Why is it that only opposition supporters or members get arrested whenever there
is a problem.
Not only that,the police are usually assisted by APRC thugs whenever such
situations arise.

Beran



Sami Women Clash Over Milling Machine



Daily Observer (Banjul)

October 18, 2000

Demba Sambou
Sami

Tension mounted over the weekend in Lamin Koto village, Sami District, Central
River Division, following clashes between members of two womenıs groups over
control of a milling machine.

The groupıs are Yiriwa-kafoo and the pro-APRC Kambeng-kafoo.

Eight women from Yiriwa-kafoo were arrested and detained for 7 hours at the
Janjangbureh police post.

The detainees were picked up in their houses in a raid led by Corporal Yarboe
and some members of the APRC youth wing, including Omar Mambureh, Masanneh Suso,
Tumani Jatta and Momodou Lamin Jallow.

Those detained included Yiriwa-kafoo president, Tunko Jatta, Njie Sebeh, Mansata
Jawla, Sarjo Suso, Fatou-nding Konteh, Jainaba Keita, Sainey Tambajang and Jallo
Comma.

Comma, who is the vice president of the kafoo, explained, "Our detention
condition was horrible. We were not given food, water and we had to sit on the
ground."

She said her kafoo has been in existence for 20 years and that Kambeng-kafoo was
part of it.

"But since party politics resumed in 1996, they went on their own as an APRC
Kambeng-kafoo. Later on, we were given a milling machine by the Social
Development Fund (SDF). But the APRC kafoo headed by Nyelling Jobarteh, wanted
to monopolise the use of the machine which we resisted. Nyelling then reported
the matter to Chief Kebba Fanta Comma. But the chief ruled that the two groups
find a way of collaborating on the use of the machine if it is not to be taken
back to Janjangbureh."

But Mrs Comma said the APRC kafoo was not happy with that decision and that
Visaca bank book, which was seized by the commissioner of CRD. "The whole issue
is political," she lamented and appealed to the authorities to intervene
immediately.

Contacted, the CRD assistant commissioner, Hamidou Baldeh, said if the two
parties could not work as a team, the machine will be removed from the village.
The alkalo of Lamin Koto, Banka Suso, explained, "There are two alkalolu in
Lamin Koto, because the village compound taxes are paid to two people, myself
and somebody else. People in Lamin Koto do not regard me as their alkalo.
Whenever I call a meeting, only a few people turn out. There is no unity in
Lamin Koto. If a UDP supporter dies in Lamin Koto, no APRC supporter will attend
his funeral," Alkalo Suso lamented.

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