Note: As readers may recall, I applauded President Barrow’s earlier decision to retain Yahya Jammeh’s Chief of Defence Staff. Many readers were of a different opinion to mine and, sadly, the story below of torture against a young man which the CDS himself accepts to be true, proves me wrong.
It simply is not tenable in a democratic and civilised society for a Chief of Defence Staff who behaves this way to remain a single day in post. I apologise to the readers and accept that he must go – at once: Or is CDS now in-charge???
Gambia’s Chief of Defence Staff Tortures Boy!
Momodou Bah Was Tortured In A New Gambia Where New President Barrow Promised Rule Of Law
Sam Phatey, SMBC, Gambia, February 6, 2017
(FOROYAA version below mentioned-NOT CDS)
Momodou Bah, 19, works is a commercial van apprentice along the Serrekunda-Brikama dual highway. He yelled at the driver of an SUV along Kombo Sillah Drive to shut the door to his vehicle to allow the flow of traffic.
The door of the SUV had been flanked open obstructing traffic.
Suddenly, the same SUV crossed in front them and blocked the road, bringing the traffic to a complete stop.
The Gambia’s army chief, Lt. Gen. Ousman Bargie disembarked from the SUV, waving his pistol from side to side, accusing Bah of being rude and cursing at him.
The pleading of at least a dozen passengers fell on deaf ears and Bah realizing how much trouble he was in took off running for his life. Bah may have been safe for a moment but not his boss, Muhammed Touray who was arrested by General Bargie.
Touray would only be released if Bah turns himself in. He did a few hours later and both spent the night sleeping on a cardboard in a jail inside a military barracks and Bah could only be released on the orders of General Bargie.
“I slept the night the night with my boss in the same cell and the next day, the CDS released my boss but ordered I remain in custody,” said Momodou Bah.
Bah was taken into custody at a military barracks not far from the British Embassy and he never stood a chance of coming out without being a torture victim.
Momodou Bah was at the Fajara Barracks where he was tortured. Cold water was poured all over his body and flogged, leaving him seriously wounded.
The Fajara Barracks is home to the Gambia’s Republican National Guard, a battalion some of whose officers were part of former President Yahya Jammeh’s hit squad, the Jungulars.
It was evening and the military base that also host West African regional troops were retiring into the quietness of the night. Bargie came to release Bah who was brought out from his cell and taken to a different room.
Military men surrounded him and started pouring cold water all over him before stretching him on a table.
Some held his legs and others his hands. Bargie entered and gave orders to those standing to flog him. The men were armed with pipes, “strong pipes,” recalled Bah and started hitting him all across his body, especially on his legs since he ran. At some point, the military general himself took a pipe from one of the men and started hitting him.
Bah was bleeding. His wounds were so deep and blood clothed around them. The pictures of the scar-like wounds are so visible and troubling to publish.
“I admit beating him and ordering my boys to pour cold water on him to teach him a lesson,” Bargie told Gambian journalist Yankuba Jallow.
Bargie denied brandishing his pistol in public and defended the torturing of the young man.
“He insulted my mother and we are Africans. We do not accept that here. We have children’s rights but we also have our tradition and culture,” he said.
Human rights abuses by the Gambia’s army is in part responsible for the deployment of West African troops to stabilize the political tension in the country. The country’s new President Adama Barrow has vowed to bring an end to rights violations, especially torture and arbitrary detentions by security forces.
While some security chiefs lost their jobs, President Barrow has kept Bargie has his military chief. His latest action, however, may throw the Commander-in-Chief’s decision into question.
Forced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, and other human rights violations by Gambian soldiers under former dictator Yahya Jammeh went unpunished. An indemnity law protects them from prosecution.
UN special rapporteurs, who in 2014 gained access to the country for the first time, concluded that “torture is a consistent practice” by authorities and “avoiding arrest is a necessary preoccupation” for ordinary Gambians.
Barrow had pledged that “rule of law will be the order of the day” in this new Gambia, so far the security forces continue to act with impunity, including Military Chief Lt. Gen. Ousman Bargie, who has found comical fame in the wake of political change.
(Reporting by Yusupha Jallow; Writing by Sam Phatey; Additional Reporting from Foroyaa Newspaper; Editing by Sainey MK Marenah)
FOROYAA VERSION:
Question of the Day: Why is Foroyaa Imposing Self-Censorship In This Story And In The Process MIS-Educating The People?!
APPRENTICE FLOGGED AT FAJARA BARRACKS
FOROYAA February 3, 2017
By Yankuba Jallow
Modou Bah, a 19 year old apprentice of a commercial van, has accused a senior military officer of flogging him at Fajara Barracks and inflicting severe injuries on him before his release last week.
The 19 year old who was unable to walk properly when he visited Foroyaa last week, explains that his driver was driving their van with some passengers on board the vehicle when he had a dispute with this senior officer.
He said subsequently the apprentice was arrested and detained at Fajara Military Barracks on the orders of this officer.
Bah who was accompanied by four men including the driver due to his condition, narrated how he was tortured. The apprentice said he was undressed and ice water poured on him while he was under a mango tree and from there the officer ordered for his continued detention and decreed for no one to release him without his approval.
“On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, around 7pm, the officer came and ordered for my release but before he did so, he treated me badly,” said Bah. Bah told Foroyaa that the officer flogged him while he was laid on a table and inflicting injuries on him.
The officer maintains that he gave him ‘a good hiding to teach him a lesson’ because a 19 year old (the apprentice) insulted a 49 year old (the officer) which is unacceptable in our culture and tradition. The apprentice denied insulting him.
