BambaLaye, as John Yahavich himself would say, what thorns surround, thorns 
surround. It would be interesting to see how this matter ends. Thanks for 
sharing.

Baba


>From: Abdoulie Jallow <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list              
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Fw: Gambian massacre: Sole survivor’s chilling account
>Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 08:59:56 -0500
>
>Gambian massacre: Sole survivor's chilling account
>
>Mr. Martin Kyere, 27, who escaped death in the company of about 44 
>Ghanaians
>that were allegedly arrested and brutally murdered by Gambian Police on the
>orders of President Yahya Jammeh two years ago, has finally broken his
>silence on the events of that dark night in Banjul, Gambia.
>
>Giving a chilling account of their nightmare, Kyere, currently resident in
>Berekum in the Brong Ahafo Region, said the soldiers arrested and bundled
>them into a 207 Mercedes Benz bus on July 22, 2005 and took them into a 
>bush
>where his friends were shot and butchered to death.
>
>He mentioned some of the victims as Agya Amo, Paul Acquah, William Mensah,
>Yaw Kyere, Kwamena Fosu, Kwaku Appiah and Peter Mensah. Others were Nelson
>Frimpong, Richard Boakye, Isaac Kwadwo Ampadu, Emmanuel Nortey, Isaac
>Asante, John Kwaku Akwaful and Daniel Kumi.
>
>Kyere could however not confirm whether they all lost their lives but
>official sources have indicated Kyere was the only Survivor.
>
>According to him, he narrowly escaped death because the rope used in tying
>him got broken as the security agents were dropping them into a ditch in an
>area called Brufur, near a Gambian river.
>
>According to the Daily Guide newspaper, Kyere who spoke on a local radio
>station, New Mercury FM in Kumasi last Thursday, said they had met in The
>Gambia, which was then a popular transit route to Europe, in search of
>greener pastures.
>
>Around July 2005, they were given the assurance that one Charles Taylor, 
>aka
>Captain, could take them to Spain via River Gambia.
>
>The Senegalese agents recruited a number of Ghanaians and other ECOWAS
>nationals numbering about 50 who showed interest in the deal.
>
>So one day they all camped at Sali Imboo, a village near the river, while
>Taylor arranged with a certain Lami to release his boat to transport them.
>
>He said deep into the night, when they had just begun the journey,
>communication became difficult as they reached the middle of the river. 
>They
>then sent six members of the group to contact Taylor but the six never
>returned and a few minutes later information reached them that state
>security guards were on the river looking for them. The frightened owners 
>of
>the boat, he said, quickly left them by the riverside to their fate, which
>soon turned tragic.
>
>Still fighting to continue the trip they sent other persons Victor, Agya 
>Amo
>and Nana Benyin to see if they could find Captain Taylor but later events
>revealed they had been arrested and detained at the police station.
>
>He said a couple of hours later Victor returned in the company of security
>men, who apprehended and marched them to the police station, where they 
>were
>tied with ropes.
>
>News about their arrest spread quickly, so thousands of people including
>government officials and journalists rushed to catch a glimpse or them.
>
>It was then that they learnt they had been arrested for allegedly plotting
>to oust The Gambian government, headed by President Yahaya Jammeh.
>
>Their nightmare was to continue the next day, when they were 'loaded' into
>the 207 Mercedes Benz bus and driven to Brufur. During the journey they
>feared the worst so they began to pray, Kyere said. However, a soldier
>angered by their prayers and plea for mercy, drew a sharp machete and cut
>off the hand of one of them.
>
>They seized their food, documents and money, and as well beat them up
>severely. He said the only sound he heard thereafter was the firing of
>gunshots amidst screams of 'God save us! God save us!'
>
>'He maintained, however that he was alive today because he broke free from
>the rope and fled amidst firing of bullets.
>
>It would be recalled that an investigating officer at the Gambian Police
>headquarters, Sekouba Jadama wrote a letter to the editor of the Freedom
>newspaper, giving a detailed account of what happened.
>
>He had asked international bodies to call the Gambian President to explain
>since he gave the orders for the execution of the men.
>
>He wrote: "While at the occasion, a telephone call suddenly came from the
>NIA Officer posted at Barra that some West African Nationals have been
>arrested and their motives were to destabilize the celebrations of July 22.
>Ousman Sonko, the Inspector General of Police was present, as well as Daba
>Marena, DG-NIA and Ndure Cham, Chief of Staff.
>
>"Instructions were passed immediately for their detention and Abu Njie used
>his cellular phone to contact the "Gelegele" owner to be on standby to
>transport the arrested West African Nationals.
>
>"The Banjul/Barra ferry had already closed. However, instructions were 
>given
>to the Managing Director of the Ports, Mr. Gibba, to dispatch the ferry
>without further delay to Barra.
>
>"The ferry and the navy boat went to Barra and collected these innocent
>people under armed escort provided by the State Guard and the Police
>Intervention Unit personnel.
>
>"They were first taken to the Naval Headquarters and later to the Police
>Intervention base in Kanifing, and others to the confiscated Baba Jobe
>residence at Kotu. Most of the Ghanaian Nationals were taken away by the
>late Captain Tumbul Tamba, Musa Jammeh, the famous "Bombarde" Kawsu Camara,
>some officers and NIA Intelligence officers.
>
>"There were no Police Officers present, except our IGP, Ousman Sonko.
>
>"Our investigating team then went to Brufur and discovered that the bodies
>were scattered all over the bushes with deep cuts to heads and eyes and
>broken noses. Only eight bodies were found at Brufur and the rest were
>dumped around Batokunku.
>
>"In fact those bodies found at Brufur were to be taken to Batokunku, but
>because it was getting to daybreak the killers decided to dump them there."
>
>Source: Daily Guide/Stella Danso
>Story from MODERN GHANA NEWS:
>/GhanaHome/NewsArchive/news_details.asp?menu_id=1&id=VFZSUmVFMVVRVEk9
>
>Published: Wednesday, August 15, 2007
>
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