The Gambia-Senegal border closure has got into the skin of President Yahya Jammeh to the extent that his government is turning to the court of the regional economic grouping for a solution. Shame on the Jammeh government for seeking redress at a court it has deliberately refused to honour its verdicts. Is it not the same ECOWAS Community Court that ruled against The Gambia government in the cases of Chief Ebrima Manneh, Musa Saidykhan and Deyda Hydara? This is a perfect opportunity for the court to refuse hearing on Jammeh’s complaint unless his government complies with the court’s verdicts. What if Senegal also decides to disregard the court’s decision? This is the danger of setting bad precedence, for it is emulated. By now Yahya Jammeh knows he is not indispensable. He can ride on the backs of poor and helpless Gambians and get away with it but not Senegalese authorities that are cowing him with deaf silence. The latest closure – the tenth since Yahya Jammeh forced his way into power – sparked off following the unceremonious hike of ferry tariff by Gambian authorities. With mounting pressure from transport unions, Senegalese government decided to ignore an unpredictable dictator and ordered drivers to use alternative route of accessing its food basket in Casamance. This has left Gambian ferries bereft with passengers and substantial amounts of money. Also, businesses in and around Yellitenda/Bamba Tenda ferry crossings have closed. It is only now that the Bully President is feeling the heat of a closure that leaves his country caged. Does he expect his vehicles on errand to Casamance to get their without going through Senegalese borders? The ECOWAS complaint followed Senegalese authorities’ refusal to open room for negotiation with Mr. Jammeh’s delegations. The delegations, comprising of Muslim clerics, came home empty handed. The ECOWAS now has the leverage over the Bully President. All it needs to do is to force Jammeh’s hands to respect the court’s past decisions before allowing the court to preside over The Gambia’s border closure complaint. Jammeh thinks he can close the border, open at will and get away with it. Not this time Oga!
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The border closure is a collective punishment from Senegal. That is totally against all norms of international law. Senegal is deliberately and flagrantly torturing the Gambian people since 1981 and it should stop.
Yes, the Gambia is surrounded by Senegal but that does not give them the right to punish us. This is tantamount to war just like what we saw in Nogono-Karabakh.
ECOWAS is the first step and if Senegal fail to heed, this situation maybe escalated to something that we all don’t want.
This is absolutely not about Jammeh as the writer put it. This is about the welfare and security of the Gambian people. Denying me food and medicine is denying me my survival.
As a Gambian, I think we should all come together to withstand Senegal for this illegal acts. They will not do this to Mali because Mali has options.
If Senegal is doing this with a hidden agenda to remove Jammeh, then they have seriously miscalculated the resolve of the Gambia people. They have tried many before but this one is the last straw.
Malang tell your frog boss babili mansa who thinks can withstand an elephant to go ahead and declare war on Senegal, that will be the end of tyranny in the Gambia and the beginning of democracy as obtains in Senegal.
Tell him to respect the ECOWAS court judgements against his government first as the author puts it before asking the same court to impose anything on Senegal.
Shame on you and your likes. Chiiiimmmm chipiri…
Malang, you are the biggest hypocrite and fool I have never seen. Senegal have every right to close their border to Gambian vehicles as a retaliation to Jammeh’s mad leadership. Jammeh uses the border with Senegal for cheap political scoring not knowing that if the border closes, the Gambia stands to lose. According to a reliable information, since Jammeh came to power in 1994, he deliberately closed the bother to Senegalese vehicles more than ten times. Malang where were you when all these things were happening? I’m surprise he ran to the ECOWAS court he had treated with total contempt over the years. The ECOWAS court should not entertain Jammeh cuz they have tons of judgement against his criminal regime which he refused to honour. I’m not surprise that fools like you Malang is crying foul for the inept leadership of your bad regime in Banjul.
You are spot on deyda. Senegal has tolerated a lot of nonsense from dictator jammeh. He is directly threatening their security and economy. Jammeh has no shame by resorting to the ecowas court the very court he has no respect for. How many judgments did this court pass against the Jammeh dictatorship and he has not abided by any. Gambians will bear the hardship up to a point and there will be a mass uprising to uproot the filthy dictator’s ass because he is like Ebloa -a threat to the whole subregion. Jammeh is unwell as can be seen in his abrupt and unilateral decisions time and again. The right place for jammeh is a mental home.
Just as Jammeh and his criminals claim they reserve sovereign right to unilaterally impose levies for their economic interest, Senegal equally has the same right to close its borders for its economic interest. Isn’t it then a fair game in sovereignty and diplomacy???
Let Senegal just tighten the grip more. This is their only opportunity.
Well done Macky for the maturity.
So number one….the Senegalese government closed the border and not the Senegalese Union blocking vehicles as the online news have reported.
That’s is a collective punishment which is against international law.
Senegal have harbored terrorists to attack a sovereign country of the Gambia.
Senegal have slaughtered innocent Gambian in 1981 with the hope that the Gambia will one day be a province of Senegal.
This closure is not about Jammeh as many of you are myopia in seeing. It’s my family and your family that will feel the brunt of the hardship.
I may have differences with Jammeh, but when it comes to international matters, there is no debate in that, I am 100% ready to defend the Gambian people.
Senegal never have the Gambian people interest at heart and we all know that. Jammeh is notorious but that should not compromise our sovereignty to Senegal.
Senegal should be very careful because these evil intentions towards the Gambian people turn around and bite them.
God is all knowing and the best judge. AMEN.
Malang….
Where the heck did you get the information from that Senegal slaughtered innocent Gambian in 1981.?
The idiot running our country today feels that he can do whatever he likes and you have supported him many times here…
Senegal (Government or Unions) is doing what it has to do to protect its economic interest…You should be angry at Yaya Jammeh for unilaterally taking a decision that affects Senegal…The Senegalese authorities are only responding to a situation imposed on them…
Malang you cannot mix Gambians and Senegalese. You may mix Casamance rebels and the Senegalese government and so be it, maybe you an MFDC rebel hiding under false patriotism.
For the records, perishable consumer goods and personal effects are allowed in and out of Senegal. Senegal is hitting Jammeh hard where it hurts more on his criminal enterprise:i.e ferry revenue loses, re-export trade lost on the GPA and Jammeh basalt business from Senegal.
Changing vehicles at the border post does not hurt travelers that much.
You kept bringing 1981 again and again just to raise micro-nationalism sentiments, but hey! Malang we are in 2016 and times have change towards unity. Only your fake boss think he can play with gallery in this technological and awareness age.
Rest in peace.
Malang is not serious. Collective punishment from Senegal towards the Gambians? Tell that to the ordinary Gambians on the ground, not APRC green youths. What was your Mansa thinking when he unilaterally increased the ferry tariffs. Let him continue, the senegalese will do him a Nyerere.
Jammeh is closing the boarder as he wish ?but he now put his hands in fire this would be his end well done macky jammmeh thinks he is fooling the gambians he himself .You distroyed our country lying lying but ur journey has come to an end.Long live the Gambia.
ha ha ha ha ha haha ………now is the right time for jammeh to go and present himself in presidentiel election in senegal against president macky sall.he does not make us proud as gambians……..ni yaa foyeh, nima moie……inya sajeh