By: Nyima Sillah
Foni Bintang Karanai representative in the National Assembly, Bakary Y Badgie has confirmed the death of Duwa Badgie, a Gambian national shot by the Senegalese soldiers last month.
It could be recalled that Mr. Badgie was shot by the Senegalese soldiers last month on his way from Kanilai and was said to have been dragged by the soldiers to their camp without urgent medical attention until the next day.
NAM Badgie stated that the defense ministerand other people went on a fact-finding mission to dig into the truth and communicate with people. Still, when the whereabouts of Duwa were asked, the soldiers could not give the team clear information about the man.
“The information I received from my sources is that he died before reaching the hospital but his whereabouts were hidden until the pronouncement of his death on Tuesday at Ziguinchor Hospital leaving the family in shock and frustration. The corps is still in Senegal,” NAM Badgie told The Voice in an exclusive interview yesterday.
He explained that when they were on the fact-finding mission, the Minister of Defense did not know whether Duwa was dead or alive but based on the information received from the sources, revealed that by the time of their fact-finding mission, he (Duwa) was already dead.
He further stated that the Gambian Minister of Defense was trying to link up with his Senegalese counterpart regarding the matter. Still, it makes no difference since both of them could not figure it out, adding the actual date of Mr. Badgie’s demise is yet to be known but his dead body was shown to the family on Tuesday.
Malang Badgie, late Duwa Badgie’s son, explained that since his father got shot by the Senegalese soldiers, they never received a single update on his whereabouts until when one of his uncles paid him a visit on Tuesday and he was told that he died.
“We don’t know when my father died because anytime, we requested to pay him a visit they rejected our proposals. I got the information on Tuesday that he died through a call from my mother who told me that my uncle went to see him but they said he is dead,” he emotionally explained.
‘’This is too sad. Arresting your parent and never communicating with him only to receive information of his demise is something I still can’t digest. My siblings have been crying since Tuesday and they still don’t see his dead body but heard that he is at the Ziguinchor Hospital,’’ Malang added.
He further states that they are doing all they can to bring the corps to the Gambia but the issue is beyond them since it involves some diplomatic arrangement from both states.