Following months of wild accusations against the Wade government of Senegal with reports of Dakar backing dissident Gambian soldiers to unseat Jammeh's government, the Senegalese authorities are formally reacting to what they called rather " silly, malicious and unfounded" accusations brought against the former French colony. The New Senegalese Justice Minister denied Gambia's accusations in the strongest terms and therefore warned the authorities in Banjul to desist from making such "unsubstantiated" allegations devoid of the truth. Our Dakar Correspondent Seedy Lamin has the story and he now reports................................
By Our Dakar Correspondent Seedy Lamin.
(Summary Translation)-new Senegalese minister of Justice Souleyemane Ndene Ndiaye reacts with stern warnings to the Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. The Gambian President as usual used disrespectful language while reacting to a recent incident that took place along The Gambian Senegalese border line. During which the Senegalese authorities took a step against smugglers they caught with loaded trucks. The latter were accused of unlawfully entering Senegalese territory and/or smuggling wood plus other items from within. Some of these smugglers are believed to be Gambian citizens.
During a handing over ceremony to Ndene Ndiaye did not mince his words in defense of his nation's sovereignty. In a special report published by a leading Senegalese paper Neteli,Mr Ndiaye warned The Gambian President not to even think about interfering with the Senegalese justice system. He continued to make it categorically clear to President Yahya Jammeh that some of those who were arrested have already received six months jail sentence while the investigations are still on. Mr Ndiaye did not stop there,he further went on to say that the Senegalese authorities will put the trucks in question like wise the goods they loaded on sale with immediate effect.
Observations:-In a volatile situation like what obtains between the two countries vis-a-vis the accusations and counter accusations in respect of the Casamance war,it unwise for The Gambian President to start using such unruly behaviour. Lest President Jammeh forgets when he arrested Senegalese soldiers who went through Banjul ferry terminal while en route to Casamance. Lest he also forgets when he arrested Senegalese custom officers?Accusing them smuggling arms like AK47s and poaching?Eventually he locked them up for months at Mile Two Central prisons despite all diplomatic odds. Finally he cynically pardoned them after fuming for months in a heap of serious mistakes. Ultimately Jammeh discovered that the accused were wronged over a trivial matter. President Jammeh instead of finding out what exactly happened at the border once again chose to take the wrong route by warning Senegal! Saying if they want peace let them free those arrested! He was directly quoted by responsible Senegalese journalists who know the implications behind libelous stories. The disgraceful part of the whole dramma is that President Wade used a minister to respond to the Gambian leader who is as head of state his counter part. This shows how much our man at Kanilai has been soaked into contempt. That alone is disgraceful for us as a nation. However, for Dakar it is legally accurate within an national and International perspective.They used the right channel to complement the efforts of their erstwhile gendarmerie and border guards. No person in his or her right mind will ever support Wade over The Gambia.
Nevertheless no person in his or her right mind will lean on Yahya Jammeh's rantings or evil plans only to justify "rude" narrow nationalism,that would breed nothing but war and misery.
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SOULEYMANE NDENE NDIAYE : "Le président Yaya Jammeh n’a pas à s’immiscer dans la justice sénégalaise"
Au sortir de la passation de service hier avec Thierno Lô, ministre sortant, le ministre d’Etat Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, nouveau ministre de l’Environnement et de la Protection de la nature, a tenu un point de presse pour apporter la réplique au président gambien Yaya Jammeh, suite à l’arrestation de Gambiens et de 12 camions contenant du bois de vène dans l’arrondissement de Diouloulou.
La tension monte entre le Sénégal et la Gambie à propos de l’affaire des 12 camions gambiens chargés de bois de vène. Après la sortie menaçante du président de la République gambienne contre son homologue sénégalais, c’est le tout nouveau ministre de l’Environnement et de la Protection de la nature, le ministre d’Etat Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye, qui a profité hier de sa passation de service avec son prédécesseur Thierno Lô pour revenir sur l’arrestation et le jugement de Gambiens pour trafic de bois de vène. Révélant n’avoir pris langue avec aucune autorité gambienne, le ministre d’Etat Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye apporte la réplique au président gambien Yaya Jammeh, qui réclamait la libération des Gambiens et du matériel saisi. « Mes connaissances rudimentaires me permettent de dire que le président gambien ne peut pas parler comme ça au Sénégal. Il n’a pas à s’immiscer dans la justice sénégalaise », dit-il à l’endroit de Yaya Jammeh qui, dimanche, s’était fait menaçant : « Si le président Wade et le Sénégal veulent la paix, ils n’ont qu’à libérer mes compatriotes et nous restituer, dans un court délai, les véhicules immobilisés ainsi que leur matériel ».
Revenant sur l’incident en question, Souleymane Ndéné Ndiaye précise qu’il s’agit
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