By Adama Makasuba
The Gambia Ex-Army Captain, Momodou Lamin Gassama has said that the former president Dawda Jawara was not willing to leave power and go to exile when 1994 coup occurred.
Gassama, who was a personal assistant to Jawara, was testifying before the Truth Commission stated that he informed Jawara about the ongoing coup by advising him to leave the State House before the situation would be brought to normalcy but on that Jawara refused at the initial stage.
He then said that: “Sir Dawda responded that I will not go anywhere and that let them come and get me, I haven’t done anything wrong,” adding also that when the situation got tensed Jawara’s family was put in the American warship and later Jawara accepted.
He then added that it took them 3 days before the Senegal’s government accepted Jawara on their soil based on the agreement that they (Senegalese) would accept Jawara if he doesn’t interfere to come back to power in the country.
“Senegalese government refused to accept Sir Dawda Jawara. They said that they will accept him on the condition that he wouldn’t interfere to come back to power. It took us 3 days before Senegal accepted Jawara,” he said.
He stated that some 46 Gambians travelled with former president Jawara to Senegal including military and police officers, ministers, Jawara’s family and ordinary Gambians on American warship.
He also added that in Senegal they were not giving presidential welcome but normal welcome that was in rushed. He further added that upon their arrival at Senegal, Jawara was taken to a residence at Medina before his departure to England.
Meanwhile, he also blamed the head of Nigerian Military Training Team, General Dada by saying that: “Dada was involved in the coup plot. He was an aggressive leader. When I spoke to him about the coup on that fateful day he told me that he had talked to the boys and has told them what to do so that they would not touch the civilians