Mr. Sam Sarr,
It is so sad that any human being have to go through such a torture. I
certainly have a lot of doubts of your explanation of events. I was not
tortured, and never was but i wish you could try to read all what you have
been putting here and clearly try to see the gap in times.
I know some of those you mentioned, and I must tell you that Hydara was one
of my closest friends. Never was the guy a drunkard, and never was Sabally
either.
Anyway, I wish you could tell the public your childish ccries calling for
help now that you are calling an "act." Mr. sam sarr, you know that could
not have been an act. You were scared to death. A lot of us have heard of
your boyishness since you joined the army. Since your rapid promotions, for
reasons we all know then, we all know your naivity. You were never a very
good soldier when it comes to any of those you just mentioned.
My tenure in the service was very short, and never was I an officer, but I
am disspointed that you choose this route to explain your coward acts as
bravery. I can still remember most of the time you were in prison and an
officer by the last name Jaiteh you tried to convince to help you and bring
you some items. When he was posted to G/Town and refused to help you, you
thought he was fired. Did'nt you? Mr Sarr, let us be honest to one another,
you wanted to be part of the brave boys so badly and when your opportunitism
was seen you choosed the L to vent. You were in the regime when some of
those boys were still behind bars. What did you do to help them out if you
were that a soldier?
I am on my way to class and cannot write as much, for you can tell from my
expressions, that I have a lot of learning to do. None the less, I just
wanted to drop you a few comments as my observation. I will try to seize
interrupting your "true stories."
I see that Chongan is coming to your hgelp, may be that is why you did not
mention his drinking habits which the whole country knows. Mr. sarr, may be
you will remeber when we met in Lamin at johnson's resoidence in 1988 or 89
somew of your words and threat you made if there was any coup attempt. at
this time, there was a lot of news about Kukoi coming back. May be you could
not. I will try to write to u private Email and may be you will remeber the
young soldier you punished for not salutting you just because he said he
could not recognize you.
Good luck Mr. sarr. Jammeh is here to stay and come October/November, he is
going to win again. The guy is doing a lot for that country and yes he did
mistakes, but he has the best of intentions for that country that any
politicians you can see in that arena right now. Give us a break and give
the guy to chance to work for the nation.

Private Lamin Ceesay,
Charl., WV.


>From: ebou colly <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: COUP IN GAMBIA TEN
>Date: Sun, 8 Jul 2001 20:53:39 -0700
>
>COUP IN GAMBIA TEN
>Mr. Sanusi thanks for your observation over that typo
>date on Captain Johnson's training period in the US.
>It should have been 1986 instead of 1996. I totally
>missed it.
>On our dehumanizing jail experience, I ended my last
>piece with the list of the names of all those who were
>detained at Mile Two Prisons during the early days of
>the AFPRC rule of terror. However as I said earlier
>the first couple of weeks were unimaginably horrible
>but we eventually came to live with it at ease as
>typical of all human spirit, regardless of what. But I
>guess it was primarily the sense of innocence felt by
>almost everybody over the illegality of our
>predicament that helped us endure the pain. Without
>doubt it was really painful.
>Another factor behind our ability to adapt to the
>death-row horror was the early realization by prison
>officials that after all we were held for nothing
>serious to make them enforce their stiff rules on us.
>There were in fact few of the prison officials who
>expressed their open solidarity with us calling it
>naked tribal prejudice and fear of men considered more
>competent than those in charge. Consequently, by the
>end of August, the period I estimated to be the end on
>the arrest and detention spree of officers', things
>began to look hopeful.
>We were aware of the poor rating the AFPRC were facing
>from the public who for a while could not exactly
>understand what was going on. Sana on the other hand
>had come up with a Fafa Mbye-tailored decree about us,
>which among other things had stated that our detention
>would not exceed six months. However during those six
>months, we were to be subjected to a review board
>headed by a foreign judge to determine our guilt or
>innocence. Any one found guilty was to be prosecuted
>while the innocent would of course be freed.
