Family
members of victims of the Yahya Jammeh government have come out to speak of
their ordeal, as they are still recovering from the shock of what has happened
to their loved ones.
At
an event held yesterday in Kotu, a lot of family members narrated what happened
to their loved ones, most of whom are deceased.
Under
the hashtag #Gambiajusticemustprevail, the Committee for the Victims of
Jammeh’s Atrocities, as the movement is called which organized the event, made
the following demands, in the statement read out to the public:
The
immediate arrest and detention of all Junglars and NIA agents implicated in the
murder and disappearance of the sons and daughters of the beloved Gambia; the
payment of reparations to the survivors and victims of April 10 & 11, 2000
and the families of the disappeared or presumed dead; to the reinvestigation of
the paramilitary soldiers that opened fire at the students; an immediate
identification and release of all the dead bodies or their remains to the
families for proper burial and closure; an immediate freeze of the assets of
Jammeh and his enablers; that no bail be granted to the implicated Junglars and
NIA agents; and, the Government designates a liaison with the committee to
facilitate prompt communication on all issues or investigations affecting the
victims.
In
his remarks, Malleh Jagne, a brother to
a victim, Njaga Jagne, explained the ordeal his family is still going through,
especially his mother who is still crying and asking for his son, and wants to
know exactly what happened to him, as well as the family members and children
of Njaga Jagne.
“We
are really heartbroken, but we must take heart and stand firm together and see
how best we the affected families can bring Jammeh back to the country to face
justice, because he made us suffer a lot and that shouldn’t go in vain without
him been brought to book,” Jagne said.
Mamie
Ceesay also spoke, being mother to the two Gambian-American citizens namely,
Alhagie Mamut Ceesay and Ebou who came to The Gambia to invest, were arrested,
and since then she has not heard from them, which makes her believe that they
were killed.
The
mother of the two victims spoke with a heavy heart, saying she would never
forget her two children, and that it took her months before she could become
her true self again.
She
said: “I want justice for my children, as well as justice for other victims of
Jammeh’s atrocities; and we want him here in The Gambia for him to come back
and face us, the families of the victims, and tell us why he did what he did to
us; and where they are buried so we can give them a proper burial.
“We
also want him to pay for all his misdeeds, and let him be in the Mile 2 prison
he called his five-star hotel for him to see and enjoy that hotel too.”
Muhammeh
Sandeng, son to the late Solo Sandeng, also narrated how his family had
suffered since the disappearance of his dad.
He
said his dad has eight children and, since they heard the news that he was
killed, decided to flee to Senegal with their mother for their safety.
“We
suffered a lot during that period, and while in Senegal we had food and where
to sleep but no mattresses to sleep on, as my sister used to sleep on the bare
floor,” he said, adding that “before we were able to secure a few mattresses,
life was really difficult for us.”
He
continued: “I was about to be admitted into university when the incident
happened; now I have abandoned my schooling, as I left with my family for
exile.”
Muhammeh
said the family wants justice, and the government should act on that soonest
and try to help victimised and affected family members under the Jammeh regime.
Other
family members also spoke, saying it is not only Jammeh who is needed, but some
of his soldiers, the likes of Ello Jallow and co, who played an active part in
the alleged torturing and killing of people.
The
rest of the stories of some of the victims will be featured in our Monday
publication.