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Atahualpa
6 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 20:03:03
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African Union Asked to Consider Delaying Banjul Summit After Two Weeks With No Word of Illegally-Held Journalists
Reporters sans Frontières (Paris)
PRESS RELEASE
April 11, 2006
Posted to the web April 11, 2006
Reporters Without Borders today called on the African Union to send a mediator to Banjul to assess whether it would be appropriate to postpone the AU summit due to take place there on 1-2 July in view of the fact that the Gambian authorities have been illegally holding two newspaper executives for the part two weeks.
Madi Ceesay, the managing director of the biweekly newspaper The Independent, and Musa Saidykhan, its editor, were arrested in the course of raids carried out in the wake of an alleged abortive coup on 21 March.
In a letter to Congo-Brazzaville President Denis Sassou-Nguesso, the AU's current chairperson, Reporters Without Borders said: "Gambia is one of the African countries where it is hardest to practice journalism in a free and untroubled manner. The contempt and hostility shown to the privately-owned press for years by the Gambian government, especially President Yahya Jammeh, have created a climate of apprehension and self-censorship."
The letter continued: "The tension was compounded in 2003 and 2004 by several arbitrary arrests of journalists by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), by arson attacks that were never solved and by draconian new laws. All this culminated in the still unpunished murder on 16 December 2004 of Deyda Hydara, editor of The Point and Banjul correspondent of Agence France-Presse (AFP) and Reporters Without Borders. Since then, journalists have lived in fear."
Reporters Without Borders said it found it "anomalous that Banjul was chosen as the headquarters of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) without the Gambian authorities being obliged to comply with its guiding principles," and pointed out that it had already voiced "astonishment" when Gambia was chosen to host the AU summit.
The letter concluded: "Our organisation stands ready to document the cases of press freedom violations in Gambia for the AU, participate in an evaluation of the current situation and help seek a solution to the crisis."
Ceesay and Saidykhan were arrested at the same time as many other members of the newspaper's staff in a Criminal Investigation Department operation on 28 March. The other staff members were released the same day but The Independent's offices have been closed ever since and the newspaper has not reappeared. The Gambia Press Union (which is headed by Ceesay and is the country's main journalists' union) has not been able to find out the reasons for their detention.
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taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 22:02:16
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If the union leaders don't listen this time then we will hold them responsible for our plight in the Gambia. They should stand to be counted and demonstrate that they are representing us and striving to protect our well being.
No word of condemnation from the committee of what is happening to our country. Countries like Nigeria and South Africa must take the lead and show animals like jammeh that their behaviour will not be tolerated and must stop forthwith or they will come to get him.
Imagine, if what is happening in the Gambia happened anywhere else on Europe, the EU would have been amassing military forces to take out jammeh. We must begin our own crusade against brutal jungle people like jahanama la.
They should not come to Banjul because we do not want them there. We cannot provide the fish money because it is not simply there.
Countries that do not fully subscribe to their policies such as the pear review should not be allow to participate in their activities. Jammeh is procrastinating on this issue so therefore he should not host the meeting.
By the way what is the purpose of the summit? |
Taalibeh |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 22:07:42
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| Collect more allowance and dine at Kairaba. Thats all. We have had too many meetings and too many consultancies. Our problems are well known and we do not need another sub committee to write another communique. Africans are good at spending and poor at creating wealth. We need concrete solutions and no lip service. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:15:32
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Perhaps we should implant an agent amongst their cooks to poison them so that when they all die we will have the opportunity to start fresh and with a better group.
They have been here for so long without any good result other that from bad to worst. Silly old fools. |
Taalibeh |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:18:00
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| I think Africans will praise us for that. That will be biggest Coup of the century. Fresh blood all over Africa. Wow. They are tired with their leaders |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:33:47
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The only obstacle will be that yaya's jalangs will discover the ploy. They are every where.
He is a clairvoyant. I heard that when he is leaving the state house to travel abroad, he takes two bottles of water in each hand and as he is coming down the stairs he pretends to recite something and afterwards when he is pouring the water other soldiers will be collecting the water with their palms and applying it all over their bodies. They all think the man performs miracles. |
Taalibeh |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:35:31
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| taalibe you need to go to bed. You are killing me with laughter. he is emperor Bukassa. Hey. Sankofa is around. |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
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Sitasungo
77 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:49:57
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Hi,
Why not some of you in Britain and America also hold rallies and peaceful marches to condemn the Jammeh regime rather than sitting beside the PC and writting?Your contribution towards the Gambia should be more than writting.If we get killed for demonstrating here in the Gambia, you Gambians in the diasphora can make a change and put back the eyebros of western leaders towards the Gambian.This could even help some of you there who want papers for asylum but can't have one.I urge you organise your selves into Groups through our Europe and America with Letter to the western leaders to allert them about secret killings the former Cassamance Rebels (Now working for Jammeh) are doing to our people for Jammeh.
