source Reuters news Up to 10 Killed As Gambian Students Rampage Monday, April 10, 2000 BANJUL (Reuters) - Up to 10 people, including a journalist, were killed Monday in riots in the Gambian capital by students protesting at the alleged torture and murder of a school pupil by fire fighters, witnesses said. The government, which closed schools in the Banjul area indefinitely and put its security forces on alert, declined to confirm that anyone had died in the clashes between hundreds of students and security forces. A statement released by President Yahya Jammeh's government spoke only of casualties. With reports of the death toll varying, witnesses told Reuters that they had seen 10 bodies in the morgue of a Banjul hospital, including Omar Barrow, a journalist working for Senegal's Sud FM radio station, and students. Students set tires alight, ransacked government offices and burned vehicles, witnesses said. A police station, post office and buildings belonging to state television and the independent electoral commission were all badly damaged. Students announced plans for the demonstration at the weekend, saying the government had not responded adequately to the death of Ebrahima Barry, a pupil at Forster Senior Secondary School in Brikama, 20 miles west of Banjul. The students allege that Barry died as a result of torture by fire fighters. Police sources say six members of the Brikama Fire and Ambulance Services were arrested in March and charged with Barry's murder. They were remanded in custody pending a high court hearing. By late afternoon, the students had dispersed and security services were busy clearing debris, including burnt tires and wooden barricades, from the streets of Banjul. "The Gambian government accuses the students under the direction of the Gambia Students Union of having perpetrated acts of vandalism and forcing other students to come out from their classes and join them," the government statement said. It added the number of casualties and the extent of the damage were still being assessed. "Security forces are on full alert to ensure the safety of lives and property. The situation is completely under control," the statement said. The former British colony in West Africa has a population of just over 1.2 million. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------