Washington, DC — Two days before presidential polls in the tiny West African state of Gambia, things are looking pretty bad. The run-up to the elections, the second since the July 22, 1994 coup that brought Rtd. Colonel Yahya Jammeh to power, has been marred by unprecedented acrimony and violence. The first post-coup elections were held in 1996 and won by Jammeh.
Latest reports from the country say acts of violence have been perpetrated by supporters of both Jammeh's ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) and the main three-party opposition coalition led by Lawyer Ousainou Darboe. The coalition, formed after the July 2001 lifting of the ban on political parties of the first republic under ousted president Dawda Jawara, is made up of Darboe's United Democratic Party (UDP), the former ruling People's Progressive Party (PPP) and the Gambia People's Party (GPP), a former opposition party led by one-time vice president Hassan Musa Camara.
While the entire campaign period was marked by sporadic clashes between supporters of the main contenders, the first two deaths were reported Tuesday when soldiers reportedly opened fire on opposition supporters during clashes outside the compound of the ruling party MP for Serekunda East, Fabakary Tombong Jatta. Following the shootings, angry youths stormed the MP's compound and set it ablaze. Latest reports indicate that the entire compound was razed to the ground. Alleged attempted arson attacks against two main opposition figures, Lamin Waa Juwara and Shyngle Nyassy, both of the UDP, had previously been reported in the press.
A few days ago, violent clashes erupted in the North Bank Division town of Farafenni when, allegedly incited by the District Chief, ruling party supporters started stoning an opposition coalition convoy, who retaliated. Security forces had to intervene to disperse the rowdy crowds. Similar incidents were reported in the Lower River Division town of Soma and the Western Division village of Kembujeh.
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But perhaps the most bizarre incident of the campaign period happened a couple of weeks ago in the town of Brikama, about twenty kilometers from the capital Banjul, when angry women danced naked in the streets apparently in a bid to break a spell cast by some unknown persons who slaughtered a dog, wrapped it in a white piece of cloth in the manner of a human corpse, and left it lying in a public place. The dead dog and the women's shocking behaviour, widely seen as bad omens, received widespread condemnation from the country's religious leaders and elicited several predictions of doom.
A prominent journalist who witnessed the torching of MP Jatta's compound and attended a rally addressed by the president in Brufut village on Tuesday described the prevailing atmosphere as "scary". He said the President told his supporters that he would close the country's borders on Wednesday to ensure that "these old donkeys don't get away" because he would deal with them on the 19th.
Other sources in the capital Banjul say the atmosphere in the country is exceedingly tense and that more violence could occur. "People are very frightened," one source told AllAfrica.com. "We have never seen anything like this in this country. It's all like a dream."
Meanwhile, several international observers are currently in the country to witness Thursday's polls. Among them are groups from the Commonwealth, British MPs, UN personnel, Transparency International and foreign journalists, including crew from the BBC and Associated Press.
