Sheikh Sidia Bayo a French born of Gambian parents is reporting to be in the Gambia to take on the Jammeh regime. Mr. Bayo in a video seen above in full military gear warned the Jammeh regime of facing eminent challenge as the president threatened to kill mandinkas in an audio recording which went viral on the internet. Mr. Bayo who is a resident of France few years ago formed a transition government and issued a threat for President Jammeh to give up power or he and his men will topple the Jammeh regime. That six months promise was received with skepticism and later Mr. Bayo admitted that he was ill prepared and that his message was premature.
However, that did not stop Mr. Bayo from continuing to engage in political struggle against the Jammeh dictatorship in Gambia. He traveled Europe, the Middle East and West Africa in the subsequent months gathering efforts and making interviews about his intention to remove the Jammeh regime by all means possible. He created so much tension in the neighboring Senegal that the Senegalese government was forced to deport him back to France and banned him from traveling to Senegal again. The persistent and determined young Bayo continued on his activism and was allegedly involved in the December arm attacks against the State House in Banjul which left three Gambian exiled citizens dead and led to legal limbo of some Gambian activists in the United States.
Mr. Bayo again resurfaced Thursday evening claiming to be on the ground in Banjul with his men to warn Jammeh to give up power or face the consequences. While many Gambians are skeptical of Bayo’s message and his exact whereabout, the issue of National security and possible arm conflict in any country should not be taken lightly. Many Gambians especially in the Diaspora would want to see the removal of Yahya Jammeh by any means possible and justifiably so. The Jammeh regime has failed to live up to its basic obligation of protecting the lives and properties of Gambian citizens. The recent Jailing of the entire UDP leadership and the torture and killing of two UDP members and alleged rape of women adds fuel to the fire. Gambians should evaluate Bayo’s message above and make their own conclusion.
One thing is clear Jammeh has opened the door for Gambian citizens to use any other option to remove him from power as he declared no elections can remove him from power. He has shown no signs of willingness to use the Democratic process to legitimize his regime. Instead he is bend on killing and oppressing citizens who dare oppose his regime. Jammeh is now face with the option of what Former US President JFK said “Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable.” – John F. Kennedy