By Adama Hawa
This Saturday marks the twelve-year anniversary of the November 11th. Massacre that our Yundum Barracks correspondent OX has been revealing. Below, our columnist Adama Hawa takes us back through the mystery and predicts what the future holds for the Jammeh government vis-à-vis the incident.
This week marks the 12th anniversary of the abortive coup of November 11, 1994, in which there is an unknown number of soldiers of the Gambia Armed Forces who are still unaccounted for. While there have been various rumours and speculations about what may have happened and the number of people who may have died in the process of putting down the alleged coup, the truth behind those bizarre events is still tightly kept under cover by the AFPRC/APRC regime. No one dares to even talk about it, let alone demand an investigation.
There have been various versions of what actually happened, including some recent chilling revelations in this very newspaper how some of those suspected of involvement in the alleged coup plot were extra-judicially executed in the most gruesome manner. However, the relatives and friends of those people who have disappeared since that fateful day are still waiting for an official explanation of what actually happened to their loved ones.
Indeed, while people hold the entire AFPRC/APRC regime responsible for whatever happened to those people, the three protagonists directly held responsible are no doubt President Yahya Jammeh, who was then Chairman of the AFPRC junta, his former vice Chairman Captain Sana Sabally, who together with Defence Minister Edward Singhateh were known to have played a very prominent role in the suppression of the coup plot.
Of course, as long as this regime is in power, it would be foolhardy for anyone to expect the truth behind this dark episode in our history to be illuminated, but they should be rest assured that, no matter how long it may take, the truth will one day be told and all those who played a negative part in it would be exposed and face the consequences.
While the circumstances surrounding what actually happened on that day would only be determined by a Commission of Inquiry, if the recent revelations are anything to go by, then what happened was nothing less than a massacre and all those who perpetrated it deserve to be handed over to the International Criminal Court at The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity.
Therefore, no matter how long it may take, the perpetrators of such heinous crimes will one-day face the wrath of the Gambian people. Yahya Jammeh can dish out as much sugar and rice, as well as money and other material gifts to as many people as possible, but that would still not exonerate him from whatever crimes he may have committed and continues to commit against the people of this country, and the day of reckoning is inevitable.
Apart from the heinous crimes said to have been committed on November 11, 1994, there has also been several other crimes committed against the people of this country by Yahya Jammeh, either directly or through his proxies, and he will surely account for them one day. These include the death in mysterious circumstances of the former Finance Minister Ousman Koro Ceesay, the cold blooded killing of Almamo Manneh and Sergeant Dumbuya of the Gambia Armed Forces, the shooting of 14 young people during the peaceful student demonstrations in 2000, the attempt on the life of Lawyer Ousman Sillah, the murder of journalist Deyda Hydara and the recent disappearance of at least five security officers, including the former NIA Director General Daba Marenah, all of whom were in custody.
Indeed, these are just a few of the atrocities and other gross human rights violations associated with Yahya Jammeh and his AFPRC/APRC regime since coming to power in 1994. Virtually on a daily basis, there are constant violations of the basic rights of the people of this country, which of course include arbitrary arrests and detentions, often accompanied by routine torture and maltreatment of those in detention.
However, there are some recent lessons that we expect Yahya Jammeh and his cohorts to learn from, but they do not seem to care. Instead, they continue to commit atrocities against the people with little regard to their basic human rights and the rule of law.
Indeed, there are some very recent examples that they should have learnt from, including what happened to Jammeh’s own friend, Charles Taylor, who is currently detained at The Hague, waiting to answer to charges for his role in the death and suffering of many people in the sub-region.
There is also the sentence to death by hanging passed last week on the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein for the crimes he committed against his own people while he was in power.
Therefore, these and many other examples should have been enough to teach Yahya Jammeh and those who willingly carry out his orders to torture and kill Gambians that the day of reckoning will one day catch up with them. While they may be so intoxicated with power today that they would feel invincible, let them realize that Saddam and Charles Taylor were more powerful than them while in power, but that did not save them from being humbled today in their lonely cells in Baghdad and The Hague.