By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Essa Faal, Lead Counsel of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) has submitted that former President Yahya Jammeh must face the full wrath of justice for his crimes against humanity, as he revealed that the truth commission has unveiled between 240-250 people killed in the country during the former head of state’s reign through his direct or indirect instructions.
Counsel Faal, made this remarks at the final public hearing of the TRRC that has been seating for more than two years to unravel human rights violations that had occurred during the 22 years reign of ex-President Jammeh.
Faal who has presided and prosecute some of the most brutal human rights violations case including that of Charles Taylor, Omar Al Bashir, Muhammad Gaddafi among others has described the former Gambian Head of State as a charlatan and a quack who would do everything possible to strengthen his rule and grip on power without any regard to the rule of law.
“When I took this job, little did I know that, this is going to be the most important job I ever did in my career. I had done cases that are more complex, I had done cases that are much talked-about on genocides against sitting heads of state to some of the notorious rebels. I had done it all and thought that I have seen it all but little did I know that the information that I was receiving about my country, disturbing as it is, was in fact the tip of the iceberg,” EssaFaal astonishingly disclosed.
He added: “Soon I discovered that we are dealing with a very dark chapter in our history, I discovered that, what we were dealing with was a beast with many heads.”
According to him in 1994, a group of soldiers masquerading as soldiers with a difference hijacked Gambian constitution with the promise of transparency, accountability and probity, adding that it was no sooner did these soldiers under the leadership of Yahya Jammeh turned to suppressing the populace beginning with the army, politicians, elites, journalists among others in order to install a self-perpetuating leadership.
“What we had was a terrible dictatorship that will do everything possible to self-perpetuate to strengthen its so-called supremacy over the Gambian people. No wonder he demanded to be crown and we have heard millions running around the country trying to secure that for him,” Lead Counsel Faal chastised
He added: “We have heard Yaya Jarjusey saying that, that meeting was held at his house. If The Gambian people weren’t strong at that point we would have been having a monarchy by now.”
Counsel Faal, further disclosed that the aim of the military junta was to silence all those who could potentially challenge their authority be it within the army, in the civil service, in the media and within general populace, disclosing that the junta began its journey with the brutal assassination of eleven (11) officers of The Gambian National Army, to the assassination of former Minister of Finance, Ousman Koro Ceesay, to the arrest of politicians including OJ Jallow, attempted murder of Lawyer Ousman Sillah before finally laying the foundation of dictatorship in the country.
The Lead Counsel of the Truth Commission observed that the killing of Ousman Koro Ceesay marked the beginning of the crisis in the country, arguing that this was the time Gambians started accepting, the complaints reduce and Jammeh subsequently won the 1996, Presidential election.
“In order to solidify his powers, he started attacking the media, we had heard 140 personnel of the media fraternity were either arrested, detained and some tortured. We had heard how media houses were attacked and burnt down,” Counsel Faal chronicles Jammeh’s attack on the fourth estate.
Essa Faal affirmed that the former President was a brutal murderer who did not even spare his own family just for the sake of the throne, disclosing that Yahya Jammeh killed five of his own family members including Haruna Jammeh, Masireh Jammeh, Jasagi Kujabi, while forcing many others to exile. “We had seen how institutions were created that is aimed at further strengthen or creating a dictatorship.
The NIA with all those monstrous powers they were given and a very compliant justice system, anchored and chaperone by those Nigerian mercenary judges,” Faal explained. He added: “We have seen how investigative processes and judicial processes were compromised in order to produce a desired result for Jammeh.
Mr. Chair, not only the institutions investigating, prosecuting and judging but even the institutions to keep these people.” Counsel Faal highlighted that the former President consider mile two prison as a five star hotel that lacks everything to making live easy, adding that his reign was of the tortured, maiming, detention, arbitrary prosecutions, intolerance and disregard to the rule of law and fundamental human rights principles and protocols.
He made a shocking revelation of more than 214 people that were killed in The Gambia between 1994 and 2017, affirming that these includes the summary execution of eleven members of the Gambia National Army on November 11, 1994, April 10, execution of twelve students and two others.
Lead Counsel Faal who is also known for his philanthropic gestures said five of the former President’s relatives were killed including Daaba Marenah and Co, disclosing that Jammeh and his accomplices framed up lies to the Gambian people in order to cover up their crimes.
“We have heard a person closest to Jammeh just yesterday as to how Jammeh sat up there and planned how to lie to The Gambian people. How Tumbul Tamba called him to tell Jammeh, fucking mission completed and how he was given a big bag of money, Daaba Marenah and Co lost their lives unnecessarily, they did nothing,” Faal revealed.
He added: “We have heard how the West African migrants were butchered in several places around the country, sixty seven (67) of them. Initially, we thought they were 34, 44, 57 and ultimately 67 people butchered and the government went on a campaign to cover this up crimes.”
Counsel Faal also highlighted the former President’s role in the killing of 41 people on a so called Presidential Treatment Program, adding that Jammeh fraudulently lured lot of sick people into treatment program that was bogus.
“He was a charlatan, he was a quack and can’t be described in any lesser way better,” Counsel revealed the true identity of former President Yahya Jammeh.