In a message dated 1/17/2001 4:01:05 PM US Mountain Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: > As training intensifies Gambian rebels > in Batala Gov't official acknowledges > report > > Saiks: This report is quite disturbing. Recently, rebels have succeeded in causing a bit of chaos in the towns and villages on the border between Guinea and Sierra Leone. Liberia, a pariah nation which is known for harboring rebels and also for her illicit involvement in trading in diamonds with the RUF, is a perfect training ground for rebels who want to stage 'wars of liberation' in other countries within the sub-region. I daresay a few of the insurgencies popping up in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone are being staged by these rebels trained in Liberia. These type of activities bode dire consequences to the Liberians who are currently paying for their country's involvement in the diamond trade used to fund the RUF's campaign, but also to the countries in the vicinity that are unable to provide and adequate defense against a serious insurgency such as the one a full scale civil war would cause in The Gambia. To illustrate my point about our country's inability to defend herself, the insurgency in Farafenni which had the soldiers in the barracks there in a complete state of hysteria and utter confusions was created by a group of about 20 rebels armed with muskets of different varieties. If a musket could cause such serious panic, imagine what a well armed group of a few hundred rebels could do? I hate to think of the consequences but it is quite certain that the army we have there would be driven into the Atlantic ocean or into Senegal. I must admit though, as much as the present regime is inadequate in my opinion, relying on an outside insurgency group such as the Liberia trained rebels to overthrow the present regime, would be akin to our country jumping out of the frying pan and straight into a hotter inferno. Training camps like the one in Liberia should not be tolerated in the region. If these type of activities are unchecked by the regional bodies (OAU etc.) and the UN, we risk of having these camps wreak havoc on neighboring states in the same way the camps in Nablus and the West Bank have tormented certain countries in the Middle East. Or even worse, if these type of camps are allowed to flourish, the region could be engulfed in the type of full scale civil war which has engulfed bigger countries like Zaire and The Sudan. The UN, with the help of economic sanctions, should force the regime of Charles Taylor to close these camps for the common good of the sub-region. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask] if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------