JANYANFARA: Amnesty International: The Gambia is a Torture Chamber

Amnesty International: The Gambia is a Torture Chamber

http://www.africandictator.org/?p=3314

Amnesty International: The Gambia is a Torture Chamber
July 24, 2011 | Filed under: The Gambia | Posted by: MarieC
Friday 22 July marks the 17th year of Dictator Yahya Jammeh’s rule in The Gambia. Amnesty International has used the occasion to warn the international community that the dictator’s period of leadership has been marked by torture, murder, imprisonment and disappearances of critics.

God’s Dictator?

The Gambia is currently facing forthcoming presidential elections, elections which Jammeh has bragged he will win, as it is the will of God. Watchdog groups, however, are saying that it is because Jammeh has effectively destroyed the opposition with a campaign of violence and suppression. Critics have been arrested and intimidated, or forced into exile.

Jammeh’s highly militarised country is run by gangs of thugs authorised by the dictator to hunt down those brave enough to speak out.

Even those who have his favour risk being thrown into prison should they deviate from his wishes.

Amnesty’s report comments that: “Life in the Gambia for people who are perceived to belong to the opposition or journalists who have issued statements that are perceived to be critical of the authorities is quite bad. Most people end up in prison, in Mile Two prison, where they are subjected to torture. A lot of people have to flee the country, and a lot of people are currently living in exile,” [AI Deputy Africa Director] Hondora said.

Jammeh: “Too Much Expression”?
President Jammeh has responded to criticism in the past by accusing campaigners for what he calls “so-called human rights” of trying to undermine his government. He has restricted press freedoms, saying Gambia suffers from “too much expression.”

He goes on… “Human rights groups have pressed repeatedly for a full investigation into the killing of newspaper editor Deyda Hydara. Amnesty International calls detained journalist Ebirma Manneh a “prisoner of conscience.”

The Vanishing Opposition

Hondora says those who oppose President Jammeh risk being picked up by security forces and never seen again.

“Some people have ended up disappeared. These are people who are arrested by security forces and nothing is heard about them. And this extends to journalists, extends to opposition political party supporters or members, and including people in the security forces who are considered to have turned against the regime in Banjul,” Hondora said.

AI and other human rights groups are calling for massive reforms in the country, and for international pressure on Jammeh, who has been relying on foreign aid. Jammeh himself is incredibly wealthy, having claimed huge tracts of land for himself.

Will The Gambia be able to free itself after 17 years of Jammeh-hell? His autocratic rule may make it impossible for a functioning opposition to offer an alternative, but there is a climate of change in the country as Gambians grow weary with his tyranny.

•Indicators: Yahya Jammeh has crushed the opposition- not with his leadership abilities, but with his

•systematic oppression of critics, whom he tortures, murders or imprisons

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The writers relation with Sumanguru

