The Gambia’s current ambassador to Mauritania Sheikh Omar Faye was in 1990 called to national duty of leading a contingent of Gambian peace-keepers to Liberia to protect the President of that country and to enforce peace amid a brutal civil war, but Faye was dismissed from the Gambia National Army (GNA) on his return from the frontline and, some said his ignominious discharge from the military was linked to the alleged complicity of Gambian peace-keepers in the capture and execution of the President they were sent to protect.
Liberia descended into a bloody civil war in December of 1989 with the Prince Johnson-led National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) and the Charles Taylor-led NPFL, fighting for power while at the same time, the Kran tribe-dominated Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) from which the president came, put up a strong resistance to defend the President and the institutions of State.
The Liberian conflict, which raged on for months before drawing in the militaries of some West African nations, was considered by some sub-regional leaders as an existential threat to the sub-region’s peace and security and they, therefore, settled down to the task of finding peace. Some of the sub-regional leaders, after exploring other avenues for the return of peace in Liberia but failed, then agreed on a military intervention.
The presidents of The Gambia Sir Dawda Jawara, Col. (Rtd) Lansana Conte of Guinea, Flight Lieutenant (Rtd) Jerry John Rawlings of Ghana, Captain (Rtd) Joseph Saidou Momoh of Sierra Leone and Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida of Nigeria greenlighted the deployment of a 4000-strong peace intervention force to Liberia in September of 1990 as concern over the potential of the country’s war to precipitate similar chain-like reactions in the sub-region grew.
On 13 August 1990, a contingent of 135 Gambian peace-keepers from the Charlie Company of the Gambia National Army (GNA) departed the Banjul International Airport for Sierra Leone. The troops, who would later use Sierra Leone as a launchpad for a nine-month difficult and dangerous peace-keeping mission to Liberia, were led by the Gambia’s current ambassador to Mauritania Sheikh Omar Faye. An army major at the time, Faye was dismissed from the army following his return from the battlefield, and no official reason was given at the time.
However, a gripping Coffee Time With Peter Gomez interview with Liberian war veteran Kebba Sulayman Cham and retired army colonel Samsudeen Sarr last Thursday brought to the fore the circumstances that led to Doe’s macabre execution and Faye’s possible conspiratorial role.
Faye, as the contingent and fighting company commander, was alongside GNA officer late Major Pa Modou Gaye suspected of providing operational support for Doe’s capture and subsequent brutal execution by Prince Johnson.
According to Cpl. Cham, at the time of Doe’s capture, it was the Gambian contingent which was tasked with the responsibility of providing outer security cordon at the Monrovia free port, where the ECOMOG HQ was located also the theatre of Doe’s abduction. Cham believed that Doe’s visit to the ECOMOG HQ was impromptu.
“The rebels made two attempts on the 1st and 3rd of September to invade the port and they couldn’t. However, there was an intense shelling on the 6th and that was when Bojang and Sama Jawo were killed. It was probably because of the intensity of the fighting the previous day that Doe decided to visit us and enquire about our welfare,” Cham opined.
But Col. Sarr said it has been rumoured that someone had informed Prince Johnson that Doe would be coming to the ECOMOG HQ and the security at the gate would be light and could be penetrable with little or no resistance at all.
“Before Doe came to the ECOMOG HQ, the contingent commanders; Guinea, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone and The Gambia sat with Gen. Aweno [Ghanaian ECOMOG field commander] and discussed that Doe is coming [to ECOMOG HQ] the following day. Those were the only people privy to Doe’s visit to the HQ,” Sarr argued.
But when asked by host Peter Gomez as to whether Prince was tipped off about Doe’s coming, Cham who was among the Gambian troops providing security at the port gate when Doe arrived, replied: “As I narrated the other time, Prince just disembarked [from his vehicle], went straight to Gen. Aweno’s office, shot Doe in the leg and led him away. After Prince’s forces realized that Doe was caught, they started firing at his body-guards. There were some ECOMOG soldiers, who ran to an anchored military vessel but a fair-complexioned Nigerian brigadier general mounted a tank, maneuvered and threatened to sink the vessel if anyone dared run. Nobody ran again.”
When further asked by Mr. Gomez as to whether it’s possible that someone among the Gambian contingent called Prince Johnson to inform him about Doe’s presence at the ECOMOG HQ, Cham responded: “I said it here the other time that someone called Prince. Prince used to frequent Aweno’s office, he was coming to the port on almost daily-basis. He was not that omniscient [to know about Doe’s presence at the port]. He just entered[Gen. Aweno’s office] and shot Doe in the leg.”
“Did anyone call among you?” quizzed Mr. Gomez.
“Obviously Peter, there was somebody who gave him the tip-off and we all knew him,” answered Cham.
“Is that person among the Gambian contingent?” pressed Mr. Gomez.
“Peter, that’s a heavy ask,” replied Cham.
When pressed further, Cham recounted that the late Maj. Pa Modou Gaye enjoyed a cosy relationship with Prince Johnson due to his frequent visits to the port. He explained that Gaye also used to visit the rebel leader at his base.
“Some said Gaye even used to spend nights at Prince’s bases,” added Sarr.
“You would hear everything said about their relationship like he[Prince] used to give him gold, some said diamond. And others said he [Maj. Gaye] used to give him our ammunition in return. But only Allah knows, only the two of them [Johnson and Gaye], who knew,” said Cham.
But Col. Sarr contended that Maj. Pa Modou Gaye was the sacrificial lamb in Doe’s abduction and execution because only the contingent commanders were “privy” to the president’s coming to the port.
“They just made Major Gaye the sacrificial lamb because he was dismissed by Sir Dawda immediately he finished,” argued Sarr.
Questions will continue to be asked about the role of the Gambian contingent in Doe’s capture and subsequent ugly execution as the recollections of both Cham and Sarr could not provide any answers.