We need you more than you know.Please do something now b4 its too lake.Who knows it could be one of your own brothers tomorrow.
Sitasungo |
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taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 11 Apr 2006 : 23:58:24
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Sitasungo! Sitasungo! you are right deh. I will nominate kondorong to be the leading organiser. Let me call him and then come back to you bro........
Bantaba jolena tai deh.
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Taalibeh |
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kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 00:04:44
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ANA SUMA NGEMBA GI, SUMA GALAGI ACK SUMA BALL BI. CHA KHAN FATCHI NA laugh
It is tme for what the mandinksa called FULANDING NYA BONDO. I rememeber as a boy in the village when we used to go to the bush and test each others bravey. We would fight to see who wins. No one was allowed to run away. That way the most dominant will lead the group and was always respected. The elders will never know about this and no one dared to.
You see taalibeh, when the rebels attacked Farafenni, the senior officers were all unwilling to lead the counter attack saying that have forgotten their drills and need to rfersh their minds (Laugh)
I will therefore nominate you Taalibeh to lead. Judging by your name, you are the BUHABA that can fight another BUHABA. I am only a Kondorong that does not exist for now(laugh) |
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
Edited by - kondorong on 12 Apr 2006 00:13:17 |
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Sitasungo
77 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 00:23:04
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Anyway brothers,
You need to give this a serious consideration as you may know we are not sleeping day or night for fear of your door being broken into and you getting killed by unknown killers.Gambia needs both indide and OUTSIDE NOISE to force Jammeh out.
Think about it.
Sitasungo |
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OB1
84 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 01:56:31
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kondorong, again you are spot on. The AU leadership (presidents) are inconsistent, and are a constant embarrassment to Africa in general and black people in particular. The secretariat is not functioning; the NEPAD office is a joke. The trade polices aren’t even worth the paper they are written on, and the mind set seems to be to let the EU and UN do all the leg work for them and they would just get paid. The PRM is not functioning, and the milestones are completely off track. More disturbing is the fact that the core principles of rule of law and participartroy democacry have been binned:
1. Nigeria- Obasanjo is ‘flirting with a 3rd term-which is unconstitutional
2. Senegal- Wade may do the same if he can get away with it
3. Gabon- Omar Bongo has been in power for three decades plus and will likely die in power
4. Togo- Eyadema died and saved the seat of power for his son, who won by literally stealing the ballots (we all saw it on CNN)
5. Kenya-Kebaki came to root out corruption and was more corrupt than his predecessor
6. Gambia-Jammeh wants and will have a 3rd term, and is the most incompetnat and corrupt president on the continent, and because of this he is hosting the next AU meeting
The list can go on. It is a shame. Unless we reform, FAST and Mbeki can lead this effectively; we should just scrap the whole thing, save our limited monies in running a failed secretariat, and do our lobbying directly with our former colonial masters. There is at least more dignity in naked shamelessness than pretence, and 99% of all current |
BN |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 03:32:01
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Greetings all, Sitasungo, GAMBIA & FRIENDS UNITEYou must be aware that Gambians are not politically sensitised and the last demonstration outside of The Gambian Embassy in the UK for the imprisoned opposition leaders was not well attended. May I suggest that someone is nominated to put together a letter of facts that we all can copy & paste to be sent by e-mail (let us all find & put together a worldwide list of e- mail addresses & postal addresses, of Government Departments – Organisations - International Newspapers etc.,) and by post? If whomever you nominate cannot recall all because there has been so much, then refer back to the websites of San Frontiers, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch www.hrw.org and your Gambian archive news & forums.
If you are in The Gambia we know that your letters will not get through the system, but those living outside can make sure that a letter plus e-mail does get to it’s destination.
It is only a small peaceful start but once the momentum is established you may find other avenues open up for you.GAMBIA & FRIENDS UNITE
When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it - always.. Freedom & peace / sab
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 14:19:02
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hi when was the march, it was not posted under UK demonstrations or something similar
regards |
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sab
United Kingdom
912 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 15:10:46
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Greetings Jambo, It took place on December 8th... it is under announcements....posted 6th Dec by MXC. One also took place in Atlanta that was more successful and video clippings were available on bantaba.
When I despair, I remember that all through history the ways of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it - always.. Freedom & peace / sab
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The world would be a poorer place if it was peopled by children whose parents risked nothing in the cause of social justice, for fear of personal loss. (Joe Slovo - African revolutionary) |
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jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 12 Apr 2006 : 15:23:01
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sab I agree about demonstration but do not think any gambian in the disapora would be seen outside the embassy in a demonstration against the government.
Pictures would be taken and sent back to the government. Families would be judged by this.
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