>Everyone behind bars was therefore convinced that,
>going by the decree's conditions we would before long
>go free. Interestingly, each detainee started to
>calculate his detention date against the exact date in
>the future that should end his six-month term. Those
>who were arrested on the 22nd July tagged 22nd January
>as their final dates. I made my calculation too. July
>27th was my detention date, so January 27th was
>supposed to be my last day. What I did not know was
>that by divine intervention, that day, the 27th of
>January was going to be the day Sana and Haidara were
>to join us in chains.
>Anyhow as we eagerly awaited the convening order for
>the review board, the conditions got better in the
>jail giving us the needed opportunity to interact
>among ourselves and compare experiences we had during
>the coup. We even started receiving provisions from
>our families-biscuits, cakes and the like.
>However, an important matter raised by Captain Mamat
>Cham was his experience at the residence of Colonel
>Akogie where some of them had spent the whole period
>of the coup operation. He was there with Baboucarr
>Jatta and Lt. Ebrima Cambi. Captain Cham disclosed
>that at the early hours of the coup, the Senegalese
>authorities actually called up the Nigerian colonel
>who was in charge of the GNA at the time asking for
>whether they could send troops to help foil the coup.
>The colonel declined the offer assuring them that they
>could handle the crisis.
>By all indications the Nigerians for some reasons
>known to them were hoping or confident that they were
>going to come up with a solution to the problem. It
>was however learnt that Colonel Gwadebeh, General
>Dada's successor who never was, went at length to
>convince General Sani Abacha to allow him to mobilize
>Nigerian troops to intervene and restore the PPP
>government. Abacha was reported to have blessed the
>colonel's idea, but when the latter started the
>mobilization process, he was some how warned to abort
>the mission. That ended all Nigerian military plans to
>come in 1994. The Abacha government later accused
>Colonel Gwadebeh of coup plot and almost executed him
>in 1996. His death penalty sentence was commuted to
>life. He was lucky that Abacha died and they set him
>free in a general amnesty.
>Anyhow, the reason for the Nigerians not to accept the
>Senegalese offer is a historical puzzle that I hope
>scholars would someday make us understand.
>In jail, September began fairly normal with the
>conditions still considered improving. We even began
>to get use to the unappetizing food, enjoying the
>dark-colored pap and nightly "chereh" with boiled
>bonga fish.
>Then there came the 5th of September. The prison
>guards and their supervisors were all changed to
>mainly Jola crewmen. Headed by David Colly, things
>suddenly changed back to the conditions of the first
>days. The twenty- four hour behind bars policy was
>reintroduced. David Colly brought us papers to sign
>from Vice Chaiman Sabally stating in effect that we
>were under detention for security reasons and that he
>was directly responsible for whatever may happen to
>us. It was the first time we saw a written statement
>from the government telling us anything about our
>detention. There was no charge or reason given for our
>detention. It was also disappointing that the
>so-called review board headed by a foreign judge was
>not mentioned in Sabally's three-sentence statement.
>Another strange thing that happened was the transfer
>of all civilian prisoners we found at death row to
>another location. The other detainees who were locked
>up in other locations were also brought over to us
>"Block #4". Major Sheriff Mbye, Captain Alieu Ndure
>and Cambi were among those transferred from another
>block to ours.
>Everything was a serious cause for concern. Then
>Sergeant Major Alagie Faye, whose cell was very close
>to the common footpath outside, gave us the disturbing
>information that at the early hours of the morning,
>between 1:00 to 2:00 a.m., he had heard footsteps of
>numerous people walking in and around the area. And
>when he peeped through his narrow window, he had seen
>members of the AFPRC with a lot of guards looking
>around. He had particularly identified Edward
>Singhateh and Sana Sabally.
>Around 6:00 p.m., one hour after our regular time to
>go to bed, another strange thing happened. A senior
>prison officer, S.P.O. Joberteh whom we understood was
>the duty officer the previous night was brought in
>handcuffs and locked up in one of the cells. The man's
>crime was explained to have been his absence from the
>facility when the AFPRC members arrived in the morning
>and wanted to visit the detainees. Since he was the
>man in charge, nobody was allowed to go into the
>blocks in his absence. In fact as a rigid rule,
>prisoners or detainees' cells were never to be opened
>after the time they consider after hour-5: 00 p.m.
