By Arret Jatta
A serving soldier of the Gambia armed forces, Yaya Darboe, yesterday gave a chilling testimony at the High Court recounting how he was allegedly tortured and threatened with death by Sana Manjang and other members of former president Jammeh’s death squad, the Junglers in the aftermath of the foiled Ndure Cham coup in 2006.
Manjang is facing multiple charges, including murder, torture and conspiracy to commit misdemeanour. Prosecutors alleged that in March 2006 at the National Intelligence Agency, NIA, the accused conspired with others to cause bodily harm to Darboe.
The witness told the court that he suffered severe physical and psychological abuse that left him with permanent injuries and lasting trauma.
He further told the court that after his arrest, he was detained at Mile 2 Prison before being taken away by armed men he identified as Junglers.
According to Yaya Darboe, three vehicles arrived at the prison to pick him up, allegedly under the command of former Jungler leader Borra Colley. He said he was later subjected to vicious beatings and forced to read a prepared statement on national television confessing to involvement in the coup plot.
The soldier testified that the torture worsened the following day when he was ordered to kneel down and was subjected to further interrogation about the alleged sponsors of the coup attempt.
“While I was kneeling down, I heard a knock on my left eye. I don’t know what exactly they used, but I fell down and my eyeball was seriously injured, causing permanent damage,” he said.
Darboe identified the accused Sana Manjang and Michael Correa who was recently jailed in the US on similar charge as among the men who tortured him.
He further testified that during another torture session, Manjang threatened to kill him and bury his body in secret and nothing will come out of it.
Darboe said the torture sessions were recorded while he screamed and cried for help.
The soldier further told the court that he continues to live with fear and trauma for nearly two decades . He said he later travelled to the United States seeking medical treatment for his eye, but doctors informed him that the surrounding bone was broken beyond repair.
During cross-examination, the defence counsel questioned Darboe about the Junglers and suggested that Manjang could not have been present because he was allegedly stationed in Kanilai at the time. Darboe replied that he could not confirm Manjang’s posting but insisted he saw him among the men torturing him.
Another prosecution witness, a prison officer Lamin Fadera, also testified that detainees taken away by masked men dressed in black during the aftermath of the coup attempt in 2006 often returned to Mile 2 with visible injuries and signs of severe beatings.
“When they were going they were okay, but when they came back, they were badly injured,” Fadera told the court. He said some detainees returned crying and begging for medicine after the late-night interrogations.
The case was adjourned to May 19.
