BambaLaye, as John Yahavich himself would say, what thorns surround, thorns surround. It would be interesting to see how this matter ends. Thanks for sharing. Baba >From: Abdoulie Jallow <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Fw: Gambian massacre: Sole survivor’s chilling account >Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:59:56 -0500 > >Gambian massacre: Sole survivor's chilling account > >Mr. Martin Kyere, 27, who escaped death in the company of about 44 >Ghanaians >that were allegedly arrested and brutally murdered by Gambian Police on the >orders of President Yahya Jammeh two years ago, has finally broken his >silence on the events of that dark night in Banjul, Gambia. > >Giving a chilling account of their nightmare, Kyere, currently resident in >Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region, said the soldiers arrested and bundled >them into a 207 Mercedes Benz bus on July 22, 2005 and took them into a >bush >where his friends were shot and butchered to death. > >He mentioned some of the victims as Agya Amo, Paul Acquah, William Mensah, >Yaw Kyere, Kwamena Fosu, Kwaku Appiah and Peter Mensah. Others were Nelson >Frimpong, Richard Boakye, Isaac Kwadwo Ampadu, Emmanuel Nortey, Isaac >Asante, John Kwaku Akwaful and Daniel Kumi. > >Kyere could however not confirm whether they all lost their lives but >official sources have indicated Kyere was the only Survivor. > >According to him, he narrowly escaped death because the rope used in tying >him got broken as the security agents were dropping them into a ditch in an >area called Brufur, near a Gambian river. > >According to the Daily Guide newspaper, Kyere who spoke on a local radio >station, New Mercury FM in Kumasi last Thursday, said they had met in The >Gambia, which was then a popular transit route to Europe, in search of >greener pastures. > >Around July 2005, they were given the assurance that one Charles Taylor, >aka >Captain, could take them to Spain via River Gambia. > >The Senegalese agents recruited a number of Ghanaians and other ECOWAS >nationals numbering about 50 who showed interest in the deal. > >So one day they all camped at Sali Imboo, a village near the river, while >Taylor arranged with a certain Lami to release his boat to transport them. > >He said deep into the night, when they had just begun the journey, >communication became difficult as they reached the middle of the river. >They >then sent six members of the group to contact Taylor but the six never >returned and a few minutes later information reached them that state >security guards were on the river looking for them. The frightened owners >of >the boat, he said, quickly left them by the riverside to their fate, which >soon turned tragic. > >Still fighting to continue the trip they sent other persons Victor, Agya >Amo >and Nana Benyin to see if they could find Captain Taylor but later events >revealed they had been arrested and detained at the police station. > >He said a couple of hours later Victor returned in the company of security >men, who apprehended and marched them to the police station, where they >were >tied with ropes. > >News about their arrest spread quickly, so thousands of people including >government officials and journalists rushed to catch a glimpse or them. > >It was then that they learnt they had been arrested for allegedly plotting >to oust The Gambian government, headed by President Yahaya Jammeh. > >Their nightmare was to continue the next day, when they were 'loaded' into >the 207 Mercedes Benz bus and driven to Brufur. During the journey they >feared the worst so they began to pray, Kyere said. However, a soldier >angered by their prayers and plea for mercy, drew a sharp machete and cut >off the hand of one of them. > >They seized their food, documents and money, and as well beat them up >severely. He said the only sound he heard thereafter was the firing of >gunshots amidst screams of 'God save us! God save us!' > >'He maintained, however that he was alive today because he broke free from >the rope and fled amidst firing of bullets. > >It would be recalled that an investigating officer at the Gambian Police >headquarters, Sekouba Jadama wrote a letter to the editor of the Freedom >newspaper, giving a detailed account of what happened. > >He had asked international bodies to call the Gambian President to explain >since he gave the orders for the execution of the men. > >He wrote: "While at the occasion, a telephone call suddenly came from the >NIA Officer posted at Barra that some West African Nationals have been >arrested and their motives were to destabilize the celebrations of July 22. >Ousman Sonko, the Inspector General of Police was present, as well as Daba >Marena, DG-NIA and Ndure Cham, Chief of Staff. > >"Instructions were passed immediately for their detention and Abu Njie used >his cellular phone to contact the "Gelegele" owner to be on standby to >transport the arrested West African Nationals. > >"The Banjul/Barra ferry had already closed. However, instructions were >given >to the Managing Director of the Ports, Mr. Gibba, to dispatch the ferry >without further delay to Barra. > >"The ferry and the navy boat went to Barra and collected these innocent >people under armed escort provided by the State Guard and the Police >Intervention Unit personnel. > >"They were first taken to the Naval Headquarters and later to the Police >Intervention base in Kanifing, and others to the confiscated Baba Jobe >residence at Kotu. Most of the Ghanaian Nationals were taken away by the >late Captain Tumbul Tamba, Musa Jammeh, the famous "Bombarde" Kawsu Camara, >some officers and NIA Intelligence officers. > >"There were no Police Officers present, except our IGP, Ousman Sonko. > >"Our investigating team then went to Brufur and discovered that the bodies >were scattered all over the bushes with deep cuts to heads and eyes and >broken noses. Only eight bodies were found at Brufur and the rest were >dumped around Batokunku. > >"In fact those bodies found at Brufur were to be taken to Batokunku, but >because it was getting to daybreak the killers decided to dump them there." > >Source: Daily Guide/Stella Danso >Story from MODERN GHANA NEWS: >/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSUmVFMVVRVEk9 > >Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007 > >¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html > >To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: >http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] >¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ _________________________________________________________________ FREE pop-up blocking with the new MSN Toolbar - get it now! http://toolbar.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200415ave/direct/01/ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