Sunday, December 18, 2016

Jammeh's hardcore loyalists are switching sides

Balla Jahumpa
Balla Jahumpa, a state minister in the outgoing regime who represented Yaya Jammeh at the ECOWAS Summit in Abuja where the riot act was read to the Gambian dictator and the last of his holdouts in paragraph (h) of the regional organization's Final Communique, returned home to an avalanche of warnings from family members to end his sycophantic support of Jammeh.

According to sources, Mr. Jahumpa has finally seen the writing on the wall and is contemplating, on advise of family members, to abandon support, express remorse and contrition before he publicly announces his allegiance to the incoming administration of President-elect Adama Barrow which could come in as early as tomorrow.

State minister Jahumpa who also served as the de facto campaign manager of the former dictator during the December 1st presidential elections that he lost, resulting in the current stalemate, is not the only one thinking about abandoning support for a lost cause.   It is reported that Jammeh's Interior and Local Government ministers are also planning similar actions of abandoning Jammeh.

Support for Jammeh is not crumbling within his civilian members of his regime but also among the military.  Members of the "Jungulars", the regime's equivalence of Papa Doc's  Toton Macoute who carry out executions of Jammeh's political enemies, are reportedly ready to abandon Jammeh.

The remaining "Jungulars" still in the country are holding out together with key members of the military are holding out for their "share of the loot" from the Gambian dictator who is reportedly having a huge amount of physical cash in his possession, according to a source close to the military brass.

As huge and discernible cracks widen around the circle of hardcore loyalists who have ring-fenced Jammeh, these loyalists may consider cutting a deal with the incoming administration which, in our view, should be rejected outright.

Even a deal from Yaya Jammeh should not be entertained at this point, except that his physical integrity will be guaranteed while he is in the custody of the incoming administration. The hour for dealing making is over - a message that should be relayed to Jammeh and his small group of supporters.