*Culled from Foroyaa online:

*The human rights situation in The Gambia is deplorable. It has taken a turn
for the worse. Added to the frequent arrests and detention is the widespread
abduction of villagers their forceful cleansing in contravention of the
Constitution and the laws of The Gambia. This is unacceptable and
unsustainable.

From Essau up to Sintet, many villages have been invaded by marauders
claiming to hunting for witches and wizards, abducting them in the presence
of armed men in uniform. The elderly are no longer treated with honour,
respect and dignity. They are treated like thrash, being subjected to abuse
and indignities. They are stripped half naked and bathed by those who are
can be their children or grand children in the name of cleansing them. They
force them to drink concoction after which they hallucinate, urinate and
defecate on themselves. Many of them have complained of all sorts of
ailment.

Information reaching Foroyaa indicate that the people of Foni in particular
are in dire circumstances. They are terrified. They are on the run. Some are
reported to flee to the bush daily while others are on a constant vigil on
the outskirts of the village, ready to flee to the bush. Some have fled to
the Greater Banjul Area, others to the Casamance and others to Kiang. The
injustice meted against the people is just incredible.

With all these violations of human rights criminal activities going on, the
police are fast asleep. They are only active in arresting human rights
defenders. The President continues to be silent even though one Alkalo after
another have indicated that the bandits told them that he sent them to the
village.

Human rights organisations need to be proactive and conduct investigation.

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