By Mafugi Ceesay
Omar Darboe, a survivor of the UDP 1996 Denton Bridge ambush told the TRRC that he saw members of the military police wield a knife that bruised his forehead, heavily landing on the breast of a woman next to him, who died of the injury.
He said this horrific incident happened at the army headquarters where they were taken from the Denton Bridge and subjected to horrendous torture supervised by former junta member Yankuba Touray.
“Another woman was also taken away by two soldiers to a spot between two houses and after a while I saw them come out holding her hands and dragging her out,” he said
Mr Darboe further told the commission about other attacks on the UDP during tours in Foni, Jarra Karantaba, Essau, Sankulay Kunda and Farafenni.
He said there were certain times in their tour when the PIU under the command of Captain Amadou Suwareh provided them escorts but they never helped or intervened in any of the attacks on their tour party.
He alleged that these attacks were perpetrated by people wearing APRC T-shirts
He recounted the Denton Bridge ambush in vivid details recalling that Yankuba Touray even told the torturing soldiers that they have bungled the job since he expected dead bodies.
Darboe also recalled they were transported to Marina Parade in Banjul where they underwent more torture as a result of which he sustained injuries on his head.
He said he managed to escape and sought refuge at a residence in Bakau until the following morning when he was transported to Ousainu Darboe’s residence and later to Dr Ceesay’s Clinic in Kololi.
He said he was released from the clinic on the same day and later went back home with rumours of his death spreading all over.
