People try to look special by saying they can heal others or have magic powers. Many dictators love it when others think they have superhuman abilities. Some even force citizens to treat them like gods through twisted logic.
Haiti dictator Papa Doc Duvalier changed the Christian prayer to praise himself instead of God. He wrote about himself as sacred and cursed anyone who opposed him. Turkmenistan ruler Saparmurat Niyazov named weekdays after himself and claimed his book would guarantee heaven if read three times.
Uganda tyrant Idi Amin kicked out Asian residents and claimed God personally told him to do it. Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh said he received direct orders from heaven to cure diseases. He declared he could fix AIDS, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health problems.
Many people outside his country laughed at these claims. Yet several Gambian doctors helped him harm sick people. Dr. Tamsir Mbowe, Dr. Mariatou Jallow, and Dr. Malick Njie all stood beside him during these fake treatments. His half-brother Ansumana Jammeh, plus assistant Nyima Badgie, also helped run this harmful program.
Patients under his Presidential Alternative Treatment Program faced strict rules against taking real medicine. They could only drink his mystery mixtures. AIDS patients tried hiding their faces from cameras despite promises of privacy. This cruel show lasted almost ten years as many Gambians ignored the suffering happening right before them.
Some doctors later admitted they only helped because they feared what might happen if they refused. Dr. Jallow confessed she joined from fear. Dr. Njie claimed he questioned the treatment but found himself pushed aside. Earlier, back in 1994, security forces had already locked up Dr. Njie briefly when he served as Health Minister.
Jammeh announced his treatment expansion through state TV on January 17, 2007. The government newspaper Daily Observer constantly praised his fake cures. About eight months into these dangerous treatments, Gambian institutions and officials donated nearly 2.5 million dalasis to support his program.
Communications Minister Neneh MacDouall-Gaye praised him without showing any concern for the victims. She publicly thanked him for restoring health to sick patients. Her assistant, Baba Mustapha Marong, added more flattery by declaring the treatments worked despite nobody understanding how they functioned.
Four years into his fake treatment scam, Jammeh met with officials on January 21, 2011. He bragged about curing sickle cell anemia in most patients within thirty days. He claimed others needed forty-five days because different types existed. He boasted about healing stroke victims who became paralyzed.
Jammeh said fixing high blood pressure took just five minutes. He asked for a list of asthma patients that included 1,191 registered people. He promised to treat every single person one day before February 18, Independence Day. Everyone around him smiled, either amazed by his godlike claims or hiding their true feelings behind fake grins.
Haiti dictator Papa Doc Duvalier changed the Christian prayer to praise himself instead of God. He wrote about himself as sacred and cursed anyone who opposed him. Turkmenistan ruler Saparmurat Niyazov named weekdays after himself and claimed his book would guarantee heaven if read three times.
Uganda tyrant Idi Amin kicked out Asian residents and claimed God personally told him to do it. Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh said he received direct orders from heaven to cure diseases. He declared he could fix AIDS, asthma, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other health problems.
Many people outside his country laughed at these claims. Yet several Gambian doctors helped him harm sick people. Dr. Tamsir Mbowe, Dr. Mariatou Jallow, and Dr. Malick Njie all stood beside him during these fake treatments. His half-brother Ansumana Jammeh, plus assistant Nyima Badgie, also helped run this harmful program.
Patients under his Presidential Alternative Treatment Program faced strict rules against taking real medicine. They could only drink his mystery mixtures. AIDS patients tried hiding their faces from cameras despite promises of privacy. This cruel show lasted almost ten years as many Gambians ignored the suffering happening right before them.
Some doctors later admitted they only helped because they feared what might happen if they refused. Dr. Jallow confessed she joined from fear. Dr. Njie claimed he questioned the treatment but found himself pushed aside. Earlier, back in 1994, security forces had already locked up Dr. Njie briefly when he served as Health Minister.
Jammeh announced his treatment expansion through state TV on January 17, 2007. The government newspaper Daily Observer constantly praised his fake cures. About eight months into these dangerous treatments, Gambian institutions and officials donated nearly 2.5 million dalasis to support his program.
Communications Minister Neneh MacDouall-Gaye praised him without showing any concern for the victims. She publicly thanked him for restoring health to sick patients. Her assistant, Baba Mustapha Marong, added more flattery by declaring the treatments worked despite nobody understanding how they functioned.
Four years into his fake treatment scam, Jammeh met with officials on January 21, 2011. He bragged about curing sickle cell anemia in most patients within thirty days. He claimed others needed forty-five days because different types existed. He boasted about healing stroke victims who became paralyzed.
Jammeh said fixing high blood pressure took just five minutes. He asked for a list of asthma patients that included 1,191 registered people. He promised to treat every single person one day before February 18, Independence Day. Everyone around him smiled, either amazed by his godlike claims or hiding their true feelings behind fake grins.
