It is now quite evidently clear that the escape of the former Chief of Defence Staff of The Gambia Armed Forces Col Ndure Cham after the foiled coup of March 21, 2006, was aided and facilitated by the Senegalese Jakai rebels of the Casamance Region.

The mastermind of the March coup attempt fled to the village of Abene from where he was received by the Jakai and transported to Kujubeh and was handed over to the Senegalese government forces who took him to Zigunghor and later to the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

The Jakai rebels, entirely sponsored by the Senegalese government have been responsible for the mass murder of villagers in Casamance, stealing and burning of cars and villages, cattle-wrestling and capture of women who are raped and force to cook. These women are captured under the pretext that they are to perform a particular ritual known as Enankoraye. Their husbands who disapprove of the so-called rituals are threatened with death.

The Jakai rebels, headed by Suwarebou Kamongue Jatta are a faction of the Movement for Democratic Forces in Casamance (MFDC) and are bent on killing sympathisers of Salif Sajor.

During the recent fighting between the Senegalese forces and the MFDC, along the Gambia - Cassamance border, the Jakai were reported to have fought in joint unit of the Senegalese security forces against Salif Sarjo’s men.
Sources also disclosed that the Jakai rebels were also enlisted for and have benefited from the recent Moroccan Humanitarian training exercise in Cassamance, unknown to the Moroccans.

It is not surprising therefore, that anytime members of the Jakai fall into the hands of foreigner law enforcement officers, the Senegalese forces would secretly negotiate to have them released. The most recent incident was the arrest of the notorious mastermind of the July 1981 coup attempt which was responsible for many mass graves and the destruction of millions of dalasi worth of property, Kukoi Samba Sanyang. Barely three weeks ago, Kukoi was arrested by the authorities in Guinea Bissau, but secret negotiations led to his release to the Senegalese authorities through the UNHCR in Dakar.

It is now an open secret that Colonel Ndure Cham, Kukoi Samba Sanyang, Captain Sanna Sabally, Major Kalifa Banjinka and other Gambian dissidents hold regular meetings, backed up by the Senegalese government through its Ministry of Interior.

Irrefutable evidence also showed that the Senegalese government is using the Jakai rebels to collaborate with Gambian dissidents to destabilise The Gambia. The two hold regular meetings with the objective to seek the Senegalese government’s assistance for military equipment for the dissidents to overthrow the government of President Yahya Jammeh.
According to reliable sources, the Senegalese government under President Abdoulaye Wade have made it clear that they will continue to assist the dissidents only if, after the overthrow of the Jammeh government, The Gambia will become a region of Senegal, not even to talk about  Senegambia.

The Gambia government sources disclosed that Gambian authorities are “aware of what is going on but would not give any further details”. One wonders therefore as to what type of Pan-Africanism and African integration Senegal is shouting about when its government is engaged in such hostile activities against its neighbouring countries.
One also wonder why, whereas Sudan is being condemned for the atrocities committed by the Janjaweed rebels in the Darfur region, Senegal, has never been taken to task for sponsoring the Jakai rebels, a violent group responsible for the worst atrocities committed within  the sub-Saharan  Africa.

The question now arises, why is the Western world condemning Sudan while leaving Senegal on its whims commits the same or even worst atrocities in Casamance?
It could be recalled that since the Casamance separatist insurgence began over two decades ago, no tangible investigations have been carried out in the Casamance to determine how and why the people of that region in Senegal are being killed on a daily basis.

Who will take the West seriously when they can condemn one killer and praise another for the same type of atrocities inflicted on mankind?
It is not surprising that the West would keep a blind eye on atrocities committed by African leaders who dance to their tune and would only brand the rest as dictators.
Africans must now wake up to these realities.

It is more amazing that even at the Ecowas Commission, the two decades long conflict in the Senegalese region of Cassamance has never been on the agenda, or even discussed by West African leaders.
This is because Senegal claims that the Casamance conflict is an internal affair, even thought it led to the instability in the neighbouring Guinea Bissau.
Another question which arises is: If the Casamance conflict is such an internal affair for Senegal, why is the Darfur conflict not an internal one for Sudan?

Amazingly enough, apart from the Anglican Church, Diplomatic Missions and The Gambia Government, nobody is helping the thousands of Casamance refugees who have  migrated to The Gambia and are obliged to stay with very poor relatives.
The Daily Observer hereby challenged those countries that proclaim to be champions of Human Rights, especially the United States, Britain and France to stop their double standards so that the over two decades long Casamance conflict can be brought to a peaceful end.