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The Gambian Firing Squad |
Thousands stage anti-EU demonstration
Monday, January 14, 2013
Thousands of Gambians Friday marched in Banjul to show solidarity with President Yahya Jammeh for his stance against the 17-point demands by the European Union.
Marchers including men and women from all walks of life, marched from the Arch 22 to State House in Banjul, with banners saying “No to EU demands”, “We will never relent”, and “You can’t buy us Gambians”.
Alhagie Saihou Sanyang, on behalf of the marchers, presented to President Jammeh a declaration, which among others condemned the European Union for its demands.
Addressing the gathering, President Jammeh described the move as a show of patriotism and true faith in the supremacy of the Almighty Allah.
“I am very grateful that 99% of Gambians are patriotic and they are behind this government and they are God-fearing. Only the Almighty Allah we obey; only the Almighty Allah we worship; and only our country we love, the rest we don’t care,” he told thousands of cheering supporters.
“I don’t think I need to tell anybody Asian, European or Latin American, African or whatever you are, who I am and what I stand for. I am Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, born in 1965 in Kanilai and I was born a few months after independence, which shows everybody that I did not want to be born under colonialism.”
He told the gathering attended by cabinet ministers that the same Yahya A.J.J Jammeh that risked his life as a lieutenant in 1994 to liberate this country is the same Yahya A.J.J Jammeh who is here to die for Africa, die for The Gambia and die for dignity.
“There are a lot of Yahya Jammeh’s but I’m the only one and only Yahya A.J.J Jammeh and throughout the history of humanity, I am the only Yahya who is a President. I don’t have to go further into that, but what I want to assure you is this: I believe in the Almighty Allah. The destiny of this country, its socio economic development can only come from the Almighty Allah and implemented by Gambians the way they want it,” he added.
He further stated that “If in 1994 when Gambia was a very backward and dilapidated country, I was ready to die for The Gambia, today after 18 years of progress, I am ready to die now for The Gambia.”
The Gambian leader also told the gathering that “to the few cockroaches that are supporting them, and for whom these demands are made; let me make it very clear that this country will be defended to the letter, and any cockroach who wants to interfere in the peace and stability of this country, be ready for the consequences. I don’t care what they say!”
“We have seen your declarations on the Western-backed websites; if you are men and are courageous, come to The Gambia; you will find Yahya Jammeh here,” he said, before vowing that if ever he moved from his pledge to die for The Gambia and for Africa, may the Almighty Allah destroy him.
In his view, the EU did not mention anything about agriculture, or education “but all they are talking about is the freedom of criminals”.
“Instead of talking about health infrastructure, they are talking about prison conditions. Let me remind the Europeans that there is no word for prison in any of our local languages. There were no prisons in Africa before they came; they brought prisons, and the prisons are here to stay, thanks to their colonialism,” he stated.
Instead of talking about how to improve the general health of the Gambians, Jammeh added, they (EU) are talking about homosexuals.
“We Africans move forward and not backwards. If they want the homosexuals, let them collect them if they know where they are, but if I know where they are before the Europeans, I will lock them up. If they want homosexuals, they are welcome to take them to Europe.”
Noting that all the laws in this country are in line with the Constitution, which was promulgated after a referendum, President Jammeh emphasized that he is not a racist.
“Any country, any international corporate body, any international organization is welcome to The Gambia to dialogue with respect and dignity, as long as this so-called dialogue does not insult our integrity and independence.
“I am not anti-East, West, North or South, but I am anti-imperialism, anti-arrogance, anti-racism and I will always remain anti-hypocrisy, because as a Muslim, I should not work with hypocrites,” he stated.
Meanwhile, among the demands by the European Union are the upholding of the moratorium on the death penalty with immediate effect, revision of laws on freedom of expression and media regulations within 24 months, provision of information regarding the recent executions, including location of burial of the bodies to the families.
