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How Journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh was victimized
Friday, 22 October 2010 22:07
The fate of one of Africa’s most talked about journalists, Chief Ebrima Manneh, was
a popular subject at the recently concluded conference of The Africa Editors’ Forum in Mali.Among five journalists honored in Bamako, last week, Chief Manneh proved to be a persistently intriguing subject among fellow journalists who
appeared irrecoverably stunned by the story that hang on the younger face among fellow “heroes.” The awkwardness of his tale - not being able to tell definitively his fate, unlike the rest of his honored colleagues - made Manneh’s a more riveting case.“How can someone go missing without trace in a country that is supposed to be stable?” demanded South African journalist, Chris Maroleng. Chris’ interest apparently arouse when I introduced myself earlier to the forum as “a Gambian journalist in exile somewhere in the region”.
It was now question and answer time, and my question was directed to the deputy Information Minister of Liberia, regarding possible contributions by his country in fixing Gambia’s rights problems.
While there was no encouraging response from the Liberian Minister, the general attitude of the participants throughout the rest of the Bamako conference suggests how gravely frantic the rest of the continent is about the “dictatorial situation in Gambia,” as one female delegate from a nearby West African nation put it.
Day Two of the third TAEF biannual meeting saw delegates split into three groups on three pertinent subjects. I chose Safety in Peace and in War. Fellow participants in Room No. 2 within the impressively imposing Maison de la Presse in the heart of Bamako quickly noticed the uniqueness, albeit reluctantly, of the Gambian situation. The only two countries that closely marched it were Somalia and Eretria. The former understandably has no functioning government, while the latter simply has a seemingly brainless tyrant who sees nothing but hostility around him.
Unlike the cases of four of the five ‘Heroes of African Journalism’, the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any reason, whatsoever, that could point to a possibility for Chief Manneh’s arrest also compounded the already complex equation for many in Bamako.
“How comes there can’t be any possible explanation either about reasons for the arrest or the whereabouts of someone who hasn’t been declared dead?” asked the Pretoria based Africa Editor of HOD eNews Africa.
“There are explanations,” I said. “Only that the authorities don’t seem willing to pursue them.”
“How so,” he insisted.
At that point I felt Christ was being cynical. But I soon discerned the sheer genuineness in his interest in the Gambian situation.
On returning to my base, I sought more information on the situation that led to Chief Manneh’s disappearance.
It was on the run up to the 2006 African Union Summit in Banjul. Manneh, as then State House Correspondent of the Daily Observer, had been involved in the preparations on media related matters. Like most senior members of the Daily Observer team, he had one or two columns he was in charge of. On his absence someone was sure of filling in for him.
A colleague who saw Manneh been taken away by agents of the National Intelligent Agency (NIA) swore that the detained journalist had been out in the field on assignment when his colleague – one account points to Lamin Dibba, and another to Pa Ousman Darboe - assigned a lady staffer to cull an article for the paper’s Africa News section. That BBC article turned out to be “critical” of the Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.“I understand there are various accounts of possible reasons why the government would want him behind bars, but the actual reason for his arrest on that fateful day was the African news story,” said my source, preferring to remain anonymous for obvious reasons.
He named Nyima Cham, “with absolutely no experience in reporting,” as the one assigned to cull and submit the article for laying. Nyima, accordingly, was at the time responsible for updating the website of the Daily Observer.
“I think those giving the information to you for the purpose of investigation do know little about Chief Manneh,” said Pa Ousman Darboe, in response to allegations that he assigned the culling of the controversial BBC article. Pa Ousman is now based in the US. “Chief Manneh," he stressed in an email responding to my request for his side of the story, "uploaded this said article from the BBC website, reported by Elizabeth Blunt, without going through the lines.”
As for Lamin Dibba, who also now lives in the US, he has no recollection of the events leading to Chief Manneh’s arrest. “All you are saying is news to me,” he wrote in a one-sentence email response.
But despite Dibba’s clear-cut denial of knowledge of the situation leading to the arrest and disappearance of his former colleague, Pa Ousman Darboe placed him among a group of senior reporters who tried to help prevent the information from leaking out.
The story goes that in the middle of production day, on the eve of the Banjul AU Summit, Pa Malick Faye, then a reporter with hardnosed eyes on promotion opportunities, walked into the printing press and some how came across a copy of the printed article. He reportedly halted the printing process right away. About 200 copies had already been printed, but everything was cancelled on the orders of Mr Faye, and a new plate done.
“If that had found it way to the news vendors the consequences would have been catastrophic,” agreed my source.
Been well aware of the repercussion of such a situation, between them the senior reporters, including Pa Malick Faye himself, agreed to let news of the incident remain in that room, kept especially away from the knowledge of then Managing Director, Dr Saja Taal who, like Mr Faye, was a registered ruling APRC party member.
This was confirmed by Pa Ousman Darboe. He named five colleagues of his who he said were present. “I and the colleagues had already found the page laid and printed, but (we) decided to stop it and kept all the printed ones in the store so that no one will access them,” Darboe said.
