Kabir and Saine,
I can also say that I have had the opportunity to talk to People who had
work intensively to foil this 1981 coup whiles it was in the marking,these
were political activist who were very much aware of the danger that such
might provoke.I am also very certain that Kokoi was neither trained or had
links with Libya prior to the 1981 coup.If Libya had contact with Gambians
prior to this event then it is most likely with the religious leadership,the
likes of Banding Drammeh who have had a long standing relationship with this
country both open and at one time clandestine.
This is not to rule out the possible fact that if Kokoi had contacted Libya
he would not be given the support he needed.
For Freedom
Saiks
----- Original Message -----
From: mustapha ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, December 13, 2000 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: D.K.Jawara: The Man, His Politics and Legacy
> Mr. Njie,
> You need to do more research work on this
> issue. Your information is seriously wrong.
> Thanks
> Tapha
>
>
>
> --- Amadu Kabir Njie <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > Dr. Saine,
> >
> > Thank you for the clarification; I did not know that
> > the question of Libyan
> > involvement in the events of July 1981 had been
> > addressed by the old man
> > during your discussions.
> >
> > I have had occasion to discuss Libyan involvement
> > with Kukoi's right hand
> > man, now in The Gambia, whiles in Tripoli and have
> > spoken to different
> > players and actors in the events of July '81 and
> > arrived at the conclusion
> > that Kukoi indeed received no training, logistical
> > or financial support from
> > Libya. It is however interesting to learn that
> > Jawara has said that "Gaddafi
> > jokingly admitted to having engineered the foiled
> > coup".
> >
> > I am in no way trying to deny the well known fact
> > that Gaddafi was behind
> > many attempts to overthrow many African regimes that
> > he deemed "reactionary"
> > through sponsoring local dissidents. But the rule
> > was that most of these
> > dissidents were trained in Libya soil itself. It is
> > difficult for me to
> > recall any African country that would have, prior to
> > July 1981, allowed it's
> > soil to be used for such purposes, especially in our
> > sub-region.
> >
> > As you may be aware, Kukoi's brief case was found
> > after he fled The Gambia
> > and even though there was evidence in it liking Pap
> > Che Yassin Secka to the
> > plot, nothing was found in it or revealed during his
> > trial, or even during
> > the interogation of those captured after the events,
> > that pointed toward
> > Libyan involvement. It must be remembered that this
> > was a time of intesnse
> > cold war intrigues and that it was fashionable to
> > cry "wolf Gaddafi" by
> > pro-western regimes whenever there was an attempt to
> > overthrow them.
> >
> > Chester Crocker is a man whose testimony I would
> > rather take with a pinch of
> > salt. He is a known Right Wing hawk and I remember
> > him most for being behind
> > Regan's destructive strategy of "Constructive
> > engagement" in Southern
> > Africa, whose sole aim was to nuetralise any
> > non-pro-western forces in the
> > sub-region. He was practically obsessed by the Cuban
> > presence in Angola and
> > the CIA was at work in the whole of the continent,
> > doing their utmost to
> > sabotage all progressive African movements,
> > including the ANC and SWAPO. He
> > also master minded support for both Mobutu and Janas
> > Savimbi who were both
> > close allies of the earstwhile Apartheid regime.
> >
> > By and large, my interest in this topic: "Libyan
> > involvement in the events
> > of July '81" has more to do with the correct
> > catalouging of historical
> > events than with anything else. Indeed the only
> > times I have staunchly
> > supported Gaddafi's involvement in the internal
> > affairs of other Africcan
> > countries was during the Liberation struggles in
> > South Africa and Namibia.
> > Struggles which the Regan-Thacher duo did everything
> > in their power to
> > counter in the interest of wester imperialsm.
> >
> > But I guess this is one chapter that is still open
> > and I hope that one day
> > all the facts about July '81 will be known. Your
> > efforts in that direction
> > are of course well appreciated.
> >
> > Regards,
> >
> > Kabir.