Author: Lamin B. Darboe
Source: Picture: President Yahya Jammeh
The Gambia: Yahya Jammeh to EU: Go to hell; Prison executions blown out of proportions
By Mathew K Jallow
Yahya Jammeh's shocking statements last week that the executions of; not nine, but twenty-five innocent Mile Two Prison inmates “was blown out of proportions” and telling the European Union “to go to Hell,” veered well past the point of insensitivity into something very close to insanity. The twisted mindset that compelled Yahya Jammeh to even enunciate such sanguinary commentary maybe insensitive, but insane; Yahya Jammeh is not. Like everything else he has done, Yahya Jammeh is merely putting up a brave front that on the surface projects calm comfort, and to give the impression that he can stand up to the powerful European Union, but in his mind, he is a nervous wreck, in despair and in utter fear of the intense political pressure now being brought to bear to expose the ruthless underhandedness with which he has so cruelly exercised power. Nowadays, Yahya Jammeh is a man consumed by severe internal turmoil and on the verge of buckling under the weight of this unforgiving strain. For such a universally hated person as Yahya Jammeh, with everything to lose, this veneer of numbness and detachment from the Gambia's familiar issues of state sanctioned murders, forced disappearances, and the constant arrest and detentions of the innocent that have so profoundly tortured the Gambian psyche, only illustrates the sheer depth of Yahya Jammeh's apprehension about his regime's future survival prospects. For years now, Yahya Jammeh's overarching concern has not been the business of governing; instead he has been totally consumed by political tyranny and economic exploitation of the Gambian state. Today, a year after the national elections, not a single cabinet has survived one month without the notorious reshuffling that has bedeviled his listless regime. Not unlike everything else, the frequent cabinet changes are far from being merely tangentially related to the perennial chaos and crisis pervading every aspect of life in our country. Rather, the familiar and crippling ministerial musical-chairs, like the country's permanent state of Martial Law, is also at the very heart of this disastrous conundrum so emblematic of the dysfunction of the Yahya Jammeh regime.
Just last week, an internet video of Yahya Jammeh fecklessly railing against the European Union surfaced to the complete and utter dismay and disgust of most Gambians. The video exposed his extreme discomfort and the visible disconnectedness of the eclectic group of miserable looking cabinet ministers nervously hunched, humped and crouched in filial silence. In a monotonous hour-long soliloquy, Yahya Jammeh's stunning lack of a sense of reality was an eerie reminder of Idi Amin Dada's infamous ministerial meetings which often ended in the deaths of some of his ministers. But, Yahya Jammeh's trivializing defiance of the EU is a losing battle; a deja vous likely to condemn Gambia to the specter of economic sanctions not unlike those that collapsed the Iraqi and Iranian economies then and now. The prospect of Yahya Jammeh tarring Gambia with the same punishing political outcome must be a wake-up call to all Gambians, but it is common knowledge that Yahya Jammeh is totally impervious to reason and lacks the intellectual fortitude to make sound judgments. The EU's capacity to wreck economic havoc and totally incapacitate Yahya Jammeh's regime is not in dispute, and his cynical defiance and downright disrespectful posturing will not make sanctions less likely. The European Union's ground-breaking commitment to Gambia's interest is underpinned by a commitment to moral rectitude and the return of the rule of law. As determined and as focused as the EU is, Yahya Jammeh's posturing will likely push Gambia towards the brink of economy catastrophe in the event he does not relent. The EU bureaucrats cannot be bribed, as Yahya Jammeh does with breathtaking frequency with selfish IMF and World Bank officials from corrupt Third World countries. The EU will never capitulate to Yahya Jammeh's madding narcissism and notorious charm offensives. Moreover, the Honorable Dr. Momodou Sedat Jobe, Gambia's internationally renowned political and diplomatic luminary will not make it any easier for Yahya Jammeh as he travels around Europe to huddle with European leaders in addressing Gambia's bloody, long drawn-out struggle for political liberty. Additional to Dr. Jobe's ongoing tour, Dr. Amadou S Janneh, the Civil Society Associations Gambia's (CSAG) newly elected Campaign Strategist, and Mr. Banka Manneh, CSAG's Chairman, plan travels this summer to meet with European and US officials as well as Diaspora Gambian communities aimed at uniting all willing Gambians in the struggle against Yahya Jammeh's dictatorship.
