----- Original Message -----
From: Momodou-Alieu Darboe <[log in to unmask]>
To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, December 12, 2000 3:18 PM
Subject: Fw: Re: D.K.Jawara: The Man, His Politics and Legacy


>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Momodou-Alieu Darboe <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 10:49 PM
> Subject: Re: Re: D.K.Jawara: The Man, His Politics and Legacy
>
>
> > I for my part  I doubts any Libyan involvement in the July 1981 failed
> > coup.There was no evidence  to support that Kukoi had ever set foot on
> > Libyan soil prior to July 81'.What had been clear was Gaddafys
> > destabilization in The Sub-region during that period .However it was
> Senegal
> > which some how put pressure on Jawara to take The Libyan threat
seriously
> > after one Senegalese Nyass was accused of sending her citizens to Libya
> for
> > Military training .The turning point came with the Murder of Commander
> > Mahoney of then Field force ,Which  the Senegalese used as  evidence to
> > proof to Jawara what they had been warning him about .It was that
October
> > 1981 that The Senegalese Army out of nowhere and no warning came to The
> > Gambia and took up key positions to the surprise of both The Field and
The
> > Police force .Within days, both MOJA-G and The Socialist Party were
banned
> > .These led to shake off at The Field Force dismissing a lot of Officers
> > accused of involvement in a Coup attempt .The keen political observers
> knew
> > that the chaos created at the Bakau Deport laid the foundation for the
> Coup
> > attempt and together with Senegalese ambition of annexing The Gambia and
> not
> > a threat from Libya .
> > Kukoi appealed to Gaddafy after The Senegalese Army had already taken
most
> > The Gambia  and including The Yundum Air-port and he knew that the
battle
> > had been lost .
> > Jawara as man and Jawara as a President have some qualities which should
> be
> > respected and admired but as a  matter of  fact he is duty bound to
> > apologized to The Gambia PEOPLE for his failures inorder to remembered
as
> > what Dr. Sainy portraits him .
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Abdoulaye Saine <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Monday, December 11, 2000 9:01 PM
> > Subject: Re: D.K.Jawara: The Man, His Politics and Legacy
> >
> >
> > > 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 covert and
> > > sometimes overt military action against targeted leaders and
countries.
> > > In fact Chester Crocker's testimony to The U.S. Senate Foreign
Relations
> > > Committee on July 8, 1981 presaged the events of July 30, 1981 in The
> > > Gambia ( See West Africa, 20 July 1981, pp.1644-1646).
> > >
> > > The current state of the data at hand suggest Libyan involvement in
the
> > > 1981 foiled coup. I would agree with you that more data and studies on
> > > the events of 1981 are needed, simply because the data are anecdotal.
> > > We need more studies on the issue and my article was but a modest step
> > > in that direction.
> > >
> > > Thanks for the comments and for helping me clarify the issue further.
> > >
> > > Cheers!
> > > Abdoulaye
> > >
> > > ka wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Abdoulaye Saine <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > "...Thus, the aborted coup of 1981 was in many ways the brainchild
of
> > the
> > > > Libyan leader who recruited and trained Kukoi Samba Sanyang, among
> > others,
> > > > to carry out the coup attempt.  Others would contend, however, that
> the
> > > > aborted coup was the result of growing domestic inequalities.  To
> date,
> > > > Kukoi is based in Libya, traveling incognito to Burkina Faso, The
> Gambia
> > and
> > > > neighboring Guinea-Bissau and Liberia..."
> > > >
> > > > Dr. saine,
> > > >
> > > > This is a very interesting piece and there have been varied
reactions
> to
> > it.
> > > > Overall, I think it has catalouged many interesting developments in
> our
> > > > recent political history. One point I cannot understand though is
how
> > "the
> > > > aborted coup of 1981 was in many ways the brainchild of the Libyan
> > leader
> > > > who recruited and trained Kukoi Samba Sanyang, among others, to
carry
> > out
> > > > the coup attempt"
> > > >
> > > > It is a known fact that although Kukoi constantly broadcast calls
for
> > help
> > > > from Libya when it became apparent that senegal was going to
intervene
> > to
> > > > try to crush the "coup", he, Kukoi had never set foot on Libyan soil
> > prior
> > > > to the 1981. Just a look at the primitive nature of the weapons used
> > during
> > > > the initial stage of the "coup" is one testimony that we had here to
> do
> > with
> > > > a single man's lust for power.
> > > >
> > > > The myth of Libyan involvement was something concocted and peddled
by
> > Jawara
> > > > and his crew inorder to divert attention from the real causes behind
> the
> > > > coup and why there was mass jubilation, i.e., mass corruption,
> neglect,
> > etc.
> > > >
> > > > I only wish that Jawara himself could set the record straight here
> > instead
> > > > of letting the myth linger that Libya was behind July 1981. Of
course,
> I
> > > > agree with you that Kukoi did make contact with Libya whiles living
in
> > Cuba
> > > > and eventually secured facilities there that were supposed to
enhanced
> > his
> > > > second coming, there is no evidence to support libyan sponsorship of
> > July
> > > > 1981.
> > > >
> > > > Regards,
> > > >
> > > > Kabir.
> > > >
> > >
> >
>
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