Liist members:

Error. Wrong letter sent. Here is the right one.




His Excellency
Mr., Kofi Annan
United Nations Secretary General
United Nations Plaza, Room 3800
New York, New York 10017

Dear Sir:

We heard with dismay, infact with alarm, of your impending trip to the Gambia
ostensibly to inaugurate a new U.N.D.P. Office block. Ordinarily Gambians
everywhere and of all political persuasions would have been honored, jubilant
to receive the Secretary general of the United Nations, distinguished son of
Africa in the Gambia. As things stand now in the Gambia, your visit will only
give comfort, succor and legitimacy to the murderous, obnoxious, corrupt and
morally bankrupt regime. You may by now know that this regime will not
hesitate to murder its sons and daughters to hold on to power at any cost. We
have learnt from very reliable sources that over twenty students were
systematically mowed down and killed by the Gambia's intervention forces on
April 10, 2000. The students were merely protesting the lack of action from
the regime to deal with the culprits who killed a fellow student and
subjected a female student to rape and torture. Instead of dealing with the
students' grievances, the regime answered the only way they know: Killings
murder, detention and torture. Apart from the large number of the students
killed, a sizable number had received bullet wounds, and many are currently
being held by the security forces, and without doubt, being tortured. This
incident is the Gambia's Sharpville Massacre and should be condemned
unequivocally and in the strongest terms by all, and United Nations taking
the lead. Sir, you should underline your displeasure and every believer in
human rights, justice and fundamental rights of assembly and free speech and
cancel your trip to the Gambia.
You may note that these murders followed not in the heels of daylight of two
unarmed soldiers, one openly in Albert Market located in the capital, Banjul.
The latter incident was meant to inject fear in the security forces, and a
warning to all Gambians that the regime will use force to silence anyone even
legitimate questions are being asked about the Head of State. It is
inconceivable that the Secretary General of the United Nations, who recently
launched his bold and farseeing millennial vision will visit a country being
run like thugs.
Sir, you may wish to note that the present regime in the Gambia has tainted
their hands with Gambians' blood, and we would not want the illustrious
office of the secretary-general used to cleanse those heinous crimes. This
regime has killed over sixty soldiers on November 11, 1994. Some of these
soldiers were buried alive. Since the world has been deafeningly silent about
these murders, and other atrocities committed by the regime, the practice of
silencing their opponents, real or imagined continued. The horrible murder of
Korro Ceesay, the minister of Finance is a case in point. He was bludgeoned
to death and his body burnt to ashes. A member of his junta, Mr. Sadebou
Hydara was drowned in a barrel of water. The circumstances surrounding these
two murders are yet to be satisfactorily explained.
The Gambia as you are aware, was run on democratic lines since the country
gained its independence. Although the country is poor, valiant efforts were
made to develop the country. During this period, democracy and pluralistic
politics, judicial independence and the rule of law, freedom of the press and
freedom of speech and assembly was not sacrificed at the altar of
development. These basic freedom were cherished and jealously guarded as most
Gambians subscribe to the creed that the observance of these fundamental
principles were critical building blocks to the nation's building efforts.
Consequently, the beliefs which are nurtured and practiced in the was
responsible for the peace and progress that Gambians enjoyed for a long time.
The period of steady development politically and economically was shattered
on July 22, 1994 when the military took over the government. The development
of the country has suffered a severe reversal since then.
The first principle they threw over board was the principle of free, fair and
open elections. The junta organized an election that they made sure they
would carry by banning all potential rivals through Decree 89 that
essentially forbade the participation of all individuals who were active in
politics between 1965 and 1994. To press their advantage they redrew the
constituency boundaries, gerrymandering, and used all foul means including
brutal force to win their way. The junta tried to win respectability and
legitimacy by conducting elections that were deemed fraudulent by all
interested observers. Decree 89 that essentially disenfranchise the totality
of The Gambia's political leadership is still in force.
The press of course suffers when the human rights of the people are trampled
upon. Draconian decrees were passed to make it difficult for the press to
operate normally. In situations where the press uses its genius to overcome
barrier set in their way, the regime resort to crude methods: detention,
beating, sabotage, deportation and closures to get their way.
The regime that is fascist in every sense uses the fascist tactics of terror,
economic deprivation, thugerry and commonly murder to silence its opponents.
The leadership of the regime in The Gambia is fast becoming equated with the
likes of Idi Amin and Bokassa. The country is deteriorating so fast that if
nothing is done to arrest the rapid decline, The Gambia will join the rank of
those failed states. The Gambians are trying to organize themselves to sort
out this aberration in the development of the country. But we are always
fighting against a subterfuge, perpetrated by the regime and those Donors who
have to implement their programs at the back of Gambian misery, that the
situation in The Gambia is normal because the country has a civilian
government. It will be unacceptable if you subscribe to this insidious
deception by visiting The Gambia as the regime is run by soldiers who have
don their uniforms for civilian clothes. The regime is still militaristic and
run the country in the crude and deadly style of Samuel Doe, Idi Amin,
Bokassa etc. We will be disappointed if the Secretary General of the United
Nations, Champion of human rights and the oppressed will unwittingly anoint
the evil regime running The Gambia at present.

Sincerely,
Kebba Jallow
Chairman

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