Gainako has confirmed that the Managing Director of a local radio station Teranga FM Mr. Alagie Ceesay has been released by his abductors – who were suspected to be the notorious National Intelligence Agency. Journalist Ceesay was picked up by plain clothes men from his home two weeks ago and was taken to an unknown destination.
Ceesay and his independent local radio station have been a target of the Jammeh government for its efforts to broadcast national news into the local languages. The station refused to be silenced or conduct self censor like other news outlets to avoid confrontation with the regime. Mr. Ceesay and his station are adamant on covering the news as they see fit.
Readers may recalled that two years ago the popular FM station was shut down along with the Gambia Daily newspaper which is still not operating. The FM station was allowed to resume operations but warned of broadcasting anything critical of the regime. At least they were shut down one other time allegedly for the same reasons.
The recent arrest of the Managing Director is alleged to have something to do with a local artist’s Killer ACE release of an album critical of the Jammeh government. Teranga FM responding to demands of their audiences insisted on playing the album regardless of its harsh words against the dictatorial government.
Increasingly Gambians are growing tired of the unfettered crackdown on innocent citizens and institutions for being critical of the Jammeh government. The notorious NIA has consistently targeted individual citizens and journalists who dare criticize the government on anything.
Mr. Ceesay’s abduction and disappearance sent alarm across the country and International rights groups especially as the Gambia Press Union marks 9 years since another journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh of the daily Observer disappeared without trace by agents of the NIA in 2006. Mr. Manneh has since not been seen and no credible investigation has been mounted to find out what happens to the young Journalist. The Gambia Press Union immediately sounded the alarm and informed partners that another journalist has disappeared. The immediate reaction from Article 19, Amnesty International and Committee to Project Journalists (CPJ) may have put added pressure on the state to release Alagie Ceesay.
The Jammeh government after 21 years in power continue to crack down on the media, control the political space and curtail citizens’ participation in their national discourse. The government which continue to lose confidence around the world recently enacted additional draconian laws – this time an unprecedented electoral reform that effectively seeks to eliminate any form of multiparty Democracy in the Gambia. It aims to turn the state into a one party state. After a loud outcry from the opposition and Diaspora dissidents the House of Representatives passed the so called electoral reform bill 2015. Many see the bill as a national embarrassment that pushes the country closer to political chaos instead of reconciliation.
The government of Yahya Jammeh seems to continue to plant seeds of discord in the Gambia increasing its firing, arrest, prosecution and imprisonment of political opponents. One would have thought after an alleged narrow attempt on toppling the President’s regime in December 2014, Jammeh and his cohorts would reassess the situation and pave a new way forward. This has fallen on deaf years and the administration continue to isolate itself from the international community and alienate its citizens. For now the political situation continue to be tensed as the political opposition has also issued strong demands for electoral reform. Whether those are conditions for them to participate in future elections is yet unknown. One thing is clear the situation is very fluid and moving on a dangerous political terrain. The president has a moral responsibility to correct course, open the political space and create an environment of reconciliation and harmony. The current trajectory is unsustainable and the government ought to heed to that or risk increasing resistance from its citizens.