“I was kept for five days. When they forced me to take the medicine (‘Kubehjaro’ a hallucinogenic substance), I could no longer stand up… I fell down on the ground… ” excerpt from Sankung Balajo’s interview with Jason Florio/Helen Jones-Florio: ‘Gambia – victims, and resisters‘
Witch hunts, The Gambia, West Africa: In 2009, Sankung Balajo was one of over 1000 elders abducted on the orders of then-President Yahya Jammeh. Paramilitary troops accompanied by ‘magicians’ from Guinea went from village to village as part of a nationwide hunt for witches. The alleged witches were made to drink ‘Kubehjaro’, a hallucinogenic substance, and then forced to confess to witchcraft. A number of people died during the ordeal, due to drinking the liquid and as a result of severe beatings, and several deaths followed due to health complications, such as kidney failure.
Interviewing sole survivor of a massacre, Ghanaian, Martin Kyere. Martin was one of a group of over 50 West African migrants, who were endeavouring to reach Europe when the boat they boarded in Senegal veered off course and landed in The Gambia.
According to recent witness testimonies by members of President Yahya Jammeh’s hit squad, ‘the Junglers’, at the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in The Gambia, they revealed that the mass execution was ordered by Jammeh himself after the migrants were accused of being mercenaries trying to overthrow the government.
The portrait of Martin was taken as part of an on-going series: ‘Gambia – victims, and resisters’ – whilst filming a documentary for an NGO in Ghana.
First and foremost, in light of the shocking and distressing revelations coming out of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in The Gambia over the past couple of days, we would like to extend our love and healing thoughts to all of the families who have listened to the testimonies of two men, Lieutenant Malik Jatta, and Omar Jallow (AKA Oya) – who were members of the ex-president, Yahya Jammeh’s assassination squad, ‘The Junglers’ – confess, often in explicit detail, their involvement in multiple killings on the command ex-president Yahya Jammeh; namely, the attendant families loved ones. And, particularly pertinent to our on-going series of portraits and filming testimonies:
Excerpt from our recording with Ya Mammie Ceesay & Alhajie Ceesay, mother and father of disappeared Gambian-American businessman, Alhaji Mamut Ceesay: Alhaji returned to The Gambia in 2013 with his friend Ebou Jobe to set up a business, but they were allegedly robbed of their money by National Intelligence Agency (NIA) heads, who later told President Jammeh the businessmen were in The Gambia to overthrow his regime. The two were then allegedly murdered on Jammeh’s command. Much to the family’s dismay, their bodies have never been found.
UPDATE FROM TRRC – JULY 2019, OMAR JALLOW (ALIAS OYA), FORMER JUNGLER, TESTIFIES: “WE COVERED THEM UP WITH PLASTIC BAGS AND STRANGLED THEM UNTIL THEY DIE AND BECAUSE YAHYA JAMMEH HAS GIVEN ORDERS THAT WE CUT THEM INTO PIECES, MALICK MANGA AND FANSU NYABALLY CUT OFF THE HEADS OF EBOU AND MAMUD. AFTER COMPLETING THE DIGGING, WE PUT THEM IN THE DITCH AND WE RETURNED TO KANILAI,” HE SAID.
These are just a few of the portraits which we have been working on over the last few years, from the on-going series ‘Gambia – victims, and resisters’. However, all of the people featured here (aside from Imam Baba Leigh) have spent years of anguish, hearing only rumours about what may have happened to their loved ones. Everyone who sat for a portrait graciously allowed us to film them sharing their stories with us – openly and candidly. All of which, without exception, were profoundly heart-rending to hear. The common thread throughout was their utmost need to know the truth of what had truly happened to those who had been disappeared or murdered. And, to find out the whereabouts of their loved ones remains so that they can finally lay them to rest. Only then can the healing process truly begin. Sadly, as events unfold, it is now known that many of the bodies were thrown into wells or buried in unmarked graves.
