Abdou, thanks for your response and I am in agreement with you, Weyeh, et
al.  I think I loose you when I said "Looks like we're playing both sides".
What I was trying to say in a few words is that Jammeh is in bed with the
Separatists and Dakar, and Wade knows that, and Wade knew this way back when
Joof was in control.  Wade's visit to Gambia and his praises to Jammeh was
just a diplomatic move to convince Jammeh to desist from supporting the
Separatists.  However, Jammeh and his boys, just like the Liberians in
Sierra Leone, or the Ugandans, Zimbabweans, etc., in the DRC, is profiting
from the forestry products in the Cassamance, and Wade knows that too.  All
of Gambia is littered with Lumberyards and their supply is coming from south
of our boarder.  That is why Wade refused to recognize Gambia as a mediator
when he first came to power.  What Wal Fajr announced has been known and
believed by folks in Senegal, and it seems to me Dakar is about to exhaust
her diplomatic gestures.  The incident of infringing on Gambia's airspace is
just a start of the use of force even in Gambian territory.  Think about it,
for twenty years the Senegalese air force knew where their air space ends
and ours begin.  How come they beginning to make mistakes all of a sudden,
both on the ground and in the air.  Like you, I believe Jammeh is really
underestimating the strength of the Senegalese forces.  Acquiring those two
clunkers he calls "jet fighters" is a manifestation of that delusion.  Even
if we use all the police, army, and what have we, Dakar can enter Gambia
when she want to and how she want to.  Keep up the good work.


>From: abdou sanneh <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: Cassamance - Is Gambia Neutral or Partial
>Date: Sat, 25 May 2002 01:51:21 -0700
>
>Joe,the cassamance conflict have a geo-political
>implication to the peace and stability in our
>sub-region.I belief that Jammeh's government is not
>neutral in the conflict.Our country is use as a safe
>heaven to the rebels.The rebels are using our
>territory to raise finance to sponsor the conflict.The
>economic of the conflict is the forest resources (
>timber and fuel wood) and cannabis sativa, the market
>of which is Gambia.Having work in Foni I also know
>that there is monthly contribution from the Jolas to
>the rebels in Cassamance.
>I know that our border is porous but with effect
>policing from the national army, the movement of the
>rebels will be control.Who are the intermediaries of
>the cannabis trade in Cassamance?I know is the
>civilians and the soldiers of Gambia National
>Army.Reports in Gambia media have proof the
>involvement of army personnel in drug trafficking in
>cassamance.
>Joe If Jammeh's government is neutral in the conflict
>why should the rebel use our territory as a base or
>propaganda ground.MFDC spokesman Alexandra Djibba is
>the most powerful within rank and file of the
>movement.He is not only the spokesman but also control
>the rebel finance.Is he a refuge in Gambia? If so then
>let the Government use the Geneva convention to
>control his activities.But we have seen that after his
>arrest in Bissau another rebel activist is performing
>his rule or function in our country.
>I cannot comment much on the arms trade but everyone
>knows that our country was used and is still use as a
>ground for shipping arms to the rebels.It is about
>time our government stay away from this conflict.
>Another factor is that giving Gambian ID cards and
>voters card to rebels as a so-called political gain
>for APRC is a form of involvement in the conflict.
>Abdou Karim Sanneh
>Manchester UK
>--- Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Looks like we are playing both sides.  Like Weyeh et
> > al, we may not benefit
> > from what we're trying to reach.  You form your own
> > opinion.
> >
> > Email This Page
> >
> > Print This Page
> >
> >
> >
> > The Independent (Banjul)
> >
> > May 24, 2002
> > Posted to the web May 24, 2002
> >
> > Makalo
> > Banjul
> >
> > The Gambia Government's has come under strong
> > criticism over the Casamance
> > conflict after fresh reports that MFDC rebel
> > fighters had found it easy to
> > beat a retreat into Gambian territory as they avoid
> > an offensive from
> > Senegalese troops.
> >
> > Sources claimed that the ease with which MFDC
> > fighters sought refuge in The
> > Gambia could 'add salt to injury' over allegations
> > that the separatists were
> > benefiting from covert support from outside their
> > theatre of operations.
> >
> > Want to help this site win one of the "Oscars of the
> > Internet"?
> >
> >
> >
> > allAfrica.com has been nominated Best News Site for
> > a Webby Award
> >
> >
> >
> > You can cast your ballot - before June 7 - in the
> > People's Voice category.
> > Click here >>
> >
> >
> >
> > This concern comes against the backdrop of
> > suggestions by a popular
> > Senegalese newspaper Wal Fajr that The Gambia was
> > giving covert support to
> > the separatist campaign in Casamance. Jammeh's
> > government had wasted no time
> > in denying the accusation, describing them as
> > baseless, unfounded and
> > malicious.
> >
> > However, sources said recent rebel encroachment on
> > Gambian territory could
> > provide genuine ground for suspicion. They added
> > that the free movement of
> > the MFDC rebels in and out of the Gambian side of
> > the border, and rebel
> > captives found with Gambian documents could be
> > interpreted to mean that
> > double standard was being played.
> >
> > A senior official at the Department of Foreign
> > Affairs told The Independent
> > that the stay in The Gambia of the former
> > MFDCspokesman Alexandra Djibba who
> > is currently in custody in Guinea Bissau and the
> > presence of the new MFDC
> > spokesman in The Gambia Ablaye Jarju had never gone
> > down well with the
> > Senegalese government, who have not hesitated to
> > communicate their
> > displeasure to the authorities here.
> >
> > Meanwhile in an interview recently, the
> > Army-Chief-of Staff Colonel
> > Baboucarr Jatta has pointed out that any
> > encroachment on Gambian territory
> > by protagonists to the conflict would be interpreted
> > as an incursion of The
> > Gambia. However, he steered clear of committing
> > himself to saying whether,
> > this would trigger an outright offensive from the
> > country's defense force.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>_________________________________________________________________
> > Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN
> > Hotmail.
> > http://www.hotmail.com
> >
> >
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of
> > postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
> > at:
> > http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
> > To contact the List Management, please send an
> > e-mail to:
> > [log in to unmask]
> >
> >
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
>http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
>Web interface
>at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
>[log in to unmask]
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~




_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~