By Ebrima Ismaila Chongan
Among the numerous victims in the wake of the July 22, 994 coup in the West African state of The Gambia was Major Ebrima Chongan who spent a long time in detention at the country's Mile II Prisions (Africa's Hell On Earth). Numerous stories have been written about the Major's gruelling encounter with Captain Singhateh but none rivals the recentyly written hot cake by Lt. Col. Sarr. Major Chongan who now lives in the United Kingdom has just finished reading the text and here are his reactions captioned :"MY THOUGHTS ON SAM SARR’S BOOK"
1. It is my view that this is the first exposé by one of the principal actors in the initial stages of Yaya Jammeh’s regime. The work clearly reinforces the author’s intellectual, moral and ethical qualities. Naturally, we will not agree on everything because opinions can indeed be subjective. I have had frank and fruitful discussions with Samsudeen over a number of years; before 1994, during our sojourn at Mile II prisons and likewise in exile on most of the issues raised and discussed in the book. Throughout this period, I have made it clear to Samsudeen about my stance on the usurpation of power by security agents.
2. Whatever people might say – and in some cases quite justifiably – about his acceptance of a position from Yaya, after his illegal incarceration, he has been very honest about it. Fundamentally, he did not kill, torture or maim any Gambian and/or steal or misappropriate funds or property belonging to the Gambian collective. This is definitely a great plus, with the added factor that he is courageous in explaining what happened in those early days at Mile II and during his tenure as Army Commander. Therefore, my big kudos goes to Samsudeen.
3. I therefore urge other officers and soldiers to come out and shed more light on what happened on July 22nd and its aftermath. I am a believer of genuine reconciliation and that can only happen if we know the truth, address it and draw a line – this is the only way to facilitate moves that would help reconcile Gambians after the traumatic experiences of 1994 and its aftermath.
4. I have some other observations to make since this is a historical document: however, I should from the outset issue a caveat. In the process of critically examining Samsudeen’s book, it is very important not to allow detractors to use any inadvertent mistake to score cheap points. This is certainly not an exercise in fighting duels over secondary issues that are shadowed by bigger issues that have wider implications for the Gambia. It is my fervent belief that Sam wrote everything in good faith. First, I just want to clarify that I had put my life on the line for my country in trying to defend the institutions of the Republic not for President Jawara per se, who was simply the legally elected President of the Republic; that is, my actions would have been warranted if somebody else, or any other political party, was/were the moral and/or political custodians of the institutions of the Republic. Further, Sam quoted some confidential discussions, which I fully stand by, and which are quite correctly reproduced in the book; it is, however, my opinion that Sam should have sought permission before printing it. I quite understand because of our relationship he can take it for granted.
5. The Gambian Armed Forces (Army & Gendarmerie) came into being as a result of our obligations under the then Senegambian Confederation but unfortunately, there was no real re-appraisal as you would expect after the raison d’etre was no more and became desiccated. It is worth mentioning that the Senegalese or the Ghanaians never commanded the Army albeit those members of the armed forces serving under the Confederal Units came under Senegalese command and control. Further, an RSM of Ghanaian origin trained the first batch of GNA soldiers before the British Army Training Team arrived in the Gambia.
6. The problems of the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF) should be taken in the context that – like most new African armies after independence – they had teething problems, which resulted in many rebellions and coups obviously in some cases there has been outside interference. The problem is more compounded in our country in that both from the military and our civilian masters at the time there was lacunae compared to our Senegalese cousins where they had a long tradition of a tried and tested system in a democratic set up. The author misses the chance to dilate more on the choice of having Nigerian military advisers who are arguably the greatest experts of coup d’etat in Africa over a British Army Training Team with whatever shortcoming the latter might have.
7. Whilst I quite understand that Sam has no malice but I think the personal life or at least the names of some officers should not have been mentioned in the book. These people have families who are innocent, whatever their relations might have done. This has really been an oversight.
8. The book is very important in that Samsudeen has exposed what happened at Mile II Prisons and how the regime operated when he became the Army Commander. Certainly, without this timely book, most Gambians would still be labouring in ignorance and not know what the A (F) PRC had wrought on Gambians and the extent of the devilry. This book is based on no hearsay: there has been a welter of corroborating evidence of the issues raised therein. He is a living testimony to the unwarranted torture of individuals who were completely innocent and in most cases senior to their torturers. Now some people can come online and inundate us with religious rhetoric without any form of repentance. What I find very interesting is that some of these people are still waiting for the evidence that this regime behaved in the way Samsudeen narrates in his book.
9. Perhaps at this juncture it would be helpful for me to remind present members of the GAF to emulate Commander Sarr: he has moved on with his life with a rather good record and with no fear of prosecution whatsoever as proven in his robust interview during his asylum application in the USA. Anybody who commits an offence will pay for it in this era of enforcing human rights abuses no matter wherever the perpetrator lives and whatever rank the individual carries. Those who are conscientious will always live a very peaceful and meaningful life after their stint with the Forces.
10. Finally, my best wishes to Samsudeen, Fatma and the kids as my old man would have said of him: “Samsudeen Sarr, soldier, gentleman and a statesman.”
Editor’s Note: We at the Echo are please at Major Ebrima Ismaila Chongan’s reaction to Colonel Sarr’s book and encouraged by his timely admonition to the rank and file of The Gambia National Army to desist from acts of criminality lest they face prosecution. More encouraging perhaps is Chongan’s call for ex-soldiers to reveal to the world the atrocities they knew and we hope that in the coming weeks our mail bag will be saturated with withering indictments of the utterly criminal nature of Yahya Jammeh’s regime. That said, we must also acknowledge, that if there is any hero in Samsudeen Sarr’s book, he is Major Ebrima Ismaila Chongan. There is nowhere in the text, that the author mentions anything about Chongan other than his unwavering patriotism to defend the Constitution especially, on July 22, 1994. Major Chongan paid the price as graphically documented in the riveting chapters of Coup d’etat by The Gambia National Army.
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