The movement for Democracy and Development is organizing a protest march in New York at the Gambian Mission offices to the UN. The march is in solidarity with Gambians across the world who protested on January 26th against the arbitrary arrest, detention of the family members of the alleged December 30th coup plotters. Gambians across major cities in the world took to the streets in Washington DC, London, Seattle etc on January 26th to express their anger and dissatisfaction with the human rights violations of the Jammeh regime in Gambia. The protesters also called for the support and release of the alleged coup plotters who are detained in US courts due to a centuries old law called the “Neutrality Act” which made it a crime for US citizens to plot to overthrow another government without the approval of the United States Government.
Many critics found this act obsolete and contradictory to United States overall foreign policy. Many pointed out to the hypocrisy of the US in that they authorized the removal of dictators in Iraq, Libya and many other nations only to turn around and arrest other nationals who wants to promote the same democratic tendencies in their native countries. Some pointed out that if the operation of removing the dictator had succeeded no one would have been arrested. “The US does not like failures” alleged a guest on Gainako Radio last weekend.
It is fair to report that two out of three alleged coup plotters in the US courts have been granted conditional bail and are likely to have their charges dropped if they continue to follow their bail conditions; something their colleagues were not accorded in Gambia who were killed in cold blood and their mutilated bodies shared on social media. The third Cherno Njie is due in court in Minnesota this week for a preliminary hearing. He is likely to be granted bail as well.
In the meantime Gambians in New York are organizing to protest at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN has shown interest in the events in Gambia and sent two envoys in the aftermath of the alleged coup. The second enjoy UN Under Secretary for political affairs in Africa’s trip was abruptly cancelled for unknown reasons. Gainako is following up to find out what has transpired about the trip.