Little is known with certainty about Sumanguru's life.What oral historians told about him most of which come from Mandingo griots was he was a powerful man who possessed magical powers and was most feared accross the region. Before he began his career of conquest, he was ruler of the kingdom of Kaniaga (located in what is today southwestern Mali), inhabited by the Susu (or Soso) people. After conquering many small states to the north and west, most of them former tributaries of Ghana, he captured (c. 1203) Kumbi, the capital of the Ghana empire and by capturing Kumbi, Sumanguru no doubt hoped to gain control of the rich trans-Saharan trade which carried on for centuries between Ghana and the Muslim states of North Africa. Soon after Sumanguru's conquest, however, Soninke (native peoples of Ghana) and North African merchants abandoned Kumbi and established other trading centres at Jenne (now Djénné) and Walata (or Oualata). These soon replaced the former Ghanaian capital as main centres of trade in the Sudan. In the 1230s Sumanguru conquared the small Mandingo kingdom of Kangaba and had its king Nare Magan killed and forced them to pay tributes to him. After Nare Magan died, his eldest son Dangaran Touman was allowed by Sumanguru to rule under his kingship as vassal ruler. The story that Sumanguru killed twelve sons of King Nare Magan cannot be true as Dankaran Touman, Sundiatta and Manding Bory were both sons of Nare Magan who lived even after Sumanguru died. What is true was the Mandingos were allowed little autonomy provided they remain under king Sumanguru's orders. The Mandinka new king Dankaran Touman was a weak ruler who feared Sumanguru that his younger sister Nana Turuban a wise girl decided to help him by agreeing to marry Suanguru.But Nana Triban had other ideas as well for marrying the powerful king who killed her father and held her people under his rule and that was to find out what was responsible for the magical powers of this great and most feared king. She with the help of one Balafasigi Kuyateh a griot of Sundiatta, her half brother, wanted to get to know sumanguru well in order to distroy him .Nana Turubang became Sumanguru's new wife. But according to oral tradition, Sumanguru who had a balafon with magical power, knew Nana Turubang did not marry him out of love. He suspected something but did not bother because he thought they would never find out about his magical power . So he chose to marryf her because one she was young and beautiful and also she could bore him children. So he married her and made sure she became pregnant . Luckily for Sumanguru, and whet most Mandingo oral traditionalist never reported, she indeed bore him twin children one a male called Jajary (Later killed by Sundiata) and the other female who was oreginally called sasumanding komba but latter after the war she was safed by the lether smiths and she was given the name Manga. Later Sumanguru's power deminished When his magic balafon was said to have been stolen by Balafasiki kuyateh who later kept it to play when he sings Sundiatta's praise and even today Sumanguru's magic balafon is still being kept by the Kouyate family in a village called Niagassola in present day Guinea. Balafasigi with the help of Nana Triban, succeeded in stealing the Balafon and because he was said to be a very good singer and when he left Kangaba to Kaniaga into Sumanguru's palace, he secretly entered the inner chamber of the king and found the Balafon in a celler where only Sumanguru was permitted to enter. So when sumanguru realised someone was in that celler and he rushed to find out. Upon finding Balafasigi, the king raised his sward to kill but Balafasigi with his melodious voice quickly played the Balafon and sing praise of King Sumanguru. From then on he became the king's own griot. That was how him and Nana Triban were able to steal the magic balafon but they could not succeed in taking the two children with them as they were closely guarded by Sumanguru. After taking the magic balafon and fleeing Sumanguru's court, Nana Turuban and Balafasi went to meet with Sundiatta who was preparing an army to attack Sumanguru. In those days Sumanguru Kante has his way in the western kingdoms, ruling them with an iron fist. Balla Fasseke and Nana Triban in their preparations to help Sunjata conquer the sorcerer-king, gathered all the informations they could get and passed it to Sundiatta who is also Nana Triban's half brother. Sunjata leaves Mema to become king of Manding after his brother Dankaran Touman died. His journey takes him to Wagadu and then to Tabon, the site of the first battle against Sumanguru. Sunjata's victory brings Balla Fasseke and Nana Triban to join the armies at Sibi. The armies under Sunjata's command move to Krina, where Sunjata and Sumanguru Kante finally met. Fakoli Koroma (commonly known as Fakoli kumba and Fakoli Daba), joins Sunjata, and together they defeat Sumanguru after a lot of deaths that nearly scared them all. At the Battle of Kirina (near present Koulikoro in the Republic of Mali) c. 1235, Sumanguru was said to have been shot with the hind toe of a male cock and he disappeared into the hills and some daid he died but no tradition could tell where his dead body was seen . All oral history told was he disappeared. After that the power of the western Sudan then passed to Kangaba, forming