Well, the case of Omar Sadio’s (son of Casamance rebel faction leader Salif Sadio) enlistment in the Gambian army is not a surprise to some of us who have been blowing trumpet on the issue for a very long time. Casamance Jola tribal dominated rebellion was designed to ensure Jola hegemony in the Senegambia region and beyond. During 22 years of military dictatorship in the Gambia, Yahya Jammeh had infiltrated our national security services with Jolas from Casamance to ensure sustainability of his regime. On the face value, the 22 years of military dictatorship was tribal dominated military dictatorship designed to advance the interest of the Jola tribe, which was why every sector of the public and security services were dominated by the Jola tribe. Less than 10% of the population (mainly found in the Fonis and Kombos regions), Mr. Jammeh appointed Jolas head of almost every important public institution. I don’t hate any Jola who deserves public appointment but this must not be done at the expense of other tribes since ours is a country of diverse people. It must not be a government of any particular tribe.
My biggest upset is Jammeh’s infiltration of our security forces with Casamance Jolas. Majority of his personal protection officers and some military leaders were Jolas from Casamance. Do we forget that the unschooled Commander of Jammeh’s Republican Guards, Gen. Saul Badjie [christened Karafa Bojang at birth] too was born in Casamance? We also have small fish Casamance citizens still serving in our security services. It’s time to launch Operation Identify and Uproot Casamance citizens from our security forces.
We have to remedy this precarious situation. And one of the best ways to do is to control our security services by enlisting only qualified citizens. This must be the top priority of this new administration in their efforts to reform our country’s security. Gambianisation of our national security is indeed a constitutional obligation because it will ensure protection of our sovereignty and democracy. When we allow people whose DNA have been transcripted and translated to produce violent progeny with a supreme desire for not only self destruction but also for destruction of other people to enlist in our security agencies, we cannot expect to see phenotypically different characters. They have violent dominant genes which must be expressed. This is why infiltration of our national security services as evidenced by having Omar Sadio and others led to phenotypically expressed violent military dictatorship. Epigenetic factors such as social and environmental all contributed to the presence of violent genes in people like Omar Sadio. That’s why these people don’t waste time to carry out atrocities against Gambians during military dictatorship. We cannot allow outsiders to be in control of our national security. We cannot be beaten in our own game. It was about time that have the right Gambian people – people with no violent cultural and environmental history – to be enlisted in the security services. There is no other way to go about securing our nation. May God guide and protect us as we search for a New Destiny.
Max
Ends
Not all Jolas are Culprits. Nor, all Culprits Jola. It is Not worthy of me to stoop low to the the Hyperbolic and Insidious Unfounded Generalizations Recklessly thrown about by functional illitrates who know very little about Jolas or Jola genetics. Such Statements belong in the Nocturnal Dreams of the EthnicTribalist who see nothing good in other Ethnic groups or Tribes. I pray they permanently remain so.
Sidi Bojang , I do not make any generalization about Jola tribe , I am specifically referring to rebels from Cassamance who are enlisted in our security services. I think you will agree with me that many of those rebels who were enlisted in our military has historical , social , biological and environmental link to violence in Cassamance. Do you think it is right to have the son of rebel leader who killed his own people to be enlisted in the Gambian military ? I don’t think so . Every patriotic citizen should be concerned about enlistment of Omar saidio in our military unless you are totally in support of failed tribal separatist rebellion . I expect you to condemn his enlistment in our military in the strongest term. This is the right thing to do for the sake of nationalism and democracy , anything less indicate blind support for tribal rebellion based on narrow tribal advancement.
# operation identify and uproot cassamance rebels from the Gambia Armed forces .
Its sad and very sad indeed that in the year of 2017 we are still expressing our political disagreements on the lines of ethnic and cultural differences. Jolas alone has never been the problem of the Gambian under Jammeh’s dictatorship, nor have they been before him, and not now after he left. Jammeh was a product of Gambia and Gambians. Let stop this Madness about ethnicity, Gambia, Casamance, Senegal and focus on the way forward for a solution to provide for the basic needs of all the People of the sub-region.
Tijan, it’s not about doing politics on tribal line but telling the truth and in so doing you have to hit the nail on the head. I see this as healthy because we will only do better when we put issues on discussion table. We debate and exhaust them before we search for solutions on how to avoid them in the future. I agree with you that there are a lot of good Jolas. That’s why their names are not being mentioned any where.
Tijan Amadou Jallow , this article is not about political disagreement on the line of ethnic or cultural differences as you falsely claimed or alleged but it is about infiltration of rebels in our security services. Forget about politics for a moment, the issue is about our sovereignty , national security and democracy because those rebels like Omar Sadio pay allegiance to cassamance rebellion than the national security , peace and stability of The Gambia. This is why the enlistment of people like Omar Sadio should be a concern for every Gambian regardless of tribe , region and political ideology . This is a national security threat which is far beyond our individual political ideology or differences. This threat should unite all of us as Gambians so that we can have democracy and peace. This article has nothing to do with Jolas citizens of The Gambia, who have constitutional and fundamental rights to freedom, employment and every opportunity the country offer . I know there are people who want to use this article to sow seeds of discord since they will never face the truth because they are consumed with narrow tribal agenda . These are the very people who careless about human rights, democracy and rule of law but today they are new self proclaimed victims. I hope they will have the courage to stand up for the truth.
Max….I will agree with you, in so far as you limit yourself to the need for a complete restructuring and reforming of the Armed Forces, and adopting stringent vetting measures to ensure that only those eligible and deserving of the honour and privilege of serving in the Gambia Armed Forces, are enlisted.
I, however, reject and refute your unfounded claim of the inherited hereditary inclination of some Cassamance Jolas towards violence, due to the so called “environment of violence” they live in. This is utter nonsense. There are many people in The Gambia today, who committed acts of violence against ordinary people, under orders from their superiors, and they can be found among all tribes. Some of these people have never stepped outside the country. Would you say same about them? Why is this inclination towards violence found only in the Jolas, when other tribes, like Fulas, also live in troubled areas in Cassamance and experience similar levels of violence, as the Jola communities? What’s your explanation for the absence of this violence in the DNA of some Fulas from Cassamance, who may be in the GNA?
Bax, first, the Casamance rebellion is Jola tribal dominated rebellion against other tribes in their efforts to create an independent country. This is why no other tribe has joined them. Jolas themselves and other tribes are all victims of this senseless violence. The perpetrators of this senseless violence are not Fulas, Mandinkas, Wolofs or any other tribesmen. They were all Jolas rebels. Therefore, people like Omar Sadio whose father killed his own people has recognizable inherited dominance gene for violence. Those Jolas who were victimized and became refugees do not have this trait and they do not inherit this violent dominance gene which is inherited and influenced by environmental factors. This is why I emphasized that “we allow people whose DNA has been transcripted and translated to produce violent progeny with a supreme desire for not only self destruction but also for the destruction of other people, to enlist in our security services, we cannot expect to see phenotypically different characters”.
Here again, I am referring to people like Omar Sadio who is enlisted in our military and came from violent rebellion but not Jolas victims from the same rebellion.
Also, if you look at all those from Casamance and who are illegally enlisted in the military, they are not Fulas or Mandinkas. These are criminals whose parents or themselves are part and parcel of the rebellion. The Jola refugees have been living in the country before Jammeh came but the concern is the infiltration of our national security services with people who are members or sympathizers to this senseless violence. Genetically, Victimized Jola refugees have recessive gene for violence and this is why they refused to participate in the senseless rebellion. These are the majority who are victimized by the minority with dominance violent genes.
The Gambia is violent recessive environment by all standards.