That said; Yahya Jammeh's declaration that the universally condemned executions of, not nine, but twenty-five innocent Mile Two Prison inmates on August 23rd 2012, “was blown out of proportions” is a disgusting abstraction of reality. If anything, it is illuminates his dangerously stolid mindset and questions his cognitive fitness to serve. Tabara Samba's brutal gang rape before her executions, the execution of a mentally insane person, Abubacarr Yarboe, and the execution of Momodou Darboe, whose death sentence was commuted to life more than twenty years earlier, are all snapshots of the lawlessness and the screaming madness that surround the Mile Two Prison executions. The unexhausted legal remedies the law allowed were ostentatiously abrogated with mindless impunity. Needless to say, the executions themselves were a tragic national aberration of monumental proportions, besides being a glaring exhibition of an unmitigated disregard of the Constitution and the laws of the land. Even today, nearly six months later, the executions still defy imagination. The European Union's recent demand for the disclosure of the burial grounds of the all executed comes in the wake of the incessant demands by Gambians for the retrieval of the executed corpses to grant them decent burials. It is understandable that the European Union officials may be skeptical, but every Gambian is aware of Yahya Jammeh's godless human sacrifice practices. To-date, nearly twenty children have been sacrificed in planned and staged motorcade accidents that often lure children to their merciless deaths. The rush for goodies thrown out by Yahya Jammeh and his helpers from heavily militarized speeding motorcades have so far claimed the lives of more than a dozen children and this primitive tribal practice of child sacrifice stopped only after the media realized that the eerily similar deaths were after all planned human sacrifices; not accidental deaths. But these are uncommonly difficult days for Yahya Jammeh, and with pressure mounting around him, he is likely to execute Gambians again to ward off “evil-spirits” and “save” his military regime from collapse. Gambians at home must, therefore, be vigilant, but above all, mindful of Yahya Jammeh's conditioned and effortless capacity to kill again. We are in the nexus between the EU's determination and Yahya Jammeh's familiar stubbornness, and Coalition for Change Gambia and Civil Society Associations-Gambia urged the European Union to never surrender to Yahya Jammeh's puerile comedies and banal threats. This time, EU's position must be the unequivocal support of the Gambian people in this time of desperate need for political change.
Mathew K Jallow, one of The Gambia's vociferous opponent and critic of Yahya Jammeh's military regime, has been exiled in the US for more than a decade.
Source: Mathew K Jallow
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Vladan Glisic, a leader of the Dveri party (Serbian): "He will never be my friend [Tony Blair] and whoever's his friend is my enemy."
Around 2,000 people gathered in front of the Serbian government in Belgrade, Saturday March 21, 2015 to protest against the 'pro-EU' government hiring Tony Blair as a political adviser while signing deals with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)/
The protesters, led by the party of Dveri (Door Party), demand closer economic ties with Russia instead of the EU. Protesters held pictures of Vladimir Putin and chanted "Serbia, Russia, we don't need EU," and trampled on a cardboard effigy Tony Blair.
After the gathering in front of the government building, the protesters marched to the Serbian Broadcasting Company demanding an end to 'censorship' of opposition parties.
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Gambia: Regions Say No to EU Demands
23 January 2013
The peoples of the North Bank, Central River, Lower River and Upper River Regions respectively from Thursday through Sunday, staged protest marches in their various administrative regions in solidarity with the Gambia government against the EU 17-point demandS on the basis of Article 8 Political Dialogue.
North Bank Region
On Thursday, January 17th, 2013, the people of North Bank Region staged a mass protest against the EU demands with a march past from the AFPRC General Hospital in Farafenni to the home of the former chief of Illiasa, where they were received by Ebrima Ansu Tamba Jammeh, the chief of Illiasa and the governor of the region, Lamin Queen Jammeh respectively.
Mustapha Dibba of Farafenni read a petition against the EU demands describing it as unwarranted conditionalities and a total disregard of the sovereignty and independence of the Republic of The Gambia. He said the people of North Bank Region are in total support of the Gambia government.
He made it clear that no foreign entity can influence them to desist from supporting the government, saying President Jammeh and his government have lifted this country out of stagnation and under-development, and transformed it into a fast developing nation.
Dibba stressed that since the 1994 Revolution, President Jammeh has been doing everything possible for the country to develop. He declared that the people of North Bank Region will ever remain grateful and indebted to President Jammeh for his development achievements for this country.
Lamin Queen Jammeh, the governor of the region, assured the people that the petition against the EU will surely be forwarded to the president of the Republic. He described The Gambia as an independent and sovereign state with her Constitution guiding the state.
He commended the people for coming out in large numbers to show solidarity with the government and the leadership, saying it is in defense of the Constitution that originated from the will of Gambians. He urged the people to redouble their efforts and tighten their belt and get more prepared than ever before to stand for this country.
Modou Cham of the Gambia Transport Union and Tapha Dibba, who organised the solidarity march, assured the people of the region that they would never turn their back on President Jammeh.
Ebrima Ansu Tamba Jammeh, the chief of Illiasa, chaired the occasion.
Central River Region
The eleven districts of the Central River Region also converged on the Island town of Janjangbureh on Friday, January 18th, 2013, to show solidarity with the Gambia government against the EU.
