PRESS RELEASE
POTENTIAL BLOODBATH BEING OCHESTRATED BY GAMBIA GOVERNMENT AGAINST THE OPPOSITION UNITED DEMOCRATIC PARTY.
The United Democratic Party (UDP) is informing the international community about a potential bloodbath being orchestrated by the Gambia Government against the party.
Currently the UDP has embarked on a countrywide tour starting from 16th – 26th April, as part of its outreach activities to consult and reach out to its grassroots members. From the onset, the tyrannical regime of the Gambia has been putting in place obstacles to deny the party from going ahead with the countrywide tour.
First, the police have been refusing to act on UDP’s application for a permit to use public address system during the tour as required by the Public Order Act. However having waited for the police permit for weeks without granting any, the Party finally decided to embark on the caravan tour to engage its supporters without using public address system. Bearing in mind there is no constitutional requirement restricting travel and assembly within the country.
Immediately the UDP caravan crossed into the North Bank Region of the Gambia, the police, in full riot gear, started following them and cordoning off meeting venues. Now as things stand, the police have blocked all access roads making it impossible for the UDP caravan to move ahead with the tour right outside the village call Fass Njaga Choi. The UDP caravan has also refused to give in to police harassment. Currently there is a tense standoff. The police have called for reinforcement from one of its brutal units called the police intervention unit (PIU). This is the same unit that was deployed in the April 10th and 11th 2000 student demonstration during which not less than 14 unarmed students were brutally killed by trigger happy officers.
The world is informed of the potential for a similar backlash where trigger happy officers are being deployed to attack UDP members. Among the touring caravan are senior executive members of the UDP including the Party leader, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe.
We hold the Gambia government particularly responsible for the safety and wellbeing of members of the UDP caravan. We demand that the caravan be allowed to continue with its grassroots tour unhindered. Anything less is unacceptable.
The UDP Diaspora is urging all Gambians to come out in great numbers to Fass Njaga Choi for reinforcement for a peaceful resistance that has been initiated by the UDP leadership.
We are also seeking funds to provide logistical support for the folks at the forefront. Please donate at the following gofundme link. http://www.gofundme.com/s59h8x9h.
For further information, please contact the following people:
Lamin Tunkara: Telephone: 919 757-9469
Karamba Touray: Telephone: 863 837-7874
Suntou Touray: Telephone: 447411248764
Ebrima Dibba: Telephone: 206 250-3822
Fabou Sanneh: Telephone: 347 323-8463
Yahya Jammeh and Ousman Sonko would be held responsible for anything negative that comes out of such cowardly act.
All opposition should come together to challenge this irresponsible behavior of Gambia government.
Shameless cowards!!!!
Let no one complain. Let’s just get on with it and assert our inalienable rights and political freedoms.
Go UDP Go!!!!
We are calling on the UDP leadership and their supporters to stand firm.This is their inalienable rights.The Gambia is for all of us.No one person owns her, BUT president yaya jammeh is of the believe that he owns her. We have been having reasons to attack yaya jammeh so many times, this could be the biggest reason.We need UDP to stand firm. We want the Gambia PIUs to stand down low, and stand for the truth…
God protect them all the way.
Change will come whether jammeh likes it or not.his own evil doings will shallow him up sooner than He expects. God be with them..
I for one have been pondering in mind; with the murderous devilish devices of evil kanilai bandit, since the announcement of this proposed tour of UDP as the most credible opposition feared by the murderous tyrannical syndicate; & expected this madness of a sort at some point during the proposed ten days tour…. With all state resources, machinery & other illegalities selflessly being exploited by murderous kanilai devil & cohorts, why continuously resort to such senseless criminality, denying others rights to legal assembly & discussion of state affairs & issues of equal concerns & affecting us all, when the aprc are themselves touring the country at the moment using public address systems, lying to the people without any hindrance…???
But there comes a time when such madness MUST & GOT to be challenged to prove points…. The ideal thing to go about this is IF the collective opposition leaderships ARE truly SINCERE to country FIRST, instead of lip-services for selfish gains above all; now should’ve been the time to get out to do their own bits & moves into country, to collectively challenge at same time, to quash & end this madness ONCE & for ALL….?? But instead, this will rather be seen & treated as an ‘UDP affair’, instead of work together in tandem to salvage the motherland first; a wait & see game, for any of them would rather want to catapult into the “UDP dominant” position without working for it first, as UDP have already done…?
Some party sycophants in attempts to back/cover up, will come up with all sorts of insincere excuses, ranging from policies, logistical, finances & what not…. But REALISTICALLY if the truth matters at all, the Gambia is CLEARLY burning COLLECTIVELY; it’s now/NEVER to input all efforts & resources for country first, to come together SELFLESSLY & put the fire out COLLECTIVELY before too late… NO GENUINE Gambian can gain in such situation….
History won’t be kind to us & our selfish politicians in particular, who were & are themselves being supported by the same suffering peasants; & made into who & where they have been today…. God helps & bless the Gambia; Ameen.
Bajaw, I agree with you that even though it is a UDP affair, it is also a collective affair for all parties on the ground since the method of issuing permits has a negative bearing on them all. Where i differ with you is your continuous branding of politicians as selfish. If they are selfish as you would want us to believe, why do you call on them to do anything of substance?
My party PDOIS is ever ready to work with other stakeholders on any issue that affects them singly or collectively without taking permission and with enthusiasm as long as it is a national call. Let us respect our leaders whether we support them or not but to us demeaning or gerogatory language against them only to call on them to undertake a national duty is insincere and illogical.
