YAHYA JAMMEH SHOULD BE INDICTED FOR CRIMES AGAINST GAMBIANS!

For Yahya Jammeh, the ursurper of power in the Gambia for the past 22 years, it is proving extremely difficult to relinquish that power to the man who has defeated him in the recent elections; Adama Barrow.

As is the way with dictators, he is refusing to give up the golden goose which has been feathering his insatiable appetite for power and wealth. Yahya Jammeh, like many other men whose lack of integrity and honour, have led to them taking power of the countries, whose people's misfortune it has been to have them living amongst them, Yahya Jammeh is obsessed with power. 

This is because he knows that, once he is forced to relinquish his ill-gotten power, he will have to revert to being the insignificant, but now nefarious and infamous person he was, when he led the coup 22 years ago. No doubt this imbecile is refusing to remove himself from the office which he has so poorly served.

Unfortunately for the people of Gambia and their neighbours, the protestations of this mad rhino is not just another 'African dictator' behaving badly. Yahya Jammeh's refusal to relinquish power to its rightful incumbent, is causing havoc to the lives of both Gambians, their neighbours, and visitors to the country. It is causing great disruption to the country's political, economic and social life, with thousands of people having had to leave the country, as they await the impending violence.

And all because of the bloody mindedness of one, albeit, for now, powerful imbecile, who still has the loyalty of owning the people with the guns. Like the despicable mutineers in the Ivory Coast - Co'te d'Ivoire - who are using their guns to hold their country to ransom in their demand for money, Yahya Jemmeh, it seems, still commands the loyalty of the Gambian Army. An army which, instead of protecting the country and its citizens, has decided to protect the usurper of power. Thereby behaving like Yahya Jemmeh's eunuchs, instead of a national army.

And so it seems to me that, Yahya Jammeh and those amongst the military top brass and political elites who have sided with him, should be indicted and tried for their crimes against the Gambian people, with the punishment befitting their crimes. Yahya Jammeh should not be offered asylum in any other country; Africa should not provide refuge for those who exploited, abused and murder their people. 

This precedent should be brought to an end, as it could encourage other dictators. Any country which offers him asylum should be seen as conspiring with his crimes He should be stripped of all his assets, in Gambia and abroad, and the proceeds returned to Gambia's treasury.

The position which is being taken by the Economic Community of West African Countries and the 'internation community', in opposing Jammeh's attempts to illegally retain power, is to be commended. It is just unfortunate that innocent lives and the livelihoods of many Gambians, and, probably members of the intervening ECOWAS forces, will be lost in the process of ridding the country of this despicable man and his virulent reign.

ECOWAS' role in this matter, is further proof of the necessity of having effective regional organisations, which, when a given country is taken over illegally by rogue rhinos like Jammeh, or soldiers who should be defending the citizens of their country, but, instead, turn their guns on them, as has been happening in the Ivory Coast, this regional force can intervene, diplomatically, but, if necessary, militarily, to bring order to chaos.