Deyda Hydara, co-founder of The Point newspaper was an advocate of press freedom and a fierce critic of the government of President Yahya Jammeh, who was openly hostile to journalists and the media. On December 14, 2004, he was assassinated in his car by gunmen as he was driving home. Two of his colleagues who were also with him were injured in the shooting
UPDATE FROM TRRC – JULY 2019: IT TOOK 15 YEARS TO HAVE A CONCRETE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION: “WHO KILLED DEYDA HYDARA?” DISPLAYED ON THE POINT NEWSPAPER FRONT PAGE BANNER SINCE 2004. LT. MALICK JATTA OF THE GAMBIA ARMED FORCES (GAF) AND EX-JUNGLER TESTIFIES: “I SHOT AT HIM… MY COLLEAGUES ALIEU JENG AND SANA MANJANG ALSO FIRED,” HE SAID AT THE TRRC, NOTING THAT THEY WERE ALL QUIET THROUGHOUT THEIR JOURNEY BACK TO KANILAI WITHOUT A SINGLE STOP. THE WITNESS ADDED THAT HE ONLY CAME TO KNOW IN THE FOLLOWING DAY THAT THE PERSON SHOT WAS ACTUALLY DEYDA HYDARA.
Excerpt from our recording with Fatou Jaiteh & Modou Lamin Jammeh, wife and son of Haruna Jammeh: President Jammeh allegedly ordered the murder of his cousin (‘brother’), Haruna, after he criticized Jammeh for his abuse of power. Haruna’s sister, Massie, was murdered soon after by Jammeh’s henchmen after she spoke out about her brother’s disappearance. A former member of Jammeh’s hit squad, the ‘Junglers’ now in Germany spoke openly on a Gambian radio station about witnessing the murders.
UPDATE FROM TRRC – JULY 2019, OMAR JALLOW (ALIAS OYA), FORMER JUNGLER, TESTIFIES: ‘ON HARUNA JAMMEH’S DEATH, JUNGLER JALLOW SAID HARUNA WAS ARRESTED AND DETAINED AT THE NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (NIA) WHERE HE (JALLOW), SANA MANJANG, ALIEU JENG AND SOLO BOJANG PICKED HIM AND TOOK HIM TO KANILAI. “ON OUR WAY TO KANILAI, WE DROVE THROUGH THE BUSH AND SANA MANJANG BROUGHT OUT A ROPE AND ASKED ME AND ALIEU JENG TO TIE IT ON HARUNA’S NECK. WE DID AND HE ASKED US TO PULL THE ROPE, WHICH WE DID, AND HE (SANA) STAMPED HIM ON HIS NECK AND HE DIED.” HE FURTHER CONFESSED THAT HARUNA WAS THEIR FRIEND AND THEY USED TO EAT WITH HIM IN HIS HOUSE, ADDING THE ORDER WAS FROM YAHYA JAMMEH’ THE POINT NEWSPAPER.
LATER, WHEN ASKED WHAT THEY DID WITH HARUNA’S BODY, JALLOW REPLIED: “WE TOOK THE BODY TO THE SAME WELL WHERE THESE GHANAIANS WERE KILLED. WE TOOK HIM TO THAT WELL AND THREW HIM THERE,”
Excerpt from our recording with Bintu’s mother, Adama Conteh: 13-year-old Bintu, holding her mother’s phone with a photo of her father of Lamin Tunkara – the father she never got the chance to meet. Gambian, Tunkara, was murdered in July 2005 when Adama was 7 months pregnant, with Bintu. They had been married for less than a year. When Lamin first went missing, Adama said “I searched everywhere – Mile 2 prison, other prisons, police stations, NIA... they warned me to “go home if you do not want any trouble…stay, and you will have trouble”. I did not eat or wash for one week…he (Lamin) loved me, he took care of me.” She searched for over 1 year. ” Despite the many rumours, “I would not accept, nor would his father, that his son, my husband was dead“.
UPDATE FROM TRRC – JULY 2019, CORPORAL OMAR A. JALLOW TESTIFIES: “WE WERE TOLD THEY WERE MERCENARIES,” JATTA SAID, ADDING THAT HE SHOT AND KILLED ONE OF THE MIGRANTS. “I HEARD PEOPLE SHOUTING IN THE FOREST SAYING ‘SAVE US, JESUS.’” JALLOW TOLD THE TRRC THAT LT COL SOLO BOJANG, THE LEADER OF THE OPERATION, TOLD THE MEN THAT “THE ORDER FROM YAHYA JAMMEH IS THAT THEY ARE ALL TO BE EXECUTED.” IT IS BELIEVED THAT LAMIN TUNKARA WAS AMONGST THE GHANAIANS, NIGERIANS, TOGOLESE, AND IVORY COAST NATIONALS WERE UNLAWFULLY KILLED.
