Wednesday, February 25, 2015

We shall not relent

Sidi Sanneh 


The eve of August 23rd 2012 when Yaya Jammeh executed nine prisoners marked a significant milestone in the fight against tyranny in The Gambia, one of the the world's most repressive countries.   

The extra-judicial executions brought with it a wave of criticisms as well as the much needed international focus on the repressive nature of the Jammeh regime.  It also pushed many Gambians, previously reluctant to openly join the effort to oppose the corrupt, into the fight to free the country from the clutches of a single dictator.

The second milestone in our fight against the dictatorship occured on 30 December 2014 signalling a new and decisive phase in our efforts to remove a corrupt and repressive regime.  The external push on that day exposes the underbelly of a weak and dying regime.  It sent a shock wave within the security establishment which was designed to counter internal military countermeasures and not external events like the one witnessed last December.

The vulnerability of the regime now exposed beyond doubt is causing Jammeh sleepless nights. It has also caused Jammeh to rid himself of all military and intelligence advisers whose advise were not valued and thus ignored for a very long time.  As we have said elsewhere in social media,  Jammeh is isolated, alone and very afraid. 

Jammeh's military is divided into two factions which we will discuss in subsequent posts.  For now, what is important is that the division is real and permanent, thus the importance to continue the agitation, protests and advocacy in collaboration with our partners in the international community.  

We must, therefore, not relent.  We must continue to apply the pressure on a regime that has lost its way and on the verge of disintegration from within.  The economy is also on our side.