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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
 Posted - 13 Aug 2024 : 09:20:37
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Gambia Armed Forces arrests ex-Brigadier General under Jammeh era
The Point: Aug 12, 2024
Press Release
https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/headlines/gambia-armed-forces-arrests-ex-brigadier-general-under-jammeh-era
The Gambia Armed Forces wishes to inform the general public about the arrest of ex-Brigadier General Bora Colley, a former senior officer of GAF and an alleged member of the 'Junglers' who escaped the jurisdiction following the departure of the former President, Yahya Jammeh to Equatorial Guinea in January 2017.
Ex-General Colley was arrested on Friday 9 August 2024 around midnight when he voluntarily surrendered himself to the GAF Military Police in Yundum Barracks.
It might interest the public to know that surveillance was mounted by GAF intelligence operatives, acting on information, around his residence within the Greater Banjul Area the same day. Meanwhile, the senior officer is currently detained and cooperating with the Military Police in their investigations.
Further information on how the ex-General entered the country and how long he has been in The Gambia, among other issues, will be shared with the public in due course.
LAMIN K SANYANG
Colonel
Director of Press and Communication
Gambia Armed Forces
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2024 : 09:23:45
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ALLEGED JUNGLER BORA COLLEY TURNS HIMSELF IN What next as another Jammeh ‘hitman’ returns?
The Standard: August 12, 2024
By Omar Bah
https://standard.gm/alleged-jungler-bora-colley-turns-himself-in-what-next-as-another-jammeh-hitman/
At about midnight on Friday, soldiers at the Yundum Barracks and probably their seniors in or outside the barracks, got more than they bargained for a restful weekend when a one-time powerful colleague of theirs turned up from eight years of hibernation.
Accused of gross human rights abuses and membership of the notorious Junglers of former dictator Jammeh, General Bora Colley was promptly arrested and is being held at the barracks, a statement from the Gambia Armed Forces said.
GAF said it had conducted surveillance operations around his residence.
“Further information on how the ex-general entered into the country and for how long he has been in The Gambia, among other issues, will be shared with the public in due course,” the army statement said.
Bora is believed to have fled the country in January 2017 to Equatorial Guinea.
When contacted for comments on Bora’s arrest, renowned international human rights lawyer, Reed Brody, said: “Bora Colley could of course be brought before the Special Criminal Division of the High Court or, when it is created, the Ecowas hybrid tribunal. But in any event, there is no vacuum. The courts of The Gambia have jurisdiction.”
Meanwhile, reaction among the Gambian community to the latest development has been coming thick and fast with many suggesting that the slow pace of the transitional justice system and the implementation of the TRRC recommendations means that more people who fled the country initially afraid of serious acceptability would now muster the courage to return especially after seeing their fellow alleged perpetrators walking free.
The Standard tried the Minister of Justice Dawda Jallow for comments on the state of the transitional justice and the fate of the alleged junglers in general but he did not respond to our requests. |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11634 Posts |
Posted - 13 Aug 2024 : 09:25:07
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How Could Bora Colley Enter the Gambia Undetected?
By Madi Jobarteh
Bora Colley by all accounts is a high-level security threat to the state and society of the Gambia. As a leading member of the death squad, Junglers, Bora’s name could be heard throughout the TRRC hearings in almost all cases of arbitrary arrest, detention, torture, enforced disappearance and executions. He was a man who joined Tyrant Yaya Jammeh to flee to Equatorial Guinea in January 2017 only to appear eight years later.
The question is, how come Bora could return and not be detected by the security apparatuses in this country? The National Assembly should be hugely concerned about this matter and take the necessary steps to look into the security setup of this country to see whether it is fit for purpose. The undetected entry of Bora clearly exposes loopholes within the security network of the Gambia which is a major cause for concern.
Therefore I call on the Defense and Security Committee of the National Assembly to summon the heads of relevant security agencies, namely, the National Security Advisor, the Director General of the NIA, the Inspector General of Police (GPF), the Chief of Defense Staff (GAF), the Director General of Immigration (GID) and the Commissioner General of the Gambia Revenue Authority (GRA) to ask them to explain how their intelligence failed to detect the entry of Bora Colley. These security agencies have immense presence at the land, sea, and air borders of the Gambia hence no one, especially a highly sensitive person of interest should be able to enter the country without their detection. The National Assembly should hold these heads of security agencies accountable for the way they carry out their mandate.
This country is said to be undergoing security sector reforms for at least for the past 5 years. It is expected that these reforms will strengthen national security. This means the security agencies would have been much more effective, efficient, and professional so that they are able to guarantee internal security to the maximum by preventing such breaches. How then could a popular death squad operative who was living with the dictator quietly walk into the country unnoticed? If Bora had not surrendered himself, could he have lived his entire life in this country undetected? In that case, would he not have escaped accountability for his gross human rights violations?
Answers to these questions therefore question the professionalism, effectiveness, and strength of the national security apparatus. Is the country well secure or not? Are security agencies indeed performing their functions as they should? What is the quality of intelligence, surveillance skills and equipment, and overall capacity of security agencies, as well as the quality of collaboration between security agencies? The heads of security agencies must be called to answer this serious security lapse resulting in the undetected entry of Bora Colley and his continued presence in the country until he surrendered himself.
For The Gambia, Our Homeland |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Gambia Armed Forces arrests ex-Brigadier General
