Speculation is rife as to the whereabouts of Yaya Jammeh is presently following his three days of humiliation at the hands of Gambia protesters which, everyone agrees, is worse than the one he experienced at the hands of the same protesters last year in New York.
Immediately upon arrival, Jammeh requested that his departure be changed from Thursday, 7th August at 9:30 PM to Saturday the 9th (tomorrow).
Obviously, Jammeh had every intention of moving to his $3.5 million mansion in Potomac, MD for relaxation with his wife and kids after the U.S. - Africa Leader Summit. Of course what he was oblivious of at the time he made the request was the potential danger lurking around the Hay Adams Hotel, not to his person but to his reputation as a person, and as someone who claims to be a Head of State. He's not the only one here in Washington. There are almost fifty of his counterparts here but it is only Yaya Jammeh who has generated so much bad publicity for The Gambia and the Gambian people.
Faced with a ferocious crowd of protesters around his hotel and at the State Department which culminated in the assault of Gambians journalists and protesters which led to Pierre Minteh taken in for questioning, Jammeh suddenly realizes that he was receiving more than he bargained for.
Pierre Minteh is the first confirmable victim of the protests when the US government ask him to leave the country. When this will take effect is what is uncertain at this point in time. It is still possible that he will join Jammeh plane tomorrow, if the plane is going to be used by Jammeh on the outward journey.
Caught in the mess he finds himself, Jammeh decided to float the false information that he's was leaving on his initially designated departure date of Thursday (yesterday), designed to ease the pressure on the hotel exerted by an animated group of protesters so that he can make his getaway with the help of the Secret Service and the District Police Department.
Our suspicion is that he made his clean getaway to his Potomac mansion with his wife where they will join the rest of his family. It is also very possible that Jammeh is still in the hotel. Either way, he's still in the Washington area. Let us emphasis that this is just our suspicion based on all the information we have.
Given Jammeh propensity to do unpresidential things, other theories have emerged which cannot be dispelled as outside the realm of possibilities. One of those possibilities is that Jammeh might have taken a special flight or has hitched a ride ( more likely) with his Mauritanian friend and Head of State to Nouakchott where his (Jammeh) plane will pick him up for his journey to Banjul.
With this scenario, his plane will maintain its initial departure slot of tomorrow with the Chief of Protocol, GRTS's Kebba Dibba, Ebou Njie Tarru and the rest of his security detail who were into implicated in the assault of Fatou Camara and others. They will join their boss in Nouakchott for the final leg of the journey to Banjul.
Our call is that Jammeh is in the Washington area and that includes his Potomac address, ready to depart from AAFB tomorrow, Saturday 9th August. Those wishing to receive the escapee from Hay Adams Hotel should be at the Banjul International Airport one hour before arrival. No ceremonial displays, be they military or cultural because Jammeh will be in no mood for that after Washington DC experience.