The following day, however, Pa Malick Faye decided to betray his colleagues, walked into the office of the Managing Director, a copy of the transparent paper in hand, and said: “Doctor, you see, when I told you I am a loyal supporter of the party (APRC) you do not believe me, but you see, I have saved us a big problem.” Malick then reportedly handed the transparent paper to Dr Taal who wasted no time to put a call through to Momodou Sanyang, Director General of the Gambia Radio and Television Services, who was at the time desperately establishing grounds for gaining President Yahya Jammeh’s trust. Sanyang reportedly enlisted the support of some higher authority. Sources said Dr Taal was required to write a report in that effect, detailing the situation leading to Manneh’s alleged intended publication of the article. The report was submitted to the NIA, under the instructions of Momodou Sanyang. But, in the words of my source, Chief Manneh was in fact never aware of the article. Someone, he said, was covering up.
“You must know that prior to his arrest, Chief Manneh underwent serious pressure. Knowing Pa Malick’s link with the president's party, Dr Taal spared no efforts to make use of him in their Machiavellian enterprise. Dr Taal, who saw the BBC article as an attempt to sacrifice him, had had a slogan: ‘Kouma bouga sacrifice, ma sacrifice la’. (Wolof for: I will sacrifice whoever wants to sacrifice me!) Those were his words,” said my source.
In the view of Pa Ousman Darboe, however, only Dr Taal and Pa Malick were responsible for Chief Manneh’s arrest.
“Pa Malick later told Dr Taal about it because he was interested to be the senior editor of the paper and claimed that he is a full time APRC supporter,” Darboe said. He added that he was later confronted by Taal and “I wholly defended Chief. But later Taal informed the NIA operations director, Captain Lamin Saine and Chief got arrested.”
Accordingly, two plain cloths officers, one identified as stationed at the nearby Bakau Police Station, later arrived at the Daily Observer offices and asked for Chief Manneh. They told him that he was needed at the police.
Been unaware of any wrong doing, and also given his status as the State House Correspondent, which apparently heightened his confidence of personal security, the unsuspecting Manneh had no reason to fear been asked to report to the police. My source described him telling another colleague that he was coming back soon, when he was reminded that he’d left his bag behind.
“From the veranda upstairs, I saw him entered the waiting car and sat, sandwiched by the two officers. Since that day I have never set eyes on him,” said my source.
The atmosphere of fear prevailing at the daily observer prompted many people to observe a “law of silence” over the issue. Even when Chief Manneh's father came to query about his son’s whereabouts, nobody wanted to talk. Dr Taal reportedly came out and told him that he didn't know where the old man’s son was.
“It was a sad and touching scene,” said my source.
Dr Taal initially admitted that Manneh was in the hands of the security, but that he didn't know where they were detaining him. It was later, when he realized the mounting international pressure that he resolved to use a complete denial tactic.
Pa Ousman Darboe, together with another journalist, Yaya Dampha who sighted Chief Manneh on a number of occasions in the custody of the Gambian authorities, would later testify at the ECOWAS Community Court in Nigeria, against the Gambia government. The latter was subsequently found guilty and ordered to release the journalist and pay him $100,000 for compensation.
That ruling is yet to be honored by the Gambian authorities.
As result of a near similar experience, I have heard remarks by some senior authority effectively sealing the belief that three people, namely: Pa Malick Fye, Dr Saja Taal and Momodou Sanyang, were chiefly responsible for Chief Manneh’s detention and subsequent disappearance.
“If he (Yahya Jammeh) wants to clear his name, all he needs to do is ask these three people for explanation,” said my source. And he added: “but that does not mean he (Jammeh) can’t be blamed; his style of governance has made the environment conducive for such a vicious circle.”
While Dr Taal, now a full time university lecturer, no longer works with the Daily Observer or government, Momodou Sanyang has since grown ever influential over the Gambian president. He is still the head of the Gambia Radio and Television Services. Pa Malick Faye, on the other hand, has risen above his senior editor ambition; he is now Managing Director of the Daily Observer, some four years after he played central role in the disappearance of a former colleague of his who may never get to see the light of day.
By Kemo Cham, back from Bamako, Mali.
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Comments
It is just a matter of time that you will never hear a name call Pa Malick in that building at the junction in Bakau.
Pa, Better watch out because the food they are cooking for you there is smelling, don't try to investigate it because it is too late now !
In the service of the Gambia I remain
As for you, it is only those who have no idea about your whole sorry and miserable life who will get surprised at wjhat you are capable of. Certainly not people like me. I only hope you will know who i am; but I guess not, cos you have desroyed so many people that you can't tell who is who.
But don't derive pleasure from that, because it only tells how evil you are, not how brave you are. You can only survive in a country like present Gambia, not anywhere else... But I tell you what, nemesis will catch up with you soon; very, very soon!
you are a pathetic fool and idiot. How could you deny knowlege of the arrest of a friend of yours? Is this what friendship is about? I could I be surprised, this is all what the Daily Observer has been about, betrayal, backstabbing, etc, etc. But you are a fool to try to hide behind your ignorance, because that leach, Pa Malcik, will give you up within the blink of an eye. So, if you, in your sorry state can't see that the world is not about selfishness, someone like Malick is sure to teach you a lesson. Ask back home what he is already talking about you.
Chairman Jammeh should consider weeding these remnants from the party to bring sanity. They are the problems. He must do something before it is too late.
How on earth the editor cannot find out and when anyone want to rectify them, they fume like a ballon in water.
Brothers, do your home work before publicing any of your articles !
Yahya Jammeh has failed the Gambian People,he has not fulfilled the pledges he made 16 years ago.Quote:by Mahatma Gandhi.
Only their names have changed but their fierce loyalty to a bankrupt tyranny remains....
The world wide web is a place you guys cannot control so why don't we discuss issues and give up trying to shout each other down?
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