> >
> >
> >
> > "Abdoulaye Saine" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> >
> > > Kabir Njie:
> > >
> > > Thank you for your insightful comments and kind
> > words. The issues you
> > > raised about Kukoi Samba Sanyang, Libya, myth
> > creation and the 1981
> > > aborted coup are very important indeed. These
> > issues however, highlight,
> > > a more important concern, that of insufficient
> > research and data on this
> > > important crisis. Except for Arnold Hughes', John
> > Wiseman's and Sulayman
> > > Nyang's published accounts and a chapter of my
> > dissertation on this
> > > episode, there is little data and information on
> > the issue. A
> > > pro-Government account, according to Hughes, by
> > Swaebou Conateh(1982)and
> > > a fictionalized account of life during the crisis
> > by Nana Humasi (1987),
> > > also exist on the 1981 putsch. I did not see
> > these and could not
> > > comment on them. (Perhaps Mr. Conateh and others
> > could comment on the
> > > events of 1981).
> > >
> > > The lack of adequate data, however, does not
> > necessarily suggest the
> > > lack of Libyan involvement, but simply that data
> > on covert intervention
> > > by foreign leaders are hard to come by and
> > difficult to substantiate
> > > empirically. Consequently, much of the data are
> > anecdotal. It would be
> > > incorrect, therefore, to conclude as you did that
> > "there is no evidence
> > > to support Libyan sponsorship of July 1981." The
> > data may not be as
> > > strong and compelling as most of us would wish,
> > but there are data to
> > > suggest Libyan involvement in the sub-region and
> > The Gambia,
> > > specifically. Did some members of the former
> > AFPRC kill Ousman "Korro"
> > > Ceesay? Did Yahya Jammeh give the order for the
> > April 10 and 11
> > > slaughter of innocent students? You get the
> > drift.
> > >
> > > In the 1980's in particular, Gaddafi engaged in
> > what Chester Crocker, a
> > > former Assistant Secretary of State for Africa,
> > termed "Gaddafi's
> > > Diplomacy of Subversion in Africa." Presidents
> > Kountche of Niger,
> > > Traore(Tarawalley)of Mali and Nimeiri of Sudan
> > charged the Libyans with
> > > attempts to overthrow their governments. The
> > Senegal and Gambia
> > > governments also charged the Libyans with
> > imprisoning their nationals
> > > and putting them into military training against
> > their wills to
> > > destabilize their regimes. Libya was also
> > involved in Uganda in support
> > > of Amin and Dr. Limman of Ghana also accused the
> > Libyan leader of
> > > subversion and expelled its diplomats. Without
> > doubt, Libya's
> > > intervention in Chad was the most dramatic.
> > >
> > > Consequently, in 1980 Senegal, Equatorial Guinea
> > and The Gambia broke
> > > diplomatic relations with Libya. Mauritania,
> > Mali, Niger, Nigeria and
> > > Ghana expelled Libyan diplomats for subversion and
> > in particular,
> > > Libya's change of its embassies to Peoples'
> > Bureaus. Kenya and the
> > > former Upper Volta refused the establishment of
> > these bureaus and Sudan
> > > was convinced that Libya was responsible for a
> > number of unsuccessful
> > > coup attempts.
> > >
> > > It is against this backdrop of Libyan subversion
> > in the sub-region and
> > > perceived subversive activity in The Gambia, that
> > led to the break of
> > > diplomatic relations with Libya. Thus, I am not
> > convinced that the
> > > "myth of Libyan involvement" is a myth in the
> > first place, nor was
> > > it "concocted" by Sir Dawda. He felt strongly
> > about it and said in my
> > > interview with him that Gaddafi jokingly admitted
> > to having engineered
> > > the foiled coup.
> > >
> > > I have no data to suggest that Kukoi set foot in
> > Libya prior to 1981.
> > > What many are convinced of is that Kukoi was one
> > of many Gambians
> > > trained by the Libyan leader in Libya or in
> > neighboring African
> > > countries where Gaddafi-sponsored dissidents
> > undertook
> === message truncated ===
>
>
> __________________________________________________
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