Embassy Row

GAMBIAN ENVOY FIRED

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh sacked his ambassador to the United States one day before she was scheduled to meet with Amnesty International officials in Washington to discuss human rights abuses in one of Africa’s tiniest nations.

Ambassador Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, who was appointed to the position in January, “has been terminated with immediate effect,” the president’s office said in a statement Tuesday. It provided no other details.

Diplomats at the Gambian Embassy in Washington declined to comment on the ambassador’s dismissal.

Miss Macdouall-Gaye’s Amnesty meeting sparked speculation from the opposition media in Gambia that Mr. Jammeh was outraged that she was planning to talk to some of his regime’s most prominent human rights critics.

Freedom Newspaper, which describes itself as “Gambia’s most prominent online newspaper,” quoted sources who described Mr. Jammeh’s anger over the meeting.

“He was heard shouting, saying that she ’would be arrested and charged with treason upon her arrival in the Gambia,’ ” Freedom Newspaper said.

It is unclear from the report when Mr. Jammeh is supposed to have threatened to arrest Miss Macdouall-Gaye, who returned to Gambia two weeks ago for a meeting with other Gambian ambassadors.

T. Kumar, advocacy director for international issues at Amnesty International USA, confirmed that human rights officials were due to meet with the ambassador Wednesday.

“Removing her, if it is for the reason of meeting with Amnesty International, is extremely disappointing,” he said.

Mr. Kumar added that Mr. Jammeh “missed an opportunity” to have his envoy discuss Amnesty International’s reporting on allegations of human rights abuse in Gambia, a West African nation of only 4,000 square miles that snakes from the Atlantic Ocean through Senegal for about 200 miles.

In a detailed report in November, Amnesty International noted that Mr. Jammeh has grown more repressive after six attempted coups since he took power in a military coup in 1994.

Amnesty International “has observed a dramatic deterioration in the human rights situation and has documented serious human rights violations, including unlawful arrests, unlawful detentions, torture while in detention, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions and unfair trials,” the report said.

Miss Macdouall-Gaye is a former managing editor of the state-owned Observer Co., which praised her “remarkable track record in government circles” in March. She is also a former secretary of state for trade, industry and employment.

SUPPORTING ARIAS

The Organization of American States this week reaffirmed support for a plan proposed by Costa Rican President Oscar Arias to solve the constitutional showdown in Honduras.

The Arias plan is the “most reasonable way out of the Honduran crisis,” OAS Secretary-General Jose Insulza said.

Mr. Arias proposed the reinstatement of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted by the Honduran army on orders of the Supreme Court in June, and the creation of a government of national unity to lead the nation to new elections in October. The interim government in Honduras rejected the plan in July.

DIPLOMATIC DEFINITION

“No government could survive without champagne. Champagne in the throats of our diplomatic people is like oil in the wheels of an engine.” - Joseph Dargent, French wine merchant.

Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison@washingtontimes.com.