The mighty United States arguably the strongest Democracy in the world and the champion for Human Rights and rule of law appears to have consistently been bullied by a petty dictator in Africa’s smallest nation – The Gambia. The United States has always stood up to the world’s worst dictators and bullies on their gross human rights violations, suppression of Democracy and freedom of speech. The US also never hesitated to take out dangerous dictators and drug kingpins around the world whether they directly or indirectly threatened the security and economic interest of the United States. Sadly, the United States have also had an ugly history of supporting dictators around the world which America regretted in one way or another. This is a history America have been trying to undo or run away from for almost a century. Once in a while this flawed outdated foreign policy surface its ugly face in the most unlikely places.
This is why when the United States Department of State announced this week that it is issuing visa restrictions on some senior Gambian government officials, mainly because the Jammeh government refused to accept the deportation of 2,000 Gambians, many Gambians including this paper were somewhat taken aback but not totally surprised. We were shocked for the reasons given as reported by The Washington Times “The Gambia has refused to accept nearly 2,000 people the U.S. is trying to deport, forcing the Obama administration to pull the trigger and refuse to grant visas to some Gambians hoping to visit the U.S.” The report further stated that “As of October 1, 2016, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia has discontinued visa issuance to employees of the Gambian government, employees of certain entities associated with the government, and their spouses and children, with limited exceptions,”. Gambian activists quickly jumped on the news celebrating on social media that the travel ban they were lobbying against the Jammeh regime has finally paid off.
However, It didn’t take long before this paper and many others drew people’s attention to the meat of the Visa restrictions story pointing out that the United States appears to issue this restriction not because of Yahya Jammeh’s two decades of dismal human rights records and political oppression, but because the brutal regime refused to accept Gambians to be deported back to Gambia. At least this appears to be the main reason the statement was issued. And otherwise one would ask why should the mighty United States hide behind issuing visa restrictions to punish a petty dictator in Africa’s smallest nation who has no strategic interest to the security and economic interest of the US?
This argument does not hold water and seems to lend credence to the fact that US has either allowed itself to be bullied or the flamboyant President Jammeh has managed to penetrate the State Department by paying lobbyists in K street millions of Dollars who served as Ambassadors to the Gambia to silence officials on Jammeh’s numerous crimes against Gambian and US Citizens. Former Ambassador to the Gambia Jackson McDonald head of JWI contracted with Yahya Jammeh to become his lobbyist in washington which may have been as high as $750,000 annually. After few protest by Gambia activists this appears to have gone underground instead of cancelled totally. There is every reason to believe that something more sneaky is going on between the Jammeh regime and the United States government.
To back our assertions that the U.S may have succumbed to this brutal petty dictator in West Africa, we present evidence that Yahya Jammeh has in fact sabotaged the basic fundamental values and principles of Democracy, human rights and rule of law the US stand for in almost two decades. There are at least five serious crimes Yahya Jammeh has committed right in front of the United States without the State Department or the White House issuing serious warning against this last dictator in West Africa. First, let’s look at the case of gross human rights violations the United States is fully aware of.
The kidnapping and disappearance of Alhagie Ceesay and Ebou Jobe both of whom are Gambian US citizens who were kidnapped and allegedly killed by the Jammeh regime when they visited the Gambia in June 2013. The US Embassy in the Gambia and the State Department despite ample evidence that these two were arrested by the regime in Banjul could only issue appeals to dictator Yahya Jammeh to help them locate these two. Up to date families have done everything possible but they are nowhere to be found and no credible investigation has been conducted. Both of these young men left behind in the US young children and spouses. Isn’t this more genuine to ban Jammeh’s government officials than deporting 2,000 hard working Gambians to a murderous regime?
Second, let’s look at the recent case of Fanta Jawara who is also a US citizen who was simply visiting Gambia and was arrested along with protesters and jailed for 3 years by the regime in Banjul. The Judge presiding over the trial even indicated that Fanta Jawara was not part of the protest which saw the shameful persecution and jailing for three years of UDP’s leader lawyer Ousainou Darboe and his entire execute leadership. The protest also led to the torture rape and eventual killing of two UDP youth leaders Solo Sandeng and Solo Krumah. Fanta Jawara who left young daughters and a husband in the US was allegedly tortured and paraded in court for more than two months before being sent to the notorious Mile II prisons for simply doing nothing. Now what has the United States done about this, issued statements expressing concerns and calling for the release of the young mother. Isn’t this enough to issue Visa Sanctions against Dictator Yahya Jammeh and his top senior officials?
Third, Africa’s worst dictators were invited to the White House by the Obama Administration for the Africa Leaders’ Summit which Yahya Jammeh and his wife attended in Washington DC in 2014. Mr. Jammeh known for his brutality and crackdown on political opponents brought his terror to the United States when his security guards brutally beat a female Journalist Fatou Camara and protesters right in front of US police and the Secret Service who were entrusted to protect the dictator who has reign terror on his own people for two decades.
