
>       Fatou Jarjue, mother of one Lamin Camara, an 18-year-old grade 11
>student of Farafenni Senior Secondary School, told The Independent that her
>son, was forcibly taken away from their home by soldiers who allegedly beat
>him to near death. Lamin is currently receiving treatment from the Royal
>Victoria Hospital in Banjul.
>
>       Mrs. Jarjue claimed that armed soldiers forcibly entered her
>compound and fired three gunshots, threatening the lives of her entire
>family.
>
>       She explained that during the student demonstration in Farafenni on
>Tuesday 11 th April, soldiers ran past her compound but later came back,
>knocking on the compound gate which she said was locked at the time.  She
>said that after continuous knocking, the family came out and asked the
>soldiers what the problem was.  Mrs. Jarjue said it was around mid-day and
>the armed soldiers 'insisted that the gate must be opened and they forcibly
>entered the compound and fired three shots while inside.'
>
>       She said five armed soldiers then conducted a search of the
>compound. She said her son, who was found taking a bath, was arrested when
>they discovered that he was a student.
>
>       Mrs. Jarjue said that her son was an afternoon shift student and was
>not out in the street during the morning of the demonstrations. She said
>that prior to the demonstrations, Lamin's father had made a phone call from
>Banjul warning his family to stay indoors since the student unrest was
>believed to be spreading to the provinces.
>
>       She said the entire house was 'ransacked by the armed soldiers and
>all my son's school books were thrown away'. According to Mrs. Jarjue the
>soldiers started 'hitting and knocking' her son, adding that even when
>Lamin fell, the soldiers violently stamped on him. She said Lamin was later
>dragged away 'naked with only his underpants.'
>
>       Mrs. Jarjue said she tried to explain to the soldiers without
>success that her son was innocent. According to her, a female soldier who
>said she was 'acting on orders' attacked her at gunpoint.  She further
>intimated that she was able to identify the five soldiers present at the
>time.
>
>       She said Lamin was clearly injured by the attack but despite his
>'grave' condition was then taken to the military barracks. She said he was
>later admitted at the Farafenni hospital.
>
>       According to a doctor's report, Lamin was diagnosed with 'gastric
>bleeding and palatrauma', and was admitted 'on account of vomiting and
>hamateamises fever.'
>
>       A referral form from the Department of State for Health showed that
>Lamin was referred to Banjul for further examination when he started
>bleeding from both the nose and mouth.  According to the referral report,
>Lamin's condition improved 'but he started bleeding again through the mouth
>and nose and was again referred to the RVH.'
>
>       Up to press time Friday, Lamin was still in Banjul receiving
>treatment and awaiting X-ray examination.
>
>       Lamin's father, an ex-soldier, expressed dismay over the incident
>and said that prior to the demonstration, he had advised his family 'not to
>move an inch from the compound.' He said he was totally disappointed that
>armed soldiers 'forcibly ransacked' his compound.  He also disclosed that
>the three bullets allegedly fired by the soldiers inside his compound have
>been found, adding that two of them were blanks while the third was a live
>bullet.
>
>       Meanwhile, Captain Baboucarr Keita, the officer commanding the 2nd
>Infantry Battalion in Farafenni, has told the Coroner's Inquest that his
>men used live ammunition during the student demonstration.
>
>
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