I am forwarding this article because I figured Beran went past his quota for the day. This is yet another illustration of the lawlessness that has engulfed our country thanks to Yaya and his band of bandits. ____________________________________________________ >From: "Beran jeng" <[log in to unmask]> >>Alleged Arson Attack: Ruling Party Accused of Scorch Earth Tactics > > > > >The Independent (Banjul) > >October 8, 2001 >Posted to the web October 8, 2001 > >Sheriff Bojang Jr >Banjul, the Gambia > >The Brikama home of Lamin Waa Juwara was the target of a foiled pre-dawn >arson attack by a man armed with a gas canister, the contents of which he >had sprayed inside the house. > >A full gas canister and petrol to set the building alight, and a thick rope >were the evidence left by the fleeing shadow of a man who could not be >identified. > >Mr. Juwara's bodyguards had chased the intruder to a waiting car, which >sped into the night as soon as he had embarked on it. The car according to >Mr. Juwara was identified as one of those vehicles being used by the APRC >in their campaign. > >The attack comes on the heels of an earlier attempt to torch the home of >Shyngle Nyassi another hard line critic of the APRC administration. > >This latest attack according to Mr. Juwara occurred between 3 and 4 am >Saturday when he heard a noise from the eastern end of the house, which was >already suffused in gas, by the time the intruder was discovered. > >Mr. Juwara explained that because he was security-conscious he rolled out >of bed onto the bare floor, avoiding to stand upright for fear of being >caught by what he thought at the time might unfold as a gun attack. > >Mr. Juwara who appeared and sounded unruffled by the experience said the >intruder upon realising that members of his household had woken up, took >flight with Juwara's guards in hot pursuit. > >The alleged arsonist he said could not scale the fence in time to prevent >the guards from closing down on him. "However, he managed to escape into >the night" Juwara a foremost critic of the APRC government noted, adding >that two other men inside a get-away vehicle were waiting in a back street >of the neighbourhood and made good their escape. > >"It was one of the Afingjang pick-up vehicles owned by the APRC" he >asserted, pointing out that the masterminds behind the foiled attack have >failed in their effort to frighten or cower him and his likes in the >opposition and were instead using violence to achieve their end. > >Basirou Manka one of Juwara's guards who was part of the chase said while >he was in the house he had noticed that someone was behind Juwara's window >draped in the shadow of the night. He said he soon realised that it was out >of the ordinary when he (the intruder) tried to ignite a match intended to >torch the house. He said that the attacker was forced to flee apparently >unnerved by the appearance of other guards, leaving behind evidence of his >foiled handiwork, which were five gallons of petrol, a gas bottle and a >rope. > >A few hours after the incident a huge crowd gathered at the politician's >residence to take stock of what had happened and condemned it in the >strongest terms. > >Meanwhile Juwara said although details of the incident was being given to >the police, recent statements by the Deputy Inspector General of Police Jay >Sowe has caused his confidence in the police to wane considerably. Mr. >Juwara said DIG Sowe had blamed the UDP for causing the violence reported >in the urban areas and the provinces "even though this was without >foundation." > >Mr. Juwara who said he is unperturbed by the daring nature of the attack >said "it has not shaken me in any way. I am not scarred by this cheap >tactic of the APRC. It clearly shows that they have ran out of options >after failing to convince members of the opposition to join them." > >He said the incident is only one among a series of incidents, which exposed >the APRC as an organisation of thugs. > >Mr. Juwara also claimed that his party is privy to some classified >information regarding a series of planned attacks on groups of coalition >supporters by what he said are a trained group of APRC militiamen. He >alleged that one such attack is being planned by "Camp 100" against an >opposition coalition convoy to be dispatched at Jahally Hill. He also said >members of "Camp 100" will be deployed along the routes of ballot boxes >heading for counting centres, to create confusion and disrupt the final >counting process. > >However, Juwara who was under detention in the run-up to the 1996 elections >has warned that the UDP is ready to encounter any untoward behaviour from >their main rivals the APRC. "Any encounter might cost lives and we want the >IEC to stand firm and stamp its authority on the election process," he >noted. He said contrary to what was reported, UDP supporters had been the >victims of verbal provocations and physical assaults, causing skirmishes >between supporters of his party and the APRC. > >"We have been peaceful and on the defensive" he said, adding that they (the >UDP) had backed down for the NCP to hold a rally in Salikene to avoid >problems. He said the UDP were scheduled to hold a rally in URD, which was >being put on hold because of a prolonged period of campaign by the APRC in >the area. > >Quizzed as to the UDP's chances in the presidential election, Mr. Juwara >said they are overwhelmingly confident that the polls would go their way. >"This is a liberation issue - liberation from the Jammeh dictatorship. >Naturally oppressed people at some point stand up to their oppressors and >that's what Gambians are doing," he said of the election. "The dye is cast, >we are going to throw Jammeh out," he vowed. > >Mr. Juwara also said that PDOIS were prevented by the APRC from holding >rallies in Foni, a situation, which he said PDOIS never endured during the >first republic. > > > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>