It has been a year to the day(August 23), since Yaya Jammeh of Gambia, ordered and carried out the Execution of 9 Prison inmates, in flagrant violation of The Gambian constitution and customary practice. On this day and without prior consultation with family members, The legal profession or indeed with the cabinet….9 lives were brought to an end in a brutal and inhumane way.Jammeh the coward, in his attempts to appease his fellow countrymen to deliver them from his allegations of violence and thuggery being rampant, instead reaped the wrath, anger, disgust and collective disapproval for this act of crash bestiality.
In characteristic fashion Jammeh denies the Executions had taken place when Amnesty International, Freedom newspaper and others broke the story, only to face the incident subsequently and admitted these gruesome Executions. Those who had been in self-denial about Jammeh’s murderous deeds, swallowed their ignorance and admitted the facts.
The regime of Jammeh in Gambia has for a long time been stained with the blood of fellow country folk. He has shown his contempt and lack of tolerance for dissent since his ascend to power. He has led in the murder of his own mates in the cabinet, in the army, among Members of the national assembly, journalists, ordinary folk and activists, needless to repeat the actual stories which are well documented and green in the memory of Gambians. This regime has incarcerated the innocent and accused, taken away the livelihoods of workers and civil servants and even ordered the cold blooded murder of innocent school children staging a peaceful protest .He has carried out these acts with the complicity of the Judiciary, senior civil servants, The Security Services and his supporters and hangers-on.
The Gambia Government has shown scant regard for the Rule of Law, proper procedure and good practice in just about all their undertakings. The Jammeh led regime has shown perennial disregard for Human Rights, international conventions signed up to and civilised norms of civil conduct.
Every time Jammeh acts in defiance of all norms of civilised conduct, Gambians have in their multitudes taken to the streets, scribbled profusely and lobbied to right his wrongs, only for him to escalate his acts as if nothing has ever happened.
Gambia is a pariah state commanding little respect in the international community, a parcel of Land inhabited by a relatively small population living in uncertainty, Fear and unwelcome surprises. The inhabitants are a peace loving people who have lived together,inter married and associated with each other to produce one broad family who have all become kith and kin.This has advantages but the distinct disadvantage of clinging together to bear the brunt of deprivation and uncertainty and praying for Devine intervention.
Gambians the world over have suffered and been humiliated enough, and I believe we will together rise up in our multitudes to bring an end to our agony. We call on all Gambians to rally together in our various formations and communities inside and outside of our dear country to end Tyranny. Those who have not signed up with established groups fighting the Jammeh regime do reconsider your positions, even if this means sacrifice of individual freedom and a good life. History has taught us that an oppressed people always rise up to deliver justice and end their agony. The Gambia cannot be an exception despite our disgruntled narratives about ourselves. The international community will be on our side when we take up our struggle to the ultimate end.
Aib Jobe