Bah’s driver, Muhammed Touray told this reporter that the boy received treatment at the Serrekunda General Hospital in Kanifing through a police medical report from the Kanifing Police Station. The Kanifing Police Station transferred the case to Tallinding Police Station which has jusrisdiction to handle the case.
CDS Badjie your future is Senegalese hands,,,Mr badjie is one of the best and intelligent army chiefs of africa but well the new government seems to have no respect for him and his staff government will not recognize his effort to keep calm. Another thing mr badjie future is in the hands Depends what Dakar Dakar said about him ,, Senegambia that ended up in the trash .
#peace= are you dumb or just pure unpleasant? The CDS admitted assaulting someone in violation of the law and you think he’s intelligent? You are not worth me wasting my energy on.
Dida, I am on record that President Barrow should put several senior security and civil servants on administrative leave and commissioned an inquiry immediately into alleged abuses, human rights or financial. Anyone exonerated can then return to their post or be redeployed to some other department. You had made reasonable arguments for your support of the president keeping CDS Badjie, only if CDS Badjie and co had read your article and subsequent arguments to defend your position. But alas a leopard never changes it’s spot. The CDS should not be allowed to get away with this. He was given a second chance but he has shown that he does not deserve a second chance. Barrow should sack him immediately. His position is untenable because he has admitted committing a crime with arrogance. He is not above the law and as such the IGP should immediately open a criminal investigation into the incident. With the ECOWAS forces in the Gambia, now is the best opportune time to restructure the security forces. President Barrow should not allow himself to be seen as being weak. A fish always start to rot from the head. Sacking CDS Badjie over this incident will send a clear message to all the security personnel that there is rule of law now in the country and that he is the Commander In Chief. If not CDS Badjie will become a de facto president and that is not what Gambians voted for. Modou Bah should take the matter to the police and then sue him for assault or bring a civil suit against him.
Indeed Sanyang, indeed, Momodou Bah has very strong grounds to sue both the CDS for Assault and Misfeasance in a Public Office – and also a strong case to sue The State whose servant Badgie is. This is irrespective of what happens to Badgie. Where are the Gambian Human Rights Lawyers???
Buba if a Dumb calls someone else Dumb because something goes wrong,,This smells of ethnic cleansing, there were ministers of other ethnics also would have to pay for what they have done is to say good justice is all the team of the old leader can not accuse one and applaud another that is pure falsehood investigation of az but Some former ministers as heroes and others as criminals if they were doing the same job supporting the same government ?? People are not stupid and people are stupid because people are silly
#peace=, I have read you comment above several times but I am unable make sense of what you are trying to say.
Here for justice!!! We have a strong group that supports the humanist and the rights of each one of them, all 50/50 if allah wants and let us act, in a year or two we will have a big barracks or main office in the Gambia, we have acted a lot for the last 7 years fighting and spending millions of euros for That the people who live and work in gambia have their rights, justice for all we have faced mr jammeh and we will do the same against barrow we will never look the other way whenever we assume that it is bad will act, like or do not like the truth has To dominate, please do not insult
Peace, the reason why jammeh got voted out ???????
RASH AND UNPROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR
The CDS with all respect has expired my admiration and respect. How can he treat a teen in such a deplorable and uncouth manner. He seems to be leaving in the old dictatorial mind-set and era of raw justice.
Whatever mischief the teenager may have committed, he should be reported to the police and let the law take its course. The government should not underestimate this mistreatments as insignificant, if it continues to happen, people will be disgruntled because they will not see any different between the brutal regime of Yaya Jammeh and the new democratic freedom we recently strived and achieved
I don’t think Badjie is fit for a CDS. He is taking the law into his own hands and cannot be trusted for protecting our lives. A CDS shall always conduct himself in a honourable manner and earn the respect of the people, not extract respect at point of the gun like a jungle warrior. Those days are gone. If he want respect, he should not demand it but give it to the people and they will reciprocate.
The earlier the CDS and M A Bah are offloaded the better for the coalition because they can peril the image of the coalition by embarking on stupid exercises like this. This matter should be investigated and if the CDS and his attendants are found guilty, they should face the full force of law.
I don’t we are harsh on him but a person at his position should be the foremost in respecting and exemplifying the laws of the Land.
Lamin Darboe
Leicester
Indeed Lamin, the good thing about a “democratic dispensation” is that when this kind of thing is publicised the authorities do take notice and act. I think the CDS’s departure soon is a done deal.
CDS has committed an offence against an innocent and defenseless teen. This is not acceptable in the new democratic and civilized Gambia. He has to go.
I think it is only a selfish and unconscious person who will not blame this inhumane behaviour of CDS. The truth is there for everyone to see.
I have also found that it is necessarily important to retain CDS badjie. He played a key role in the Gambia. Even though people labal him as a torturer
He was under the control of the country. He might see it the other side of things.
If CDS wants war in the country. It will be very bloody with both sides.
The Gambian army are cabable of facing the invading forces.
He with his counter parts played a key role in the Gambia.
He should be compensated for his services.
Remember he is the head of the Army of the Gambia.
Baba, CDS knows that most of his men were not going to obey his orders and that ECOMIG is no match to the army he lead that’s why he surrendered. He did not want to die and leave his family behind because he knows that Jammeh will do everything to save his own backside. He is compensated for his job, it’s call monthly salary and allowances. Just because he came out dancing with the people does not make him superior to the laws of the Gambia. We may consider forgiving him for some things he may have done in the past but we should not tolerate any form of abuse of office in the new democratic Gambia. That will be sending the wrong message to the security personnel. We cannot take president Barrow to task for appointing a VP whose age is questionable and turn a blind eye to a CDS who took the law into his own hands to assault a defenceless youth. Such abuses of authority has to be nipped in the bud.