Yahya Jammeh unleashed that same brutality on Ms Camara and Ousainou Mbenga who were simply protesting against the oppression of the media and political opponents in the Gambia. Even though there were evidence that Jammeh’s guards attacked these protesters right on US soil in open violation of US freedom of Speech and the right to protest laws (first Amendment), no credible investigations were conducted by US authorities. Instead, Jammeh was allowed to leave the US without any consequences. How does this not constitute giving a dictator an easy pass on crimes he committed against citizens in front of the White House.
Fourth, the case of the failed attempted coup on December 31st 2015 in the Gambia by Gambian dissidents in the US and Europe also highlight the shame that still manifest itself in US foreign policy. For the United States government to arrest and prosecute four Gambian US citizens on a century old neutrality act law which prevents US citizens from taking up arms against a “friendly” nation without regard to circumstances and the principle behind the reasons these brave citizens were forced to take up arms against a brutal dictator beats anyone’s imagination. For almost two decades these Gambian dissidents have done everything possible to bring about peaceful democratic change in the Gambia to no avail, yet when they seek to defend the Democratic values and human rights principles the US so dearly holds, they were prosecuted and sentenced to several months in jail. Though we understand that US is a nation of laws and all citizens are bound by that law, prosecuting these human rights defenders and jailing them was like throwing red meat to the dictator. It did nothing but comfort the dictator and emboldened the Jammeh regime to crack down on its citizens even more.
The most heinous crime the dictator committed against the United States and ‘the in your face I dare you take me on’ Jammeh issued to the US is the killing of former US Army Captain Njaga Jagne who along with two others were ambushed and killed in cold blood at the State House in the wee hours of December 30st 2015. These alleged coup plotters ere not only killed and their bodies mutilated but they were left laying there for hours and their copses circulated in social media to send a message. The US state Department and Embassy in the Gambia is fully aware of the brutality that was meted on Captain Jagne and others. In fact the US was alleged to have tipped off Jammeh through the Senegalese government on an eminent plot to overthrow the dictator.
Until this day, the dead bodies of Captain Jagne , Sanneh and Jaja Nyass have not been handed over to their families. What happens to the long standing US doctrine that the United States does not leave its soldiers on the battle field? Why would Yahya Jammeh hold on to a US Captain dead body and arrogantly refused to hand it over to the Mighty United States and yet he gets away with it? What is more heinous on Jammeh’s part refusing to accept 2,000 deportees or brutally murdering a US Captain and refusing to accord him and his family a proper burial? What is the priority America, protecting Gambian citizens or a petty dictator? What would Yahya Jammeh do to gain the full attention of the United States of America?
On numerous occasions for almost two decades Yahya Jammeh one of Africa’s remaining brutal dictators have stocked his finger to the United States with insults and open threat. Yahya Jammeh is on record insulting the United States and calling America the evil of the West and yet neither the US embassy in Banjul nor the State Department has stood up to Jammeh and make him pay a price for his reckless actions. Despite all these open aggression against the values and fundamental principles of the United States, Yahya Jammeh continue to educate his daughter in one of the most expensive schools in New York. How about Jammeh’s deliberate act to withdraw security personnel and protection of the United States Embassy in the Gambia? What about Jammeh’s numerous alleged involvement with Iran and Russia an open violation of US embargo on arm deals.
What about the case of the 2 billion dollar cocaine that were discovered in a bunker in Gambia? How in the world does a small nation like the Gambia discover 2 Billion Dollars worth of Cocaine without top government officials being involved in the drug trafficking?. Has the US bother to find out why Jammeh jailed his former IGP Essa Badgie who was sentenced for 20 years in his alleged involvement in ‘economic crimes’ which he allegedly carried out with the permission of the President? What about the sentencing of General Jose Americo Bubo Na from Guinea Bissau who was recently found guilty for drug trafficking? Does the US know General Jose was a personal and close friend of Yahya Jammeh? Has any link with Jammeh surfaced during this trial? Where and how did Yahya Jammeh allegedly managed to steal $900,000,000 Dollars from Gambian tax payers and hid the money in Panama as reported on Panama Papers?
The United States is fully aware of Yahya Jammeh’s two decades of crimes against Gambians and humanity at large. There are enough evidence to indict the Jammeh regime and it beats anyone’s imagination that the United States will pretend to punish Yahya Jammeh through a pretext of not accepting 2,000 deportees when there are plenty other crimes Yahya Jammeh committed that earns him a trip to the ICC? What is the United States Afraid of or protecting? Are you not concern about Gambia turning into an Islamic state with Shariah law as its constitutional law creating a breeding ground for terrorism and illegal money laundering. What about the numerous robust but questionable banking industry in the Gambia mostly owned by Nigerian business men and women who are largely serving in the Jammeh regime? The United States must stop this hypocrisy and challenge the petty dictator in Gambia. There is absolutely no reason for the US to avoid confrontation with Jammeh and show him exactly who he is. It is our intend to hold the US government accountable for failing to confront Africa’s worst dictator in modern times. As JFK said “those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable”. Should US fail to put pressure on Yahya Jammeh to conduct free and fair elections in December then we warn that Gambian citizens would have ran out of patience and Gambia could lead to another failed State!