GAMBIAN ELECTIONS: NEW ARRESTS RAISE TENSIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000536

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/29/2016
TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM GA
SUBJECT: GAMBIAN ELECTIONS: NEW ARRESTS RAISE TENSIONS

REF: A. BANJUL 504


B. BANJUL 470

Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, C.P. Alsup, Reason 1.4 (b and d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Only one day after the formal declaration of
candidates for the September 22 presidential election, the
arrests of key opposition members are raising electoral
tensions and driving one opposition candidate to warn of
"consequences." The thinly veiled threat suggests that as
the election date draws near, The Gambia is entering a more
volatile electioneering phase. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) On August 28, three candidates were approved by the
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to stand for the
September 22nd presidential elections: 1) incumbent
President Yayha A.J.J. Jammeh, representing the ruling
Alliamce for Patriotic Re-Orientation and Construction
(APRC); 2) National Assembly Member Halifa Sallah,
representing the National Alliance for Democracy and
Development (NADD); and 3) attorney Ousainou Darboe,
representing the alliance of the United Democratic Party
(UDP) and the National Reconciliation Party (NRP). One
would-be candidate, businessman Henry Gomez, leader of the
Gambian Party for Democracy and Progress,was disqualified for
failure to meet the residency requirements. A profile of the
candidates will be provided septel.


3. (C) On August 29, Halifa Sallah, the NADD candidate,
phoned the Embassy to register a complaint about the arrest
of NADD Executive Committee member Amie Sillah, a well-known
and outspoken gender activist and columnist for the "Foroyaa"
newspaper, which is owned by Sallah. Sallah reported that
Mrs. Sillah was arrested by the NIA for unknown reasons.
COMMENT: Mrs. Sillah's arrest may have been provoked by an
editorial on the front page of the August 28-29 edition of
Foroyaa decrying efforts by the ruling APRC to force civil
servants to join the APRC and/or purchase APRC campaign
material. END COMMENT. Mr. Sallah also noted that a young
NADD political mobilizer, Buba Sanyang, has been in detention
for three days without charge. The NADD candidate described
these arrests as indications that President Jammeh has no
intention of playing by the rules in the upcoming elections.
Sallah asserted that though he is a peaceful man, he has no
intention of being a weak leader. He said he would not
tolerate any harassment or intimidation of his supporters and
that if these types of provocations continue, "no one should
be surprised at the consequences." He made similar comments
in his public statements following his registration for the
presidential race.


4. (C) COMMENT. This report from the NADD candidate comes on
the heels of claims of harassment of campaign workers from
the UDP/NRP presidential nominee and is no surprise. What is
surprising is the out-of-character, thinly-veiled threat from
the usually mild-mannered Halifa Sallah. These arrests and
Sallah's reaction suggest that The Gambia is entering a more
volatile electioneering phase. It is doubtuful that Sallah's
threats (or threats from any other member of the opposition),
veiled or otherwise, will have any impact on the use of
unfair election tactics by the ruling APRC party, and we
expect more arrests, and more harassment of opposition
campaign workers and the media as the election draws nearer.
END COMMENT.
ALSUP