A resident of Brikama, West Coast Region of the Gambia, has died after she was struck by a stray bullet fired by Gambian soldiers at a firing range.
Fatou Manneh was out on Thursday looking for wood in the bush near Lance Corporal Bojang Firing range, Brikama, when she was hit.
She was taken to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH), Banjul, where she sadly took her last breath on Saturday.
A military spokesman said a group of military police officers were at the range for a routine training exercise.
The spokesman said the officers were alerted that a woman had sustained a gunshot wound and was quickly taken to the EFSTH hospital in Banjul for treatment.
The army has opened an investigation into the incident and the public is warned to keep out of the range and to heed the press releases carried out the public media about upcoming exercises.
This firing exercise was nothing but a show of military night by dictator Jammeh to poke fear among the people. Why use life bullets when doing an exercise? All these nonsense should stop. We are not in a state of war.
I fail to see or understand how an innocent woman on her task of collecting firewood and is killed by a Soldiers’ bullet last week, this Month, this Year, 2018 is some how “Jammeh’s” fault or doing? Which Jammeh? The same boggy-man who the current regime and some of its supporters blindly follow and support despite and inspite of any Contrary Evidence or Shortcomings. Such “Kankurang” and or Kabuki Mask Dance and pretentiousness is Dangerous and not Sustainable. It does not belong to any reasonable and rational way of good governance in any given Country. The current regime must grow up and take responsibility of governance. It is evident that there are growing pains in any given regime. However, at some point, one has to overcome the growing pains and Own up their duty and responsibilities. It is time the Barrow, Ousainou Darbo and Mrs. Jallow Tambajang’s Regime Step up to the Performance and Results Plate and give it more than they have been doing do far. My heartfelt condolence to the Family and Friends of the innocent woman who has been killed by an “errant” bullet. The least the Gambian authorities can and should do is seriously Investigate the incident and commit to do it in a transparent and diligent manner. Meanwhile, the family of the deceased should be Compensated for the lost of their Mother, Wife, and Daughter. May her Soul Rest in Peace. We must and can do better for the Gambians of any and all Status, Region and Ethnic Affiliation.
This is a very sad incident and one that should NEVER have happened. May Allah (SWT) shower her with His Mercy.
The military need areas where it can conduct life fire and other combat preparedness related exercises, but these must be secluded and completely inaccessible to non authorised persons, particularly the civilian population. The Brikama firing range is no longer suitable for this purpose, in my view (even if it ever was) and the authorities should consider relocating it ASAP.
In the mean time, this incident must be thoroughly investigated to establish whether all necessary precautions were taken by those who were conducting this exercise, whilst further RISK ASSESSMENT must be carried out at this range to completely eradicate any risks posed to the public or minimise their occurrence in future.
Another sad news prayers upon to the deceased and family.
They better get the hell of that target practising **** out of the midst of neighborhoods.
Damn! they dare warn the citizens to keep off after cold bloodedly killing an innocent woman. Perhaps it true that this **** they call army is costing the country dearly.
Damn!
Keluntang,
You are a LIAR. I visited Kassa Kunda primary school in November 1979, with one of the school inspectors at Brikama. On our way we saw a Field Force Military truck and the driver of the Inspector’s Land Rover told us that there was a military firing training exercise at the Brikama Range(as it was called). He told us that they used live bullets and one of the best MASK MEN was an officer called Bojang. I later learnt that Bojang was killed by the invading Senegalese forces in 1981 while boldly defending our homeland against that criminal mercenary force that only shows its bravery to tiny Gambia alone.
Where was Yahya Jammeh then? That Brikama Range was there when President Jammeh was a teenager, used by the British Commanding forces at the Field Force. Why tell LIES?
Another lies from the faked ass professor. How can anyone believe that Babu Soli is able to remember this particular episode of the firing range from 1979 even the name of the officer concerned, when he is not able to remember a single wrongdoing of monster Jammeh. We know who the liar is in this forum and Kelungtang ain’t that person. Why not ask yourself Soli why you lie always? You are just a lying hateful looser who mistook every other person to lie like yourself. Lies, lies and more lies.
Nasty Dreadful Natty Dread,
Where has this IDIOT, STUPID IMP been hiding. Your brain is dumb. I’m more intelligent than your rocked brain. You STUPID IDIOT!ç
You see how you cannot think. People, like Babu, who have got that strong faculty to recall have written memoires. You STUPD brain cannot, ’cause you can’t remember less than a minute.
Babu Soli
Another of your lies again Babu. What made you think that you are more intelligent than Natty Dread, when even with all your so called education, you are still the dumbest ass in this discourse. A dumb ass who can’t see or understand what was wrong with 22 years of Jammeh’s barbaric rule. A dumb ass who praise sing the achievement of a man who personalized the sovereign wealth of a nation. A dumb ass who rejoices at the demise of fellow citizens. A dumb ass who can’t see beyond his own shadow. Your only intelligence Babu lies in the dishing out of insults, mis-inform the readership with lies, help propagate hatred and divisions with your brand of hypocrisy and shortsightedness. You are just hopelessly useless as all your inputs are either lies, insults or a fig of your own dark disturbed imaginations. If you have a strong faculty to recall, then why embellish everything that you claimed to recall? Why not tell it as it happened? Babu Soli is not destined to tell the truth! PERIOD! YOU ARE A BORN LIAR.
Bajaw,
You have slightly digressed from the truth, though your real intention, I assume was to say that there was/and still is security BLUNDER (not a vacuum). Knowledgeable people have better foresight than those who work on short-term solutions, like Jack. I have been predicting since DAY ONE that this bunch of INCOMPETENT people that took over wouldn’t do anything substantive for a change.
The only changes: fat-bellied Barrow’s mansions at MankamangKunda, corrupt Amadou Sanneh’s detached house at Bansang, disgraced Mai Fatty’s luxurious storey at Kotu, all their children in the USA……)
My predictions are TRUE. They are UNQUALIFIED and an unqualified person cannot actively/positively deliver at a position of responsibility. That’s the law of NATURE. That’s why Europe, especially Holland have stridden well ahead of us.
In the augur to repeal all that is associated with the most patriotic African leader ever, President Yahya AJJ Jammeh Babili Mansa, this bunch of INCOMPETENT, TRIBALIST and CORRUPT “administrations” pulled out all security check points to allow rogues/thieves, criminals, killers through one of Africa’s most porous borders; Gambia/Senegal, Gambia/Cassamance. Are you still crazy to blame Babili Mansa for that? Then you must be naïve in seeing your countrymen being terrorised by foreigners in their own homeland!