>With the whole day being so worrisome, we decided to
>spend the rest of the night praying for our safety.
>I did not know when I slept that night, but suddenly
>the noise of the main door being unchained or unlocked
>woke me up at about 1:00 a.m. I was in number one cell
>that was very close to the door. As a result, I was
>the first to see the devils walking in when the door
>was opened.
>Yes Edward Singhateh in full combat outfit armed with
>an AK47 was the first to walk in with heavily armed
>guards yelling for Captain Mamat Cham to tell him his
>cell location. The late Antou Saidy, Deputy
>Commissioner of prisons was the next person I noticed
>carrying the bunch of keys that opened the cell doors.
>Then there was Sana Sabally, Sadibou Haidara and
>Yankuba Touray. Everyone was fully armed followed by a
>section or more of their guards.
>Anyway it was Singhateh who did most of the talking.
>After calling for Cham until the captain's cell was
>found, he ordered for the door to be opened telling
>him to say his last prayer because he was going to die
>that day. "People are saying that Yaya's government is
>worst than that of Idi Amin", Edward went on, "but
>today we will demonstrate it to everyone that we don't
>care".
>After his cell was opened Captain Cham was ordered to
>get down on his knees and place both his hands behind
>his back. He obeyed begging for mercy as Singhateh put
>a handcuff on his wrists. Cham's cell was in the inner
>part of the block, a dimly lit area. So they began to
>drag him on the cement floor towards our area. It was
>brighter around there.
>As if he was waiting to come right under the light,
>Singhateh suddenly stopped and began to rain deadly
>blows on the handcuffed captain using the wooden butt
>of his AK47. He kicked him on the ribs, butt-struck
>him on the shoulders, back, head and everywhere,
>calling his guards to do the same. One or two of them
>gave the captain few kicks but Singhateh carried out
>the whole senseless beating. Even Sabally, Haidara and
>Touray just stood watching him until he lost his
>breath.
>The captain cried for mercy until he could no longer
>say a word. I thought he had even fainted.  Singhateh
>reach for his hands behind his back again and
>continued the dragging out of the block to the sharp
>cutting pebbles outside. Everyone followed.
>After a minute or so we heard gunshot fired in rapid
>volleys at the back of the block. If you understood
>flying pattern of fired rounds from assault riffles,
>you would be able to determine that the bullets were
>fired in the air and not at anyone as they wanted us
>to believe.
>I was however positive that I was going to be the next
>person to be tortured. I was also sure that they would
>come back.
>They came back. But it was Major Chongan they went
>for. He was also handcuffed, dragged on the cement
>floor and beaten mercilessly before they took him to
>the back and fired shots in the air again.
>The next victim was Sergeant Major Baboucarr Jeng
>(RSM).
>This NCO's torture really got into me. He was
>suffering from severe neck pain he got from a grenade
>accident he sustained from an exercise few years ago.
>His condition was also bad enough to require treatment
>abroad. Because of the terrible sleeping conditions in
>the jail the state of his neck worsen. At the night he
>was being tortured he could barely move his neck.  He
>was still beaten until I thought he was going to die.
>After kicking and hitting until he ran out of breath
>again Singhateh leaned back against the wall breathing
>heavily. There he saw me looking at him from my cell.
>He leaped forward yelling at me not to look at him.
>"You f---ing liar", he said. "You said the Americans
>had amphibious tanks which was a lie".
>He gave me all kinds of verbal abuse as I stood there
>praying to be spared from the torture. He then raised
>his weapon and ordered me to lie down on the floor and
>never to show up my face to the window again. I
>complied immediately.
>From my cell I could smell the heavy concentration of
>alcohol from his breath .
>The beating of RSM Jeng was resumed. He was later
>dragged away followed by the usual gunshots.
>By this time some of their guards were quietly going
>from cell to cell telling those they could not to
>worry, for there was execution. It was all meant to
>scare us.