October 2017 – Excerpt from our recording with Imam Baba Leigh: The imam spoke out against President Jammeh’s proposed execution of multiple prisoners. Leigh was then abducted and tortured, on Jammeh’s orders, and ‘disappeared’ for five months, before being released without charge. ‘Today is the day you die (he said that during his imprisonment he was threatened with death on multiple occasions)… they made me dig a big hole which I was then told to get into. “This is your grave,” they said…and then they buried me up to my neck’ IBL
UPDATE FROM TRRC – JULY 2019, OMAR JALLOW (ALIAS OYA), FORMER JUNGLER, TESTIFIES: “I PARTICIPATED IN THE TORTURE OF IMAM BABA LEIGH, IMAM BAKAWSU (FOFANA) AND ANOTHER IMAM, IN THE TORTURE OF THE 30TH DECEMBER COUP PLOTTERS” HE WENT ON TO SAY “ON THE TORTURE OF IMAM BABA LEIGH AFTER HE (LEIGH) WAS INTERROGATED…, WE WERE ORDERED BY NUAH BADJIE TO TORTURE HIM. WE BEAT HIM USING STICKS, ELASTIC PIPES AND I SAW BLOOD AND BRUISES ON HIM. THE TORTURE LASTED FOR ABOUT HALF AN HOUR.” FOROYAA NEWSPAPER
Excerpt from our recording with Fatou Suwaa, widow of former army signal officer Mustafa Colley: In 2012 Mustafa was found with a broken neck at the wheel of a taxi he had bought to earn extra money. Reports in the press said General Saul Badjie heard that Mustafa had been discussing the murder of Sergeant Ello Jallow, who had been killed for allegedly having an affair with President Jammeh’s wife. Baji was then instructed by Jammeh to have Mustafa murdered by his hit squad, the ‘Junglers’.
UPDATE: TRRC – JULY 2019 OMAR JALLOW (ALIAS OYA), FORMER JUNGLER, TESTIFIES: STAFF SERGEANT JALLOW ALSO ADMITTED PARTICIPATING IN THE KILLING OF BABA JOBE, NDOUR CHAM, 9 DEATH ROW INMATES, HARUNA JAMMEH (A BROTHER TO YAHYA JAMMEH), MUSTAPHA COLLEY, SAUL NDOW AND MAHAWA CHAM, AMONG OTHERS. (AT MILE2 PRISON) “WE LINED-UP OUR VEHICLES AND NUHA BADJIE AND OUR LEADERS WENT IN AND TOOK OUT 9 INMATES FROM THEIR CELLS,” HE SAID. “WHEN WE GOT TO THE RANGE, WE ALL CAME DOWN AND BROUGHT THEM DOWN ONE BY ONE. WE PUT NYLON PLASTIC ON THEIR HEADS AND COVER THEM UP. WE SUFFOCATED THEM ONE BY ONE UNTIL THEY ALL DIED. THERE WAS ONLY ONE FEMALE WHO WAS TABARA SAMBA,” HE SAID. “AFTER KILLING THEM, WE TOOK THEM TO THE BUSH AND THROW THEM INTO A WELL,”
Visit my website to see more from our on-going series
‘A new era for The Gambia – President Adama Barrow arrives home from a brief exile in Senegal. Tens of thousands lined the road from the airport – it took 4 hours to make a journey that normally would take only a quarter of an hour… it was worth every minute.’ Jason Florio
On Dec 1st, 2016 the Gambian people voted out their autocratic President Yahya Jammeh, after 22 years in power, and elected Adama Barrow as their new president. Jammeh conceded defeat, but a week later announced that he was annulling the election results and would not step down. A grassroots movement #GambiaHasDecided emerged in reaction.
