Casamance is safe!

News from our updater Roger Norum, in Senegal, who had been advised in Dakar to give Casamance a miss, or, if he went, to be extremely careful. People made it sound like a war zone.

Roger writes:

"– Flew to Casamance, it was superb
– The friendliest people of my entire trip
– Great response from ppl, really excited to get tourism up and running again
– A few new projects going on, lots of campements restored over past few years
– Am amazed how much bum advice I was given in Dakar about going
– Completely safe in southern Basse Casamance and on new tarmac road from Zig–Cap Skirring
– A bit less safe (and certainly a lot more military presence) in the North and along the Gambian border"

President running out of diseases to cure

President Doctor Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia has been much in demand in the country's handful of hospitals since the beginning of the year, when he discovered he could cure AIDS with special potions and a personal visit. Most officials are maintaining a dignified silence on the spectacle, though the health minister has endorsed the cure, but as the treatment requires a high level of commitment from the patients, including giving up their expensive anti-retroviral drugs, it can only be a matter of time before nature takes its course and somebody's relative feels they have to speak out. Meanwhile, Jammeh's talents are broadening to include diabetes and asthma.