the nucleus of a new Sudanese empire, Mali. Sundiata did went to persue the children of Sumanguru to avoid any later revenge also because two of his half sister's children were at the soso king's palace he wants to save them and bring them to his half sister as part of their agreement. But when sumanguru's remnant soldiers heard that Sundiatta was comming to attack, they came out together to fight to death and most of them died with all the sons of Sumanguru. Tradition even had it that one of the generals of Sundiata ordered the killing of everyone not knowing Sumanguru's son who is also Sundiata's nephew was amongst the fighting soldiers in a mask so as to hide his identity. Sundiata later ordered the death of Nanamang Dansireh who was said to have shot the arrow that killed his nephew Jajary at the battle of Weba, who according to traditions, Sundiata himself gave others for his life to be spared as his own nephew. But fakoli kumba;s general fighting for Sundiata threw his arrow that strucked him in the neck and he died instantly. The house where sumanguru;s wives and daughters lived was burnt while captives thought to be Sumanguru's wives and daughters were all bounded and kept. The soldiers of Sunjatta serched the whole area to find Sasumanding komba but to no avail. What they did not know was some trusted friends of Sumanguru's the Tunkara kantehs who came from far away boarder village called Farba Counda, agreed to save her and her other half sister .Thats was why many thought she was amongst those who threw themselves into the big well. Oral Susu traditions had it that Sundiata himself ordered all Sumanguru's children be killed so that no soso would trace their descendant to Mansa Nare Magan. Susu tradition also had it that Sasumanding komba and her half sister who were saved by Leather smiths the Tunkarkantes to a far away from Kaniaga unkown to most people including Sundiatta and his half sister Nana Triban and even most of Sumanguru's inner circles was why nothing was heard about them inside Kangaba. Sasumanding komba was also a young girl at the time and didnot know anything much.The Tunkarakante leather smiths from Farba Counda a small bush village near the boarder with present day Mali and Senegal decided to hide Sasumanding komba's identity completely by giving her a new name called Manga which she became known. They claimed one of them had two daughters whose mother died during the Kirina battle. When Sasumanding komba grew old, she thought at first she was a daughter of the smiths and after she was told who she really was and what had happened to her family with all the terreble stories of how her family was wiped out and how Sundiatta personally ordered for her and brother to be killed, and realising also that her mother who never knew she survived the massacre, and who could probably use her position as Sundiata's sister to protect her, if she decide to go back to Nianiba capital of Mali, also died not knowing her fate. She chose to keep her true identity a secret for good and decided to keep her addopted name Manga so she can succeed in keeping her father's leneage alive. She blamed her uncle Sundiatta for killing her entire family and brother Jajary Conte who should have been protected. She begged the Tunkaras who brought her up to allow her to marry a very hansome man, son of a leather smiths from the Manka clan who she had fallen in love with. Despite the reluctance of the Tunkaras, she insisted and after their acceptance, they were married.She lived with him and bore him children. She had also made the two families who knew her true identity, swore never to reveal her true identity. But a griot who had been trailing ? Latter found out people spreading roumor that Sumanguru's daughter had married a wealthy leather smith. In those days,smiths and royals even worriors don't marry at all. So when the griot heard these story, he travelled far from village to village ubtil he came to farba counda. He investigated and investigated until one day he heard an old woman tell another that Sumanguru's daughter is indeed married to the Manka clan, the griot went straight to the Manka clan and started singing Sumanguru's song song by Balafasigi Kuyateh and seing Manga with tears confronted her. She denied it and said she is a daughter of the Tunkaras,The griot from the Sora tribe believed her but with doubts. That was why the family never trusted the griot so they fled further inland and founded Massina. Because of constant attacks, one of their son Mankajang took his family and went further inland toward gambi bolon andmanka kunda. One of his sons travelled even further inland and he too founded the village named after himself called Janyanfara . This Janyanfara had two sons all named after Manka. One is tall call Mankajang while the other short one is called Mankasutung. Mankajang is the ancestor of the Mass Mankajang which I am.Thats why we are called Mass mankajang Janyanfara. Mankajang's great grandson Sarjonding Mass is My Father Kemo Mustapha's biological Father. Sarjonding had three sons from his wife Nyama Kurung Jawara who is a close relation of Sir Dawda Jawara first president of the Gambia. Their children Jonfolo (Only daughter), Kemo Mustapha (my Father) Fodayba and Dembo. Sarjonding had another son called Lang Mass who was his first son and a brother of my father..