Reading and presenting the petition on behalf of the people of the region, Kaunding Tambedou said the declaration represents the candid wishes and aspirations of the people of the region and also depicts their voluntary and unflinching support and solidarity with His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh and his government in rejecting all the 17-point EU demand issued to The Gambia government for implementation.
He continued: "We thus, wish to present the under-mentioned declaration to our governor, Alhaji Ganyie Touray, for onward transmission to the president of the Republic; that, we are a sovereign and independent state and passed the era of colonialism since 1965; that our sovereignty must be uphold and respected by all and sundry both internally and externally including EU because we shall never accept to be colonised twice; that we shall always remain steadfast and rally behind the president who sacrificed his dear life to salvage this country and championing numerous development initiatives since the advent of the Second Republic."
He added: "We stand in solidarity with our dynamic leader H.E Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh and his government; that if the European Union have issues of human rights concerns against The Gambia, they should respect our sovereignty and engage our good government in exploring all avenues of dialogue with a view to finding a common ground instead of giving conditions and directives for implementation within a set timeframe among others."
Receiving the petition, Alhaji Ganyie Touray, the governor of the region thanked the people of CRR for the massive turnout, describing it as real patriotism and solidarity with the Gambia government and its leadership against the 17-point EU demands. He said there cannot be any better way to manifest their true love for their country, to their leader and to defend the sovereignty of this country than what they have done. He assured them that the petition will be forwarded to the president of the Republic accordingly.
Upper River Region
The communities of the Upper River Region also joined other regions on Saturday, January 19th, 2013, to protest against the EU demands at a well-attended gathering held in Basse.
The URR protest march started at Koba Kunda, and on to the Governor's Office in Mansajang where a solidarity statement was read and delivered on behalf of the people by Ebrima Sorry Bah, the coordinator of 'Dying for President Jammeh' Association. Handing over the petition, Bah strongly condemned the EU 17-point Article Political Dialogue issued to the government of The Gambia.
His words: "The government of The Gambia will never accept any of the 17 points as it is meant to undermine not only the sovereignty of this nation but its peace and stability as an independent and sovereign state with its fundamental right to operate within the parameters of duly constituted laws."
He vowed that Gambians will continue to guard the peace and stability this country is known for, saying, "we will not relent inour support for the president in his drive to achieve his development aspirations.Therefore, the country is an independent state like any other country in the world. We are a nation comprising Muslims and Christians." He urged Gambians in the Diaspora to also stop attacking this country unnecessarily and to come back and participate in the development of their motherland.
Haji Hulleh Camara, the chief of Jimara District, also condemned the EU demands, describing it as something that will jeopardise the peace and stability of this country. He assured of the people's continued support to the Gambian leader. "The Gambia is an independent state like any other country in the world and we believe in Almighty Allah and what the EU is demanding is totally unacceptable," he said.
For their part, Omar Sampo Ceesay and Ba Sama Jawneh both spoke at length on the peace and stability that the country has been known for under the leadership of President Jammeh.
Alhaji Salieu Muhammed from the Mauritania community, who participated in the protest march, also condemned the EU demands. He said: "We will continue to rally behind the president as he continues to provide development for the people in a conducive environment."
Lower River Region
Like other regions, the people of Lower River Region on Sunday, January 20th, 2013, also turned out in their larger numbers to denounce the 17-point EU demands imposed on the government of The Gambia. The LRR protest march started at the GPTC Depot and on to the premises of the Mansakonko Area Council, where they gathered to deliver a petition to the governor of the region for onward transmission to the president of the Republic.
Demba Ali Jallow, the principal education officer at the Regional Education Directorate in Mansakonko, read the resolution on behalf of the people of the region, saying it emanated from the people of the region during a meeting earlier called by the TAC members of the region at the governor's office.
He opined that the EU should reconsider engaging the government of The Gambia in dialogue to enable both parties to reach an agreement that would be of mutual interest. He declared that the people of the region are behind the president at all times, adding that the democratic principles and governance system of the country will never be compromised. He again urged the EU to engage the government in a fruitful dialogue, rather than imposing conditions and timeframe.
Receiving the petition, Lamin Darboe, the governor of Lower River Region, expressed gratitude to the people for the positive turnout in the solidarity march. He said the initiative by the people to come out to show their solidarity with government is not only welcomed but very important in the sense that President Jammeh is a leader who has the interest of the Gambian people at heart.
Governor Darboe said the 17-point EU demands are unacceptable in the sense that they are not in accordance with the country's constitution and totally against the aims and objectives of the government of the day. He called on the people of the region to continue their unflinching support to President Jammmeh and the government. He then assured that the petition will certainly be forwarded to the president accordingly.
