FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE FREE SAUL NDOW AND MAHAWA CHAM!
On April 29, 2013 word reached us that Saul Ndow and Mahawa Cham, two Gambian citizens were being held hostage by one of the Casamance rebel factions somewhere in Ziguinchor; the zone of contention in the southern region of the Republic of Senegal.
During this ordeal, the Gambian community around the world, friends of Gambia and particularly Saul and Mahawa’s family expressed grave concerns about their safety and whereabouts.
While rumors abound about their safety and the unthinkable act of surrendering our brothers to Yahya Jammeh, we cannot remain silent any longer. We have given this nightmare ample time to unravel itself to no avail.
The most recent information about these brothers is that, whoever held them hostage in Senegalese territory has callously handed them over to Jammeh’s security forces for ransom. This is irrefutable evidence that Jammeh has bought and sold the rebels to the devil.
This act of shameless banditry will not diminish our resistance against Jammeh’s tyranny nor will it deter our protest against the Senegalese regime’s complacency in this dastardly act of treachery. These neocolonial presidents such as Jammeh will sooner than later come to realize that REPRESSION BREEDS RESISTANCE!
The information black-out surrounding the whereabouts of these individuals, who are reported to be on Senegalese territory, suggests a lack of political will on the government’s part to assuage the concerns of Gambians everywhere and their families at home. Further, the contradictions in the Casamance and their attendant problems will not disappear on their own. A sovereign nation such as Senegal is expected to take measured, but decisive action to once and for all, address the conditions that allow citizens of the Gambia to be abducted in Senegal and held for ransom on behalf of a known violator of human rights such as Yahya Jammeh.
We are calling on the Gambian community in particular, Africans in general, friends of Gambia and all freedom loving people to join us in denouncing the treachery of the “rebels”; preempt any barbaric act from Jammeh and hold him responsible for Saul, Mahawa and others safety.
Plans to protest at the Embassy of The Gambia and the Senegalese Embassy are in the making. FREE SAUL NDOW, MAHAWA CHAM AND ALL POLITICAL PRISONERS!