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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsGambia’s president threatens to slit the throats of gay men
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh is one of the world's most quixotic dictators, a man who has ruled his tiny sliver of a nation for two decades with an iron fist, an extensive network of secret police and a seemingly endless stream of outrageous proclamations.
His latest inflammatory remarks came last week at a rally in the town of Farafeni. According to Vice News, which received a translation of Jammeh's speech, delivered in the region's Wolof language, Jammeh sounded a dire warning to homosexuals living in his country.
"If you do it [in Gambia] I will slit your throat," Jammeh said. "If you are a man and want to marry another man in this country and we catch you, no one will ever set eyes on you again, and no white person can do anything about it."
The Gambian leader is notorious for his homophobic views and, judging from his comments here, seems undeterred by recent condemnation from the international community. Last year, the European Union cut aid to the West African nation over its woeful human rights record, which included the country's introduction in October of a tough anti-homosexuality law that could lead to life sentences in prison.
Jammeh, for his part, has made no secret of his disapproval of homosexuality. He's not alone, particularly on the African continent, but his vitriol stands him apart.
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What a charmer!
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icymist
(15,888 posts)P.S. Took out the trash for you.
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NaturalHigh
(12,778 posts)Behind the Aegis
(53,991 posts)Jammeh says he can cure AIDS.
In 2007, Jammeh proclaimed at a gathering of diplomats that his own special mix of herbs could cure HIV/AIDS and other diseases. "I can treat asthma and HIV/Aids ... Within three days the person should be tested again and I can tell you that he/she will be negative," the BBC quoted him as saying. He went on: "I am not a witch doctor and in fact you cannot have a witch doctor. You are either a witch or a doctor."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2015/01/06/5-crazy-things-about-the-gambian-dictator-who-just-survived-a-coup-attempt/