Katim, A well thought-out piece, really. But from past experiences, I will agree with you entirely on the question of some sort of a National Democratic Organization - because this is a very long-term matter. (I will develop on that theme subsequently). In the mean time, I am looking at the situation, the drill, in this light: 1. The government's propaganda machinery is already set in motion, first, to launch a DCO (Damage Control Operation). Its media outlets will engage in the verminous practice of Blamimg the Victims: The Observer, for instance, instead of publishing the names of the dead students, and the manner in which they were murdered, went on instead to emphasise their unruliness, the buildings they torched, the police whose lives they threatened, etc. 2. The persistent efforts by shrieking officials to always align the killings on the one hand and the "unacceptable" behaviour of the students on the other, is a callous attempt to make everyone "realize" that indeed the actions of the students are punishable. 3. Many of the student leaders will be arrested and eventually sent to jail; and their organization will most probably, be banned. 4. Some officials will also be held liable for their actions. Perhaps the Interior Minister will have to go; and the state would have persuaded itself that it has handled the crisis adequately well. So, unless that becomes the end of our struggle as well, we must brace up for a permanent crusade. Alpha and Karamba need to liaise and immeddiately identify individuals on the ground in Gambia who will coordinate our solidarity with the families of the victims; and that will just be the beginning. Momodou S. Sidibeh ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------