UDP Leaders message to Maafanta on its online news paper launching.

I am writing to congratulate you on the recent launching of your website Maafanta.com.I am especially pleased that you have chosen to orient your site to issues primarily focusing on women. As with most things in life, the reach and depth of women’s issues tend to impact society as a whole. It is myfervent hope that in the coming months and years, both men and women of goodwill can honestly discussgender roles in Gambian society with a view towards identifying unhealthy imbalances in our society. This will enable every citizen to fully participate in the life of the nation. We should not pursue a trajectory that consigns most women to a lifetime of deferred dreams with little or no access to education, opportunities in commercial activities, and equal protection under the law. It is simply unacceptable for such an important demographic group to endure such things. An acceptance of this situation would certainly deepen the impoverishment of the society as a whole.In my own experience as a practicing lawyer and politician, women have increasingly become the heart and soul of law and politics. When I started legal practice more the than 30 years ago there was no female lawyer in The Gambia. Today, the Gambian Bar is dominated by “ladies of the law” some of whom are very able and successful private practicing lawyers and others serving as judges of the superior courts and magistrate. These inspire young women to consider the profession. In the not too distant future, the women would dominate the legal profession in The Gambia.In the political field, the UDP takes particular pride in the strong and important role women play in every organ of the party from the ward to the national executive committee level. The party almost entirely relies on the women for grass root mobilization and social networking. They are the backbone of our mass rallies. It is amatter of regret that we have not registered great success is our efforts to recruit female candidates for elected offices.I wish you and your colleagues continued success in creating a marketplace of ideas.Sincerely,Ousainou Darboe

PDOIS SECRETARY GENERAL, HALIFA SALLAH

This is to inform all PDOIS members, supporters and sympathisers, that they have every rights to move about the country freely meet people at their homes, farms, vous, and other chatting places and engage them in discussion on the vision of the party for the country.Your constitutional rights as a Gambian are guaranteed by the Constitution under Section 25 subsection (1) paragraphs (a) and (d) which stipulate that every person shall have the right to freedom of speech and expression and freedom to assemble peaceably.There fear no police or soldier. It is the responsibility of the government to protect its citizens and to fight dictatorship, it needs courage.

Mullah Yahya Jammeh

A mad man who few years ago was seen to wear turban like the great Mullah or Nassiru Deen, now preaches even Imams of the Country. Religious leaders now take lesons from a vertually no body who knew barely five suras from the Quran now preaches Islam. He said he will cut off the heads of Gays and Lesbians any time they are found and those known to be and are away anytime they set foot in the Gambia. A great fool who said he is practicing his own democracy that is different from all other democracies. I belief Gambians would think about this man who now leads them and do evrything to capture him and put him in chains before he finishes killing them all.

Dayda Hydara a man of the people

Deyda Hydara, fearless and irrepressible, was martyred on the night of Thursday, 16 December 2004 in a drive-by shooting. Since then, his killers are still at large. The late Deyda Hydara devoted his life to the finest ideals of journalism, campaigning with uncommon zeal for an open society where the rule of law prevails. Despite threats to his life, and calls from his family to quit journalism, he stayed the course. "Journalism is my life," he would tell his wife. "I am a journalist and will keep the people informed at all costs, unless I die." Deyda Hydara was born on 9 June 1946 on Dobson Street, Banjul. His father Baba Hydara was a Mauritanian immigrant of the Moor extraction who ran a grocer’s shop at 8 Hagan Street, where Deyda grew up. On his maternal side, he descended from the Faal clan of Kaur, where Halima, Deyda’s mother, was born. When his father’s business slackened, he returned to Nouakchott, Mauritania, leaving the teenage Deyda and his younger ones - Lala, Mamana and Dawda - with their mother who later remarried one Papa Bila at Barra, where she lived until her death in 1992; two years after Deyda’s father had passed away in Nouakchott. This great man has cercrificed his life as promised to expose the devlish regime of butcher Yahya Jammeh. MAY HIS BLESSED SOUL REST IN PERFECT PEACE Amen.x

JANYANFARA

Amnesty International: The Gambia is a Torture Chamber

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