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Neighbourhood Watch, Part One: Senegal and Gambia
Tuesday, 05 July 2011 10:29
Part of any political leader’s strength lies in his ability to maintain relationships with his neighbour countries.
In Africa, regional dialogues offer a chance to promote trade, discuss challenges to peace, and support each othere in times of need. But what happens when your neighbour is a vicious dictator, whose every activity is designed to oppress his own people? Should he not be isolated, or at the very least excluded, from participating in such multi-lateral talks?Take a look at this relationship, for example:
Brutality in Gambia
The Gambia is controlled by brutal tyrant Yahya Jammeh. His reign extends to almost every aspect of society, from business and health care, to defence, agriculture and even the personal lives of Gambians. He runs the country as if it is his kingdom, and the people are his servants. His entire regime is constructed around making him appear to be solely responsible for development of the nation- even though that development is either utterly false or inflated, and his state-controlled media makes it appear as if he is some kind-hearted philanthropist, rather than a man known to imprison opposition party politicians, imprison civilians who refuse to act as slaves on his farms and who has made it a criminal offence to even mention the dictator-President in a poor light.
Senegal, Just Neighbours?
Surrounding the Gambia is Senegal. The countries are so closely related that they were a union- the confederation of Senegambia- until recent years. It’s natural that they should be living in each other’s pockets. And they are. Now, Senegal has, on the surface, a decent government headed up by Abdoulaye Wade. It’s a fairly stable society he has going, and he’s also known for involving Senegalese in peacekeeping missions. It’s hardly his fault that his neighbours, besides Jammeh, include the filthy-rich, corrupt tyrant Obiang Mguema of Equatorial Guinea, and the hard-line despot Muhamed Ould Abdelaziz of Mauritania. You can imagine that it’s hard to maintain relationships with such power-mad individuals, but Wade is forced to.
Take a look at the news: Every week envoys and officials are sent from Senegal to Gambia to “congratulate President Jammeh” for some minor “achievement”. What’s really going on? Just last week, a senior official visited Jammeh, and made the startling declaration that “the citizens of The Gambia and Senegal [are ] as one people in two countries,” thus stressing the need to “nurture peace and unity between the two in any endeavour.”Does “any endeavour” include condoning the absolute oppression of Gambians? Political assassinations and intimidation? President Wade, you should be ashamed of yourself.
Of course, it isn’t just the President’s fault- Senegalese businesses have enjoyed a long-term black market trade directly with the government of Gambia. And when we say “government”, we mean Jammeh. He has paid them in cash for goods which were smuggled across the border, so it was far more profitable for the Senegalese to bypass the Senegalese farming system which made them wait three months for payment.
Smuggling and corruption have placed a strain on the neighbours- and only recently were the borders officially reopened, as Jammeh’s security forces were harassing traders and coercing bribes from them.
But let’s be honest- Jammeh has been blowing the “no corruption” trumpet for a long time. Ever since he narrowly escaped being directly linked to his arms and drug trafficking escapades, he has embarked on a remarkable anti-corruption drive. That included reintroducing the death penalty, and rooting out “corrupt” (ie, opposition) politicians. Gambians aren’t going to accuse the man who owns almost everything, heads up almost every ministry, of corruption- especially when he’s claiming that corruption is evil.
Wade has come under similar pressure- he was exposed as being the father of the man behind a $200 million “pay the fee, or lose your licence” scam aimed at a cellular company. Wade’s son is said to be yet another dictator’s heir apparent, and has lost no time in establishing his corrupt network.
Wade was rapped on the knuckles for his corrupt activities by the US: When challenged, he “first claimed that: 1) his political enemies are using the press to make false accusations, 2) it is difficult to prove corruption exists, and 3) as President he cannot possibly monitor everything that happens in his government. He finally acknowledged that it was statistically impossible for his claims that there is no corruption in Senegal to be true, and that he needed to address donor concerns regarding increased corruption in Senegal.
Corruption Competition
And that’s the heart of the matter. Senegal and Gambia both have an entirely corrupt foundation, and an entirly corrupt relationship with each other. Senegal benefits from the relationship because of Jammeh’s anti-corruption lies, and Jammeh gets to access unlimited trade in the region.
President Wade, you should be ashamed of yourself. It’s not too late to cut ties with Jammeh, whose megalomania will certainly extend into your country before long, as he grows tired of his tiny kingdom. Do you really want to be associated with this healer-businessman-prophet-president? If you’re aiming to rid Senegal of corruption, as you claim, start by ceasing to send your officials with flowers and flattery to lay at the feet of your neighbour. In case you need a reminder, Jammeh is said to be a murderer, oppressor, thief, drug trafficker and lunatic. There. Now you have no excuse for dealing with him.
Senegal and Gambia offer a clear example of the evils of neighbouring with dictators, and, as we look at other dictatorships, you’ll notice similar relationships between certain countries. As we expose, say, Rwanda or Uganda, one of the messages we wish to make clear is that to all countries engaged in negotiations, dialogue and discussions with dictatorships, you have a moral (and sometimes legal) obligation to confront those dictators, and to do whatever you can to prevent encouraging them.
Source: africandictator.org
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Comments
Saul, you also seem to forget to stick with the “Collins English.....” remember?
fennkat dina lamba taatam, neh momukoh!
I can feel your pain; it is hard to defend the indefensible. No one would say you didn't try though.
I hope the reward is worth it for you.
LORD 'VE MERCY PAN DIS SOUL. Amen!
Saul, you cannot turn this into an 'immature fuss". Not with me.
Yes, you have no case to rest until The Gambia people get their freedom back!
Am I amazed?
You can stick you face in the sand for as long as you can survive it, that is your call.
What we have in The Gambia is disappearance, murder, illegal detention of your fellow Gambians and none Gambians alike. These threats are the songs of Yaya Jammeh on a daily bases, if you want to call that peace because there is no "WAR" yet, go ahead.
You have no case to rest.
You can stick you face in the sand for as long as you can survive it, that is your call.
What we have in The Gambia is total rule of fear, your president sings it everyday. If you want to call that peace because there is no "WAR", go ahead.
You have no case to rest.
And I quote you again:
"... True peace is not merely the absence of conflict, it is also the presence of freedom and justice. Senegal has both; in The Gambia we have none."
Now, are you hearing yourself; and do you see how simple logic and rational thinking is?
I rest my case.
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