Remember that you have not paid any of them to carry out any task. They are simply volunteering because they love their country and do not wish to see it the way it now is and are just doing the best they could. If you are not satisfied with the little they are doing, it is left to you to go on the ground and try to do more than them. They don’t own the country more than you.
It is only courageous act like this that the idiotic dictator will understand that power belongs to people. Lawyer Darboe and his team must continue on their constitutional rights of freedom of association. Demystification of idiotic dictator has began and this latest erratic behavior of tyrannical regime indicate that end is near. Hopefully extra constitutional means or citizens uprising will effect change we desperately need.
Shocking behaviour from the APRC….Utterly shameful and disgusting…Wholly unnecessary…A dangerously irresponsible action that could tear the Gambia apart…
The UDP must not surrender another iota/inch of ground….The party has already bent backwards to forgo use of a PA system, which affects the effective dissemination of their message….
The APRC has thrown a gauntlet and the UDP must oblige.. There is no other way…If the APRC gets away with this criminal behaviour, the UDP might as well call it a day because they will be sending the wrong signal..
I agree with Lafia (for once)..Don’t complain…Don’t play the victims…Just get on with it…Exert your authority as bona fide citizens and demand your right to be respected as a legitimately registered political party…
You have the moral support of all law abiding and decent people and so your conscience should be clear, whatever happens…
This is why opposition unity is needed so that they can speak with one voice to resist abuse of power by this lunatic president. It will also consultate the diaspora and international support for the opposition. UDP should continue with their country tours and never give up their alienable rights to freedom, liberty and justice for all. Yaya is bully and his biggest fear is the UDP.
Go UDP go!!!! This is the time to show the dictator that The Gambia belongs to all and not Yaya Jammeh. All opposition parties should mobilize their supporters and stand in solidarity with UDP to show the whole world that Jammeh cannot deny them their constitutional rights. The time has come and we should be prepared to take it or fail for good. God bless The Gambia !!!
Rectification:
Was meant to say – With all state resources, machinery & other illegalities selfishly being exploited by the murderous kanilai devil & cohorts;
Additionally, I doubt if UDP will be able to stand up & hold out for long… If I got the message right, they have been stopped in the bush somewhere outside Fass Njaga Choi? If that’s the case, as humans they will have to yield to the natural dictates of life & nature, with the basic needs of human beings that are not readily available or provided for where they have been blocked in middle of nowhere unexpectedly… Otherwise if they have been illegally confronted & blocked inside the village settlement, then of course the whole country stands up with them all the way….
However, now might not be the time but as non-partisan Gambian, I have some noteworthy observation I would like to share with UDP in particular & all political parties for sake of Gambia, our home & motherland…
God helps & bless the collective endeavour to salvage Gambia; Ameen.
I think it is naivety to think that jammeh will leave power in peace whthout a fight . We need to understand that jammeh has already declared war on Gambians. He will use his security forces to abuse and murder Gambians .This is what he has been doing for 20 years . Jammeh is the biggest coward ever to live in The Gambia . All the opposition parties should show solidarity with udp and they should apply stand your ground principle for them to stay as important partner in national development . The only language a tyrant understand is his own language. The idea that we will have liberty, freedom and democracy without sacrifice is highly unlikely if we go by the history of civilized and democratic countries. Dictator will use every arsenal at his disposal to stay put in power .
May Allah watch over everyone in the UDP convoy all the way through, while I sit here having the time to read the news as they sacfrice for the Gambia where I belong.
Yerro, there’s only one way or another; either selfishness or selflessness, or is there a ‘sit on fence’ term, option/position between the two…??? I would be grateful if you can tell me that, which I’ll oblige to use…?? It’s the various politicians & opposition leaderships’ decision to take the burden upon themselves; promise to selflessly serve the country & sought to rule over us in the process…. It’s my inalienable right to hold them to account when they falter in their promises… It’s not your party leadership alone but all party leaderships who I address, so who the cap/s fits…? You better get use to it, for there’s NOTHING at all you can do about it… I have no time to waste on this matter… Cheers.
Bajaw,anyone can do what you are saying, insulting others for not doing what is the collective responsibility of all. All citizens of a country are oblige to serve their country selflessly. As far as the constitution is concerned, every citizen age 18 and above have the right to elect and be elected. So it means all are equal in responsibility especially when something important is to be done. This is why i told you that if you are not satisfied with the performance of other citizens like yourself, instead of heaping endless insults on them in public space, go down yourself to do better than them. You have no excuse to say that they took up the challenge upon themselves and that is why you will leave the challenge to them. I dont think you are giving any right to insult people who are doing everything in their little ways to contribute quota to salvaging a sinking ship.
Yerro, I know for fact that truth hurts… But when was it that telling the truth as it is becomes insulting…??? It’s now not possible for politicians to say one thing & deceitfully act another without holding them to account for it… That’s integral part of nation building & I’m just contributing my quota regardless…. There are either genuine selfless or selfish falsifying politicians & individuals…. In our quest to scrutinize our communal issues in salvaging the motherland, & holding our murderous tyrannical devil to account, no selfish sheep-clothed wolves, conscious & unconscious aid-abettors, hell bent on prior individualistic & party gains ABOVE collective country gains FIRST will be spared in the process… This is my right that NEITHER you NOR anybody else can interfere with… This is the LAST time you hear from me on this; thanx.