Jammeh was reportedly visibly shaken by both the size of the crowd and the show of vehement defiance of the repressive regime by a group of determined young men and women, most of whom were supporters of the United Democratic Party, Gambia's leading opposition party.
According to sources, Jammeh is more cautious now than previously as he inches towards the December elections by shedding his trademark confrontational approach towards his opponents, both real and perceived. He will, thus, avoid deploying the army to confront protesters because of the volatile nature of the political environment that is being fueled by both the repressive measures of the regime and the deteriorating economic conditions resulting from incompetent management of the economy and high-level corruption.
Rather than confront his opponents, Jammeh's approach going forward is to target the leadership of the UDP and PPP who, in the eyes of the regime, pose the greatest threat to his leadership. According to our sources, the leadership of these two political parties and the most prominent and vocal supporters are potential targets.
Disappearances using Salif Sadio's MFDC renegades to carry out his dirty work, rather than arrests, detentions and torture will be the preferred method of dealing with opponents, according to our source. The opposition parties, especially the UDP and PPP, are thus being cautioned now so that to appropriate measures are taken..
