Sona
Bass, a native of Makumbaya village on Thursday 14 Nov. testified before the
TRRC, narrating how inhumanly the witch-hunters treated and alleged she was a
witch.
Born
in 1938, Bass narrated that it all started when she was in her garden watering,
had a bath and then went towards her house that a man came and held her neck
and dragged her half-naked to the highway and to the bus which was parked at
the alkalo’s residence.
She
said she was helped for proper dressing by her daughter Banna. She said she
found many other people put on the vehicle as well.
She
added that the man that came for her was dressed in red and holding mirrors.
She said that she also saw some other people who were dressed in greens,
drumming, singing, clapping and dancing.
“After
boarding the vehicle, they brought us somewhere in the Kombos. There were
houses in the territory and they took us there. We were sitting there and there
were some people cooking but majority of us didn’t eat.”
Witness
testified that at that place, they were calling them one after the other to
drink a concoction, which she said was so bitter. She adduced that when one is
given a cup and fails to finish it, they will force that person to drink all.
She
confirmed that they were there for two days with their own cups not eating,
neither drinking normal water.
“There
was a time I wanted to urinate and one young man who was there forcefully told
me to urinate in front of him. I was so embarrassed because some men who can be
my grandsons undressed and bathed us.”
Bass
stated that the local medication given to her affected her because her whole
body was in pain and as soon as she drank the liquid, she became unconscious.
“Alasana
Jurju and Kemo were all beaten and Kemo died as a result of that, while Danjan
Sowe died after drinking the liquid.”
She
narrated that when they were brought back home, she couldn’t walk and her son
assisted her to walk.
“I
stayed home for almost a month without leaving my compound because the
concoction weakens me. I went to hospital for treatment but I am still not
well.”
