Another Dubious Coup Plot in The Gambia: But Who were these Plotters- Lt.
Alimamo Manneh and Lt Landing Sanneh?
To start with, let me make an essential reflection. Was it Yaya Jammeh
trying to play the sense of the dramatic two weeks ago when he quoted a well
known Wollof saying to the elders of Banjul that "wishes were like personal
houses and those who built them usually ended sleeping in them"? Well, I
wonder whether Yaya is familiar with this other classic Wollof proverb: "
Those who train their own wrestlers usually become the first victims of
their students."
In precise terms therefore, I am saying that if it was really true that
Landing Sanneh and Almamo Manneh actually turned their arms of terror
against their Boss Yaya, then the second proverb perfectly fits the
so-called coup plot announced in The Gambia on the 14th January 2000. By
all indications, it was no secret that Almamo Manneh and Landing Sanneh
were Yaya's most notorious thugs, bullies or killer machines after the
tranquilization of Sana Sabally, the death of Sadibou Haidara and the
recent marginalization of Edward Singhateh. Over the years Yaya made those
two monsters who they were and encouraged them in every campaign of terror,
torture and intimidation they had inflicted upon the peace-loving Gambian
people.The vicious activities of these State Guard henchmen constituted
the greatest nightmare of all Gambian, civilians and soldiers alike. Yet,
nobody could do anything about them, because Yaya protected them with
dogmatic intolerance.
When Yaya appointed Landing Sanneh as head of his personal State Guard Unit,
it was apparent that he made his choice of Landing purely on tribal lines
i.e.Sanneh was simply a "Jola" like him. Furthermore, Landing was the
idiotic type of person he could easily manipulate to carry out all his evil
orders. But certainly there were more competent and saner officers to handle
that responsibility better. However, Yaya by habit, and like most other
despots, enjoyed being surrounded by empty-headed people like him whom he
could easily lure into carrying out his dirty work.
Just take a look at the terrible things perpetrated by Landing as Commander
of the State Guard - and in all these cases the Kaninlai tyrant always
commended him. In 1996,for example Yaya Jammeh shamelessly encouraged
Landing Sanneh to pull a pistol on Edward Singhateh when the latter was the
Vice Chairman of AFPRC government, the second most powerful administrator in
the Gambia at the time. Edward Singhateh was merely paying a courtesy call
to Mrs. Tuti Faal Jammeh (Yaya's former wife) when Sanneh under Yaya's
directive threatened to shoot the Vice Chairman. When Yaya got the report,
he commended Sanneh for a wonderful job well done. In that same year
1996,Landing Sanneh the State Guard Commander unleashed his men under the
leadership Almamo Manneh to conduct the most brutal beating of members of
the United Democratic Party (U.D.P.) supporters at Denton Bridge.
To the Army itself Landing was a living terror with absolute encouragement
and total support of Yaya. Former Army Commander and now Chief -of-Staff,
Baboucarr Jatta was in 1997 openly challenged by Landing Sanneh in a manner
that had totally undermined his authority as head of the Army. In that case
also Yaya clearly stood by his ill-disciplined lieutenant against a whole
Colonel. It was the ultimate message from Yaya Jammeh to the entire army
that Landing was untouchable among Jammeh's boys of terror.
However Almamo was a greater terror. Since the coup in 1994 the former
sergeant was permanently identified with Yaya in every sort of terrorist
action imaginable. In 1996 it was Almamo who shot and almost killed an
innocent taxi driver in the streets of Banjul at broad daylight Yaya
commended him for it because Almamo acted on his directive to shoot any
driver on the move when his convoy was passing. Almamo like Sanneh were the
very few soldiers in the whole army with the absolute authority to carry any
kind of weapons at all times. Almamo could arrest any civilian or soldier
and torture them with animal brutality just to please Yaya. The popular
P.P.P. politician and former Minister Omar (O.J.) Jallow had on several
occasions fallen victim to Almamo's brutality on the orders of Yaya Jammeh.
He kept the keys to the State House armory; he was that ugly -looking
soldier always in camouflage uniform with dark glasses moving beside Yaya.
Interestingly however with all the terror and madness associated with Almamo
the non- commissioned officer, Yaya in 1999 promoted him to the rank of a
lieutenant when the idiot could barely read or write. It was a clear
manifestation of rewarding the most terrible and incompetent soldier in the
whole Gambia Armed Forces.
