By Yunus S Saliu
The Gambia government on yesterday handed over the remains of Gambian soldiers killed in an attack on the State House on 30 December 2014 to their families at the Ministry of Justice in Banjul.
In April 2018, authorities exhumed the bodies of four foreign-based Gambian dissidents who were killed while trying to topple the former regime of Yahya Jammeh.
The decomposing bodies of Lamin Sanneh, Jaja Nyass, Njaga Jagne and Dawda Bojang were dug out of a secret burial place in Tintiba Forest, a swampy area near the Dumbuto Firing Range, north-west of Bwiam, about 50km outside Banjul.
Speaking at the handover Gambian Justice minister Abubacarr Tambedou, said the process took place in the context of transitional justice and served as a demonstration of government to uphold human dignity and principles of basic human decency to individuals irrespective of their circumstances.
Minister Tambedou said that every individual with irrespective of the circumstances ought to be afforded a decent and befitting burial.
“Only through this we can restore their dignity and provide closure for their families, friends and love ones,” he stated.
He commended families of the deceased for the cooperation to enable the government to contribute towards restoring dignity of their love ones by ensuring they receive befitting and decent burial
Among other speakers that paid tribute to the deceased at the handing over ceremony were their families and representative of the Victim Center.