>When they returned one could sense how most of them
>had had enough of the Singhateh-led torture. Haidara
>and Sabally were heard making remarks that showed that
>they had had enough. Yankuba was also heard saying
>"Sings it's enough". That was after Singhateh went to
>Catain Sonko's cell and gave him three nasty slaps
>that left his fingerprints in the face of the officer
>for days. Then he moved to Lt. Sheriff Gomeze's cell
>and aimed the muzzle of his weapon directly at him
>teasing him to say a word. He teased him about being a
>slave to the Nigerians, especially Colonel Audu whose
>adjutant he was. The lieutenant knew better. He also
>remained quiet.
>They left soon after saying that they would be back
>the next day. I could hear Yankuba Touray laughing
>saying  "Amphibious, be ready tomorrow, it is going to
>be your turn with Captain Sonko and Lieutenant Gomez.
>It was thinkable that government officials of their
>position had nothing to do but come to the state
>prison to physically carry out that maddening torture
>against innocent detainees. If these monsters were to
>lead the nation then it was apparent that the Gambian
>people had a big trouble ahead of them.
>Cham, Chongan and Jeng were never seen again until
>January 27th when they were brought back for the final
>preparations to bring in Sabally and Haidara.
>I wish these men could tell you the terror they had
>gone through during that period when they were placed
>under solitary confinement. They later told us that
>for 43 days they were not allowed to have any form of
>bath. They wore the same clothes, no toilet articles,
>no toothpaste or brush and worst of all the injuries
>they suffered from the beatings were not treated. They
>healed on their own. Captain Cham suffered the worse
>injuries with bruises all over his knees not
>mentioning the swollen parts of his entire body.
>The whole thing may have been done to scare us, but
>drunkards playing with guns loaded with real bullets
>is like drunk driving at its worst. It was possible
>for a round to accidentally hit someone and kill him.
>Then the next thing you know, they would say since one
>had died there was no reason to spare the rest. And
>mark you, Lt. Kanteh's warning that Singhateh was on a
>serious campaign to have us executed was still a
>matter of concern.
>As a result when they did not come the following day
>as they had said, I tried a deceptive plan that
>everyone later agreed helped the situation for the
>better. For five days I acted as if I was so
>frightened that I refused to eat and even lost my
>mind. I used a towel to cover my face and head,
>refusing to talk to people or look at anyone in the
>face. In the mean time however, I had some biscuits
>hidden in my pants munching them every night to help
>ease the hunger. Also it was prison policy that if a
>prisoner refused to eat his food for any reason the
>meal had to be left there untouched until the
>following morning. The pap was very helpful. I could
>eat some of it at and dilute it with water without
>anyone knowing.
>Almost everyone was convinced that something was
>seriously wrong with me out of fright except one
>prison office P.O. Thomos Jarju. This guy saw the coup
>as a Jola revolution that they must support by all
>means. He would quote a similar pretence of sickness
>once pulled on them by the late Alieu Sallah after the
>1981 coup. Anyway he was the only one in doubt of my
>actions.
>By the second day, the police C.I.D. were sent to come
>and take our statements for the review board.
>Everybody's statement was taken except mine. When it
>was my turn as the last person, P.O. Thomas Jarju
>insisted that I must go. I was dragged out of my cell
>to their main office. Gonel Bah was the head of the
>team. They tried everything to make me write my
>statement but I pretended as if I did not know what
>the heck I was saying or doing.
>By the fourth day everything was focused on me.
>Sometimes things were funny but because of the towel I
>had over my face they could not notice it when I had
>to chuckle over some fun.
>However at night when the doors were locked up, I
>would write the minute events of the day on tissue
>papers that are still with me. I was able to document
>most of the things that happened during my ten months
>of detention. And it was easy to smuggle the records
>to a safe place outside. With few Dalasis the prison
>officers could do anything for you.
>On the fifth day, I decided to call off the acting. At
>that time the freedom we used to enjoy before the
>night of the terror was back again.
>For those I thought needed to know, I later talked to
>them in private explaining what happened. It was easy
>to convince them that I was acting by telling them the
>exact remarks they made or their actions at times when
>they thought I could not understand anything.
>The devils never came back.
>
>
>
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