Then all of a sudden we are informed that Almamo and Landing were trying to
topple their Boss Yaya but the former was butchered and the latter put on
chains. Thank god what a great riddance that was for the Gambian people. The
only person who lost dearly is Yaya Jammeh,but knowing him fully well he
would try all his tricks to turn it into a childish victory story for
himself. He would fabricate big lies again about super-coup activities he
had foiled only to once again expose his puerile mind.
Apparently a lot of people may wonder what really brought Yaya and Almamo
together in a whole army of over 1000 men; that's a simple answer ; they are
more or less the same caliber in several ideas especially in the field of
primitive 'Jujus'. Yaya and Almamo had always shared the funny dream that
the abundant of charms and 'Jujus' supplied to them by their marabouts were
actual bullet proof stuffs. Well, I only hope the demise of Almamo was a
proper wake up call for the superstitious Jammeh to now know that those
things don't work at all.
As for the rest of the Gambian soldiers the fall of the mighty Lt. Landing
Sanneh and Lt. Almamo Manneh was typical example of what could happen to
those who have less faith in god and decided to choose the satanic path of
evil doers. The Jammeh government had been built through treachery and
deceit and Yaya has perfected his skill of destroying his greatest loyalists
particularly the fanatical ones; ask Edward Singhateh if you want to know
more about that.
As a matter of fact it would have been an insult to the Gambia Army for
Almamo and Landing to successfully lead them in a coup. Even Kukoi with his
own madness would have been a better choice.
Besides Gambians are now fed up with lies of one coup conspiracy after
another. Samsudeen Sarr and Mamat Cham, Sana Sabally, Sadibou Haidara and
even the current vocal secretary of state for the Interior Ousman Badjie
were all at one time accused of dubious coup conspiracies and incarcerated
at Mile Two Central Prisons for months and years. But were some these people
not eventually released and appointed to the highest and most sensitive
security positions in Jammeh's government? How could Samsudeen Sarr and
Ousman Badgie accused coup plotters become Commander of the Gambia Army and
Secretary of State for the Interior respectively? Furthermore didn't they
try every thing in vain to deceive the whole world about what really
happened to the late Koro Ceesay? So for God's sake let the narrow-minded
intellectual sycophants of Jammeh's government give us a break about their
dubious coup conspiracy theory. They have really made the APRC government
synonymous with Lies, Lies and Lies.
By the way I am definitely left wondering why another notorious bafoon among
Jammeh's thugs survived the downfall of his partners. Musa Jammeh was the
third person in the three-man bullies controlled by Yaya. Perhaps Musa was
spared simply because he was a "Jola" and a closer relative and puppet to
Jammeh. Yet Musa is shamelessly more dangerous than the other two. Before
the coup in 1994 Musa was among Ex-President Jawara's closest body guards.
And it is evident that since then in order to clear that past image, he had
turned into one of the worst tools of Yaya. Anyway he should be keenly
watched as another Jammeh-created snake that could at any moment spit his
venom to his boss.
I cannot however conclude my observation without mentioning one of the most
critical and disturbing aspect Jammeh's coup consequences. How come every
time Yaya Jammeh's government snaps with a fake coup it is only the
Mandingos, Wollofs Fullas who are killed in the process and buried in the
most indecent manner. Check this list since 1994:
Name of Soldier Executed Ethnic Group Burial Site
1.Lt.Basiru Barrow Mandingo Behind Yundum Barracks toilets.
2. Lt.Gibril Saye Wollof Ditto
3.Lt .Abdoulie Bah Fullah Ditto
4.Lt. Abdoulie Faal (D O T)Wollof Ditto
5.SSgt.Fafa Nyang Wollof Ditto
6.Sgt.Basiru Camara Mandingo Ditto
7.Sgt.E.M.Ceesay Wollof Ditto
8.Lt.Almamo Manneh Mandingo Not yet known
9.Cpl.Dumbuya Mandingo Not yet known
In the final analysis, it is clear tha members of Jammeh's ethnic group are
always unaffected. Landing Sanneh was for instance Almamo Manneh's Boss in
every respect, then how come the former, a Jola, survived the so-called coup
attempt and the latter, a Mandingo, died in the shoot-out? Why not just call
it the execution of more Mandingos?
But Jammeh should know that the day of reckoning is drawing near and he
should also start marking his own spot behind the toilets at Yundum
Barracks. What goes around comes around body!
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