This report is compiled by
Alhagie Babou Jallow in NBR;
Lamin SM Jawo in CRR;
Momodou Jawo in URR &
Salifu Touray in LRR.
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Supporters of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) on Tuesday March 24, 2015, staged a protest in Belgrade when they burned flags of NATO, the EU, the United States, and Kosovo. |
Thousands stage anti-EU demonstration
Monday, January 14, 2013
Thousands of Gambians Friday marched in Banjul to show solidarity with President Yahya Jammeh for his stance against the 17-point demands by the European Union.
Marchers including men and women from all walks of life, marched from the Arch 22 to State House in Banjul, with banners saying “No to EU demands”, “We will never relent”, and “You can’t buy us Gambians”.
Alhagie Saihou Sanyang, on behalf of the marchers, presented to President Jammeh a declaration, which among others condemned the European Union for its demands.
Addressing the gathering, President Jammeh described the move as a show of patriotism and true faith in the supremacy of the Almighty Allah.
“I am very grateful that 99% of Gambians are patriotic and they are behind this government and they are God-fearing. Only the Almighty Allah we obey; only the Almighty Allah we worship; and only our country we love, the rest we don’t care,” he told thousands of cheering supporters.
“I don’t think I need to tell anybody Asian, European or Latin American, African or whatever you are, who I am and what I stand for. I am Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, born in 1965 in Kanilai and I was born a few months after independence, which shows everybody that I did not want to be born under colonialism.”
He told the gathering attended by cabinet ministers that the same Yahya A.J.J Jammeh that risked his life as a lieutenant in 1994 to liberate this country is the same Yahya A.J.J Jammeh who is here to die for Africa, die for The Gambia and die for dignity.
“There are a lot of Yahya Jammeh’s but I’m the only one and only Yahya A.J.J Jammeh and throughout the history of humanity, I am the only Yahya who is a President. I don’t have to go further into that, but what I want to assure you is this: I believe in the Almighty Allah. The destiny of this country, its socio economic development can only come from the Almighty Allah and implemented by Gambians the way they want it,” he added.
He further stated that “If in 1994 when Gambia was a very backward and dilapidated country, I was ready to die for The Gambia, today after 18 years of progress, I am ready to die now for The Gambia.”
The Gambian leader also told the gathering that “to the few cockroaches that are supporting them, and for whom these demands are made; let me make it very clear that this country will be defended to the letter, and any cockroach who wants to interfere in the peace and stability of this country, be ready for the consequences. I don’t care what they say!”
“We have seen your declarations on the Western-backed websites; if you are men and are courageous, come to The Gambia; you will find Yahya Jammeh here,” he said, before vowing that if ever he moved from his pledge to die for The Gambia and for Africa, may the Almighty Allah destroy him.
In his view, the EU did not mention anything about agriculture, or education “but all they are talking about is the freedom of criminals”.
“Instead of talking about health infrastructure, they are talking about prison conditions. Let me remind the Europeans that there is no word for prison in any of our local languages. There were no prisons in Africa before they came; they brought prisons, and the prisons are here to stay, thanks to their colonialism,” he stated.
Instead of talking about how to improve the general health of the Gambians, Jammeh added, they (EU) are talking about homosexuals.
“We Africans move forward and not backwards. If they want the homosexuals, let them collect them if they know where they are, but if I know where they are before the Europeans, I will lock them up. If they want homosexuals, they are welcome to take them to Europe.”
Noting that all the laws in this country are in line with the Constitution, which was promulgated after a referendum, President Jammeh emphasized that he is not a racist.
“Any country, any international corporate body, any international organization is welcome to The Gambia to dialogue with respect and dignity, as long as this so-called dialogue does not insult our integrity and independence.
“I am not anti-East, West, North or South, but I am anti-imperialism, anti-arrogance, anti-racism and I will always remain anti-hypocrisy, because as a Muslim, I should not work with hypocrites,” he stated.
Meanwhile, among the demands by the European Union are the upholding of the moratorium on the death penalty with immediate effect, revision of laws on freedom of expression and media regulations within 24 months, provision of information regarding the recent executions, including location of burial of the bodies to the families.
Author: Lamin B. Darboe
Source: Picture: President Yahya Jammeh
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Supporters of the Serb Radical Party (SRS) on Tuesday March 24, 2015, staged a protest in Belgrade when they burned flags of NATO, the EU, the United States, and Kosovo. |
