Monday, April 18, 2016

Youthful protesters are being denied access to protest route along Kairaba Avenue



 As anti-government protests enter its third day, the regime of Yaya Jammeh has decided to prevent the youths from taking to the streets by blocking the main thoroughfare of Kairaba Avenue also known as Pipeline Road.

Essa Tamba also known as Jesus Tamba who heads the Fajara military camp and Beran Mbye, Commander of the Police Intervention Unit also referred to as the Paramilitary Unit have been put in charge of the protests.

They are to prevent any peaceful march from taking place.  The youth on the other had are insisting they be allowed passage to exercise their constitutional right to express their dissatisfaction at the regime of Yaya Jammeh in general and the deaths of Solo Sandeng and two others that occured in the past few days while they were in custody.

The flurry of international condemnations coming from the United States, United Nations Headquarters and from the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva, the European Union and those expected from ECOWAS and the African Union has caused panic in Jammeh's camp and also within the security forces.

Meanwhile, the youth who have assembled since mid-morning along Kairaba Avenue remain clam and orderly while the security forces continue to deny them access to the main thoroughfare.  How long the stand-off will end is anybody's guess.