(Wednesday 16th October 2019 Issue)
“I
didn’t know about Solo Sandeng’s arrest immediately. I only knew about it the
following day. I tried to go to Dippa Kunda but I was called and informed that
Solo had died. I went with Ousainou Darboe, the party leader of United
Democratic Party and he called for a press conference for us to demonstrate
peacefully. Darboe asked us not to insult anyone and we should not arm
ourselves, instead we should carry white papers with writings that we need Solo
Sandeng dead or alive.”
She
said when they were on the streets to demonstrate, the paramilitary personnel
came and arrested their leaders, including Darboe.
“After
the arrest, I went to Solo’s house and I saw soldiers with masks coming with
Yamundow, who they entered with in the compound. I think they were looking for
Solo’s wife and daughter.”
She
pointed that after the arrest of their leaders, they were arranged before the
court, where they usually have difficulties with paramilitaries in attending
the proceedings.
“On
May 9, I went to attend the court and stopped around the Arch 22, but the
paramilitaries asked us to leave the place. On that day, Sukai Dahaba
distributed T. Shirts with writings ‘Kalama revolution.’ She also gave us
Kalama (Calabash) and brooms to wipe out former President Yahya Jammeh.”
The
witness said they wanted to enter the court but Gorgi Mboob denied them, which
resulted to argument and the paramilitaries started to beat them with their
batons.
She
said after the incident, they called their drivers but they were denied coming because
they were warned and they walked through Bond road in Banjul and met soldiers
who asked them to board their vehicle but she said no.
“They
said if we fail to board our vehicles then we will not pass. A truck later took
us up to GTTI. From there, we walked by foot and when we reached at the PIU
headquarters, we found many paramilitaries on the highway. We told them that we
want peace but while they allowed us to pass, they threw tear gas at us and
started beating us.”
The
witness further stated that they ran and two paramilitaries catch her and beat
her but she later ran to Jakaranda where she also saw them beating people and
taking them to the PIU headquarters.
“We
were later arraigned before the court and when we went to Ousainou Darboe’s
compound, we saw soldiers coming and the current President Adama Barrow and a
state house worker Lamin Cham were there but they both ran and hid. Yama went
to the gate but the soldiers were confronting each other and later left.”
She
also testified on the May 17th incident, saying on that day, they were going to
court and when they reached Bond road, they found paramilitaries there who
asked them about their identification cards but she told them they didn’t have
it. She added that they were taken to PIU headquarters in Kanifing.
“They
took us to a parlor and there was a table and chairs. The paramilitary officer
who was questioning me slapped me. I knew him because he is from Yarambamba. I
was later kept in a cell with Mariama Sandeng at around 12pm. While in the cell,
we were not given food until the following day.”
She
said later at night, a paramilitary officer took Mariama away and two people
with masks on their faces later came to the cell. She said a man called Sanneh
whose voice she recognised opened the cell and raped her and the other guy also
raped her using condom.”
She
continued that in the morning, they were given bread and tea. She said she met
Mariama there and she told her that nothing had happened to her and they were
released later in the day.
She
indicated that she sustained injuries and her whole body was paining, adding
that at home, her mother will use boiled banana leaves to treat her to reduce
the pain. “I went to the hospital for pregnancy test and also to victim centre
because I was concerned whether I was pregnant or not.”
