Tuesday, September 29, 2015

Gambian dissidents protest against the Jammeh regime, as delegation flees posh hotel























The embattled regime of  the Gambian dictator, Yaya Jammeh, continues to feel the heat from dissidents in New York.  The Gambian dissidents had vowed to provide a fitting welcome to Yaya Jammeh to rival their previous protests during the United Nations General Assembly.  Jammeh had to cancel his trip by delegating his Vice President to attend this year's UNGA that is being attended by a record 141 Heads of State.

The Gambian delegation led by Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy comprises of the Ministers of Foerign Affairs, Interior, Finance, Environment, Inspector General of Police among other senior officials of the regime.

To avoid the wrath of the dissidents who succeeded last year in barricading Yaya Jammeh in his hotel for a good part of his three-day stay in New York, this year's delegation vacated their posh mid-Manhattan, The Ritz-Carlton, very early in the morning for the Gambia UN Mission offices located within the frozen area that cannot be accessed by unauthorized persons, including the protesters.

This year, the demonstrators include other African nationals, including Sierra Leoneans, Senegalese and Congolese who expressed solidarity with the Gambians demonstrating against dictatorship.

The Vice President of The Gambia is scheduled to deliver her speech at 20:00 GMT.  Meanwhile, the Gambian dictator is holed up in the Gambian capital city of Banjul.