Petition to Disinvite Gambian President Yahya Jammeh
Petition to Disinvite Gambian President Yahya Jammeh
We the undersigned are Citizens and Friends of The Gambia. We call on President Obama to rescind the invitation to Yahya Jammeh for the US-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington, DC from August 4-6, 2014. Like the leaders of Central Africa Republic, Eritrea, Sudan and Zimbabwe, he does not belong in this historic gathering. Countless Gambians who have fled their once peaceful land for refuge in the United States of America and elsewhere vehemently oppose his invitation to the summit. And all Gambians at home and abroad fighting to restore democracy in their homeland feel abandoned and betrayed that a brazen despot of his stripe will be given such a respectable honor and eminent platform. His presence will also be a mockery of the democratic principles and theories the Founding Fathers fought for to make the United States the beacon of freedom and liberty in the world. His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Alfonso Jemus Junkung Jammeh, as he likes to be called, is among other things:
1) A brutal and cruel despot. He has ruled The Gambia through fear and wanton repression since his military coup two decades ago.
2) Hostile to the United States. His allies have been fellow despots and dictators notorious for their hostility toward the United States. The list includes: Sani Abacha of Nigeria, Fidel Castro of Cuba, Ahmadinejad of Iran, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong-Un of North Korea.
3) An avowed enemy of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. He disregards constitutional separation of powers, controls the state media for his exclusive use and propaganda, clamps down on the private media, conducts summary executions; arrests, abducts, detains, tortures and disappears journalists, human rights activists, imams, lawyers, members of the security forces, members of the oppositions and other dissidents without any due process; and blacklists outspoken citizens in the United States and other countries for arrest and prosecution in show trials when they visit The Gambia.
4) A charlatan and a quack. Only few years ago, he carried out a nationwide witch hunt after his aunt died of what he blamed on witchcraft, rounded up hundreds of helpless old people and forced them to drink hallucinogenic concoctions, which led to the death of many. He claims to find a miracle cure for HIV/AIDs, diabetes, infertility and other medical conditions, and carries out his quirky treatments on national television, and engages in all manners of superstitious rituals and sacrifices to give meaning to his supernatural pretensions and messianic delusions.
5) Corrupt and greedy. He grabs lands from peasants, owns taxis, bakeries, butcheries and numerous other retail and large businesses, confiscates properties from investors, and raids the national coffers for his personal enrichment and lavish expenses. Even though The Gambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with more than 50% living in extreme poverty, Yahya Jammeh is one of the wealthiest men in Africa.
His invitation to the White House does not promote the national security interest of the United States in Africa, nor does it pave the way for the freedom, liberty, democracy and economic prosperity of 1.8 million people of The Gambia. This tyrant and unrepentant foe of the United States does not deserve to be at the summit and we urge President Obama to disinvite him.
Signed:
FatoJaw Manneh - maafanta.com
Foday Samateh - maafanta.com
Musa Camara - maafanta.com
Rights group: 1,000 seized in Gambia 'witch-hunt'
http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/africa/03/18/gambia.amnesty.witchcraft/
Two US Citizens in The Gambia Missing One Year
http://banjul.usembassy.gov/news/us-embassy-press-releases3/u.s.-citizens-in-the-gambia-missing-one-year
US African Leaders Summit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/us-africa-leaders-summit
Witch Hunts and Foul Potions Heighten Fear of Leader in Gambia
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/21/world/africa/21gambia.html?_r=0
Nine Gambia prisoners executed amid rights group outcry
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-19393740
Gambia should have no ties with N/Korea – official
http://en.starafrica.com/news/gambia-should-have-no-ties-with-nkorea-official.html
Diplomat says N/Korea to cooperate with Gambia on agric, others
http://observer.gm/africa/gambia/article/diplomat-says-nkorea-to-cooperate-with-gambia-on-agric-others
Masked Men Shot dead Foni Elders
http://kibaaro.com/masked-men-shot-dead-foni-elders/
Durbin, Senate colleagues press for Manneh’s release
http://p10.hostingprod.com/@maafanta.com/chiefmannehtomrhodes.html
Letter from US Senators’ Letter to Jammeh
http://www.cpj.org/blog/manneh%20sen%20letter.pdf
Senator Durbin’s Letter to British Foreign Secretary William Hague
http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=3ba9f082-3253-4929-92e6-81164feff62f
Senator Durbin’s Letter to The Gambian Attorney General
http://www.durbin.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=34f352c8-eaf3-42e2-874e-77c2c6777ec6
