THE GAMBIA: FURTHER MEDIA ATTACK AGAINST SENEGAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L BANJUL 000301 SIPDIS SIPDIS DAKAR PLS PASS ODC, DAO, AND RAO E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/11/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS SG GA SUBJECT: THE GAMBIA: FURTHER MEDIA ATTACK AGAINST SENEGAL REF: A. BANJUL 283 AND PREVIOUS ¶B. DAKAR 1144 (ALL NOTAL) LATEST MEDIA ATTACK ON GOS AND GAMBIAN DISSIDENTS -------------- -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Following its May 17 article alleging GOS collusion in Gambian dissidents' anti-GOTG plotting (ref A),the pro-government "Daily Observer" led June 11 with further allegations of GOS support for destabilization efforts here. Under the headline "Senegal Continues to Destabilize Gambia," the paper claimed that "Senegalese Jakai rebels of the Casamance region," described as "entirely sponsored by the Senegalese Government," were collaborating with Gambian dissidents -- e.g., former Gambian CHOD Ndure Cham, presumed mastermind of the March 2006 abortive coup plot against President Jammeh. According to the piece, the "Jakai" faction of the MFDC gave sanctuary to Cham when he abandoned his plot and fled to Senegal; reportedly, these rebel elements subsequently handed Cham over to the GOS for harboring. The "Daily Observer" portrayed the "Jakai" rebels as seeking to subdue the forces of renegade MFDC figure Salif Sadio, blaming the former for the latest violence in the Casmance region. The paper accused the "Jakai rebels" of committing "mass murder" and other atrocities in the Casamance. The journal wove in an anti-Western them in asserting that the West condemns the Janjaweed for its atrocities in Sudan while overlooking those by the "Jakai' rebels in the Casamance. ¶2. (SBU) In its June 11 piece, the "Daily Observer" repeated its previous allegations of GSO Interior Ministry officials' participation in secret meetings with Cham and other Senegal-based Gambian dissidents. It went on to state that the GOS had conditioned its collaboration with the dissidents -- including provision of weaponry and other assistance -- on The Gambia's becoming a "region" of Senegal after their removal of the Jammeh government. COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (C) Like its previous anti-GOS attacks, the nominally independent paper's June 11 broadside was doubtless inspired by the GOTG. While the article omitted any mention of the MFDC reps currently in custody here, we think it likely that they are associated with the "Jakai" rebel group cited in the article and that Gambian authorities picked them up due to the group's alleged links to Gambian dissidents -- and as part of Jammeh's meddling in the Casamance on behalf of Salif Sadio. END COMMENT STAFFORD