By Mafugi Ceesay
Lieutenant Colonel Pierre John Mendy of the Gambia Armed Forces yesterday narrated how members of ex-president Jammeh’s hit squad, the Junglers, tortured him to confess involvement in the foiled Ndure Cham coup in 2006.
Lt. Col Mendy was among dozens of soldiers rounded up in the aftermath of the attempted coup led by the former army chief. He was convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison but was later pardoned by the president.
He narrated how a team of Junglers came to pick him at the Mile 2 Prisons and took him to the offices of the NIA along with former Speaker of the National Assembly Sheriff Mustapha Dibba.
“On 10 April, the Junglers came for us at about 1am. Upon arrival at the NIA, Malick Jatta ordered that I cooperate with them and confess to everything Ndure Cham told me or risk going through hell. I insisted that I had already explained myself that it was Alpha Bah who hinted me about the coup but I rubbished the idea”, Mendy told the TRRC.
“They placed six plastic bags over my head and started hitting me. They used electric wire and electrocuted me while pouring melted plastic on my body which stuck on my skin in addition to beatings on my back and shoulders,” he said.
Lt. Col Mendy said these tortures were meted out on him by Malick Jatta, Sanna Manjang, Modou Jarju alias Rambo and Nuha Badjie.
He recalled that during one of the torture sessions, he met Sheriff Mustapha Dibba at the conference room who was shocked to learn that such cruelties are occurring in the country.
