Panic has set in on the Jammeh camp

Jammeh surrounded by soldiers

An ardent critic of the Gambian dictatorship was libelously called a serial rapist and a pedophile by a publication in a website owned by an international con-artist who goes by the royal title of His Royal Highest, Prince Ebrahim of the Koring Dynasty and a well-known business associate of one of Jammeh's brothers.

The Africa Specialist at the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights was accused of biased, unprofessional behavior, and called him a Jammeh-hater.  A letter writing campaign was thus launched to get him fired from his job.

Now, a well-known radio personality who ran a successful television talk show in The Gambia and now in exile in the United States is the latest victim of Jammeh's smear campaign against what the dictatorship sees as political opponents, critics and arch enemies.

What is so unique about the latest attack on Fatou Camara is that the official mouthpiece of the Jammeh dictatorship, The Daily Observer (DO), was used to reproduce a purported cautionary statement the authorities claim she wrote when she was detained at the notorious National Intelligence Agency (NIA) in September 2013.  The material used appeared to have been doctored and fabrications added to make it salacious.  This appears to be the first time that the DO is being used to personally attack a non-politician in this manner, and a female at that.

The fact that the regime of Yaya Jammeh will stoop to such a low level by reproducing an official document in the form of a Cautionary Statement meant for the exclusive use in the judicial process is further demonstration of the amateurish character of a regime that continues to display high level of incompetence and vindictiveness that fittingly explains Gambia's current political predicament.

It is evident that the regime has decided to adopt a scorched-earth policy to deal with its enemies - real and perceived - using both the official media, and other communication outlets, owned and operated by supporters like Kora Broadcasting and Gambian Inquirer as part of Jammeh's propaganda machine in readiness for the 2016 elections.  It is no secret that the diaspora is campaigning very hard for the exclusion of Jammeh from the 2016 elections when he would have been in power for 22 years.

The media conglomerate put together by the dissidents living abroad is unmatched, both in terms of content, reach and sophistication.   This media infrastructure has been further enhanced by the cooperation that exists between this network of online radios and websites, exchanging programs and guests across the internet.

The superior media arrangement by the diaspora led us to observe the panic within the Jammeh camp following the sudden burst of nervous reactions from Kora Broadcasting, Gambia Inquirer and Daily Observer. The Gambia Radio and Television Service is next in the Jammeh arsenal to be used against diaspora Gambians.  What a shame and an inappropriate way of using scarce state resources in a battle that the oppressed Gambian people will ultimately triumph against an evil, corrupt and incompetent regime.