Banjul – Taipei diplomatic rupture By Sidi Sanneh In characteristic Yaya Jammeh style, Gambians were informed of the government’s decision to severe diplomatic relations with the Republic of China in Taiwan (ROC), the official name of Taiwan, in a brief statement from the Office of the President. Until today, Taiwan has been, undoubtedly, the most important diplomatic partner of Yaya Jammeh, not necessarily of The Gambia, and necessarily so because it was a dollar diplomatic relationship.
Author: Gainako
The Gambia government has abruptly announced that the Jammeh government is breaking diplomatic ties with the Taiwanese government with immediate effect. The news was broadcast on the pro government Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS) during its evening news broadcast. No immediate reason was advanced for the diplomatic breakup.. The news of the breakup is as usual very surprising as Gambia and Taiwan has enjoyed long diplomatic relations dating back to the first republic. Gambia has been one of Taiwan’s biggest advocate at the United States and the Jammeh administration has enjoyed unprecedented funding from the Taiwanese government. As…
By D. A. Jawo The recent interview granted to New African magazine by President Yahya Jammeh shows that he is one of those African leaders who continue to blame colonialism for the ineptitude of their governments, more than half a century since the attainment of independence. “Colonialism has brought us nothing but poverty, backwardness, exploitation and slavery….,” he told New African.
The United States has designated Nigerian group Boko Haram as a Global Terrorists group which has been engaged in deadly attacks against Nigerian citizens. At a State Department briefing on Wednesday the United States said Boko Haram has links to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and was responsible for “thousands of deaths in northeast and central Nigeria over the last several years, including targeted killings of civilians”. This is a significant development as the Nigerian government can now go after the Group from all fronts including law enforcement and other counter terrorism tactics. Boko Haram which translates into “Western…
By Sidi Sanneh Criticism usually comes in two forms, the helpful and the unhelpful. We like to think of ourselves as belonging to the category of critics that serve the helpful kind of criticism, not driven by malice or a personal political agenda as some folks are quick to accuse critics of, but guided by the desire to assess the style and not the substance of current and existing leadership. To delve into the substance will inevitably lead us to consider factors such as personal attributes, and other human qualities that determine ‘good’ leadership. In short, we are more…
By Baba Galleh Jallow Once again Yahya Jammeh has been shown riding his favorite horse, with his favorite whip in hand, whacking angrily away at colonialism and claiming that colonialism did not bring anything to The Gambia. He fumes that Britain did not build more than one school and one hospital in the country over a period of 400 years of colonial rule. It is a known fact that if you repeat a lie often enough, it becomes a truth in your own mind. I say this because contrary to Jammeh’s frequent ranting about 400 years of colonialism, British…
By Melissa Short, “The power is in your hands” is the message sent to children and youths by the YCFB as part of initiative to encourage more washing of hands in schools and communities within Gambia. Across the world, Global Hand Washing Day is celebrated on the 15th October, but that conflicted with the Tobaski feast, so this years it was commemorated in November in Gambia instead. Washing your hands thoroughly and regularly helps prevent the spread of illness, infection and disease. While this is well-observed in many areas of the world, those in specific target areas of Gambia have…
Once again the Concerned Gambians wish to extend sincere greetings to all Gambians and friends of Gambia who commit themselves to the struggle for the restoration of democracy, freedom, social justice and the rule of law in the Gambia. It is no secret that the situation in the Gambia under the misrule of the APRC is steadily getting worst. As a people we are held at ransom by an armed bunch of thugs who use terror, gangsterism and wide-spread misuse of the state apparatus for the purpose of subjecting us to the undignified mode of co-existence. It will be…
By Protest Gambia Gambian protesters blocked the entrance to the Gambian Embassy for almost 4 hours on Monday, 11 November 2013, as dozens answered to the call to the street by the Campaign for Democratic Change Gambia (CDCG). The demonstration was staged in response to Yahya Jammeh’s recent irresponsible statements and unilateral and unconstitutional decision to withdraw the Gambia from the Commonwealth of Nations; explained a press release from the CDCG on 30 October 2013. The date further coincides with the 19th commemoration of the extra-judicial killings of the November 11, 1994 coupists in the Gambia, which was led by late…
In Commemorating November 11th Massacres of Gambian military officers, Former Army Lt. and now Adjunct Professor of New Jersey City University Mr. Binneh S. Minteh has called for forgiveness and reconciliation in honor of the fallen soldiers of Nov 11th. Mr. Minteh was again our guest at Gainako Radio today speaking with a different tone in honoring the fallen soldiers.