Councilor Ousman Jatta Disappears For 365 Days
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By Pateh Kinteh, Banjul, The Gambia
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*Where Is Ousman Rambo Jatta? *

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 It's now *365* days (one year) since Ousman Jatta (a.k.a Rambo) United
Democratic Party (UDP) Councilor for Old Cape Town Ward at Bakau was
arrested by personnel of the much feared, all to pervasive National
Intelligence Agency (NIA) and detained at various Police Stations across the
length and breadth of the country. Jatta's arrest followed his protest
against alleged election malpractices during the September 25 Presidential
Elections in The Gambia. It was established that the opposition Ward
Councilor protested against a group of people in two fully loaded Army
vehicles who claimed to be soldiers determined to cast their votes. Mr.
Jatta then protested after suspecting that these gangs believed to be
non-Gambians dressed in military uniforms had intended to illegally vote for
Yahya Jammeh for purely tribal reasons.



Rambo Jatta as he is affectionately called, heroically denied the group
voting at the Bakau Cinema polling station. In the end, they turned around
and went to a more volatile station where they probably cast their marbles
even though everyone knew they were non-Gambians.

Following his bold protest, he reported the incident to his Party leader
Ousainou Darboe and to the foreign election observers who also visited the
scene on polling day, much to the embarrassment of the Jammeh government.
They were so shocked that they resorted to revenge. The following day,
exactly on the fateful day in which the Elections Results were announced
Jatta was picked up at his Cape Point Residence, by plain -clothes security
personnel who first detained him at Bakau Police Station.



Family Sources said their breadwinner drove his arrestees on his own car to
Bakau Police Station where the Vehicle was packed for some days but later
disappeared. "A day after his arrest, he was taken to Kairaba Police Station
because the family members stormed the Bakau Station and a day later to
Sanyang Police Station. "He was from there moved to Sibanor Police Station
weeks later following frequent demands and publicities by the family members
and the media", an anonymous family member told The Gambia Echo.

Following these developments, the family through the services of their Party
leader, Ousainou Darboe filed a lawsuit against his continuous detention. He
was then moved from Sibanor to an unknown destination, but it took time only
to discover that Rambo Jatta was detained at Fatoto Village in the farthest
fringes of The Gambia's Upper River Region. Following court orders for his
immediate release, he was again taken to Sare Njai Police, which is a
further distance in the remotest villages of The Gambia's Upper River
Region.

The police and the NIAs where summoned to the Magistrate courts for his
release but to no avail. They all denied that Rambo is in their custody,
despite numerous reports that he is in their possession, reports that they
never deny. This was followed by another lawsuit before the Commonwealth
appointed Judge at the High Courts in Banjul who on two different occasions
ordered for Rambo's unconditional release but the authorities do not just
care.



One of Rambo Jatta's family members told The Gambia Echo that, "my brother
had tried to avoid problems with any person especially, his political rivals
in our neighborhood that was why he went to his office alone. Unfortunately,
he could not escape the devils. We encountered lots of provocations when the
election results were announced but we ignored the troublemakers" laments
the family member.



Dodou Kassa Jatta, Rambo Jatta's elder brother said Rambo had done a lot for
Bakau. "He facilitated or sponsored over two hundred schoolchildren most of
whom are orphans. All these sponsored children are now in limbo because
their sponsorships come through Rambo's account. Some of the sponsors came
last season from different European countries, but returned home with their
sponsorship packages because their trustee (Rambo Jatta) could not be
found." According to other family sources, Rambo had also established a
school in Sanyang where over two hundred students are enrolled, all of whom
were benefiting from sponsorships, but as of now, everything is grounded.

 The Jatta Kunda family is appealing to the African Commission on Human and
People's Rights, ECOWAS, African Union, European Union, United Nations, and
all other regional and international human rights and other humanitarian
organizations to step in and help in securing the release of Councilor
Ousman Rambo Jatta from his incommunicado and illegal detention for one year
now.



posted @ Thursday, September 27, 2007 9:55 AM by egsankara

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