“Gambians need President Jammeh,” said Mr Jatta, who is also the Majority Leader and National Assembly Member for Serekunda East. “The Gambia is an independent country like any other country in the West and we want Gambians living in the Diaspora to respect the voices of Gambian people. You are there with your family and want to create problems for us and our families? African leaders have been terrorised using their own people and that would not happen in The Gambia. Gambians do not need help from Gambians living in the Diaspora.”
Mr Jatta was addressing thousands of inhabitants of the Kanifing municipality who took to the streets in protest against the December 30 attack on State House. The KMC ‘solidarity march’ forms part of protests in every region, following protests by civilians and security forces.
APRC militants, women groups, security officers, students, youth groups, cultural and religious leaders braved the blazing sun to amplify their call for peace and an end to terrorism. Many lifted placards bearing slogans of unity and defiance, such as ‘We will always be loyal to President Jammeh’ and ‘No to terrorism’.
The Mayor of KMC Yankuba Colley described the demonstration as a call to condemn any terrorist attack on the country. He said the attackers are not only terrorists, but bandits who wanted to destroy the country.
“The terrorists will never succeed in denting our resolve and determination as a nation. We cannot be intimidated. We stand stronger together today more than ever before. To the terrorists we say, ‘sooner rather than later, you will pay the price’. Justice shall prevail to the letter.”
Commissioner of police, KMC, Malamin Sanneh who spoke on behalf of security representatives said:
“The objective of the attackers was to destabilise the country. I seize this opportunity to condemn the act of barbarism, terror and unlawful adventure those murderous and unpatriotic sycophants tried to do with the help of mischievous collaborators to overthrow a legitimately elected government on the 30th of December 2014. I therefore warn that KMC is well secured and anybody who attempts to penetrate our security borders will be captured and brought to justice.”
Earlier, the West Coast region also added their voice to the chorus of condemnations of the attack. Leading a march of protesters, Governor Siffai Hydara rued machinations aimed at thwarting the country’s sustained progress under President Jammeh. Her administration and the people of West Coast Region, she said, will never allow such to happen.
The National Assembly Speaker, Abdoulie Bojang said that ‘so deep’ is the people’s representatives’ aversion to change of power by unconstitutional means that they passed a resolution condemning it in the ‘strongest possible terms’.
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