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| Photo: Witness Musa Sallah |
By Ousman A. Marong
Musa Sallah
alias “Gorreh”, former Gambian photographer was an alleged victim of human
rights violation under the watch of the former President Yahya Jammeh who was
shot by the “junglers” on a motorbike with a colleague at Umorto in 2001.
“We have
received several gun-fires aiming at us while the shooting was rapid and
the only thing I could remember was the bullet that hits me at my back,” Musa
Sallah said.
Sallah who was
on the back of a motorbike with one Pa Manneh were shot at a purported
“checkpoint” that resulted to the death of his colleague while he had sustained
injuries on his left arm close to the chest.
“How many
minutes or distance did you have to ride before you were shot at,” asked the
Lead Counsel.
The witness
said the shooting started at a far distance and gave an estimate of about a
hundred (100) to where they felt down.
He has made
these revelations amongst other things at Dunes Hotel in Kololi, while
testifying before the Truth Commission.
Musa Sallah
alias “Goreh” said “as we were riding the motorbike gun-shoots kept coming
towards us. I was hit by a bullet at my back as I told Pa Manneh that we should
stop. He (Pa Manneh) too informed me that he was also shot. I leaned on his
back while he too leaned on the handle of the motorbike and we both felt down
when our motorbike entered a ditch.”
The
46-years-old from Pakaliba said as they felt down in the bushy grasses, Pa
Manneh told him that he was going to die and he too uttered the same words to
him. He said while lying down in the bushy grasses they decided to recite the
“Khalimatu Sahadah” and eventually Pa Manneh died.
“This occurred
at around 6 am local time when Pa Manneh died while lying on my leg. A few minutes later, I fainted and later woke up at around 11 am local time. As I
was lying down on the grasses a herdsman found us lying and he wanted to help
us, but upon seeing Pa Manneh lying down death he ran to collect his bicycle
and left. I could hear other voices approaching towards us and I shouted who
was that, can you please help me,” he remarked.
He explained
that he later saw two soldiers standing next to him while the other one was
besides the late Pa Manneh.
“As I was
lying down in the grasses I could hear them talking to their boss on the phone
who instructed them to conduct a thorough search on us. They informed their
boss that we were Gambian and he told them even though let them conduct a
search on us. The soldier looked at me and said you are very lucky that you
people are Gambians, but if not we could have finished you,” said the witness.
He further
informed the Commission that he together with the late Pa Manneh were put on a
pick-up and they were transported to the “Silitti/Giboro” border police post
where they were left lying on the back of the pickup truck at the backyard of
the police post. He said they have spent 30 minutes of negotiations at the
Brikama Police Station before they were transported to the Royal Victorial
Teaching Hospital (RVTH) now Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH).
“Upon reaching
Lamin Village, I fainted again. I was shot on the left-hand side of my chest
just one inch into my heart,” he bewildered.
He outlined
that while he was lying on his hospital bed, he was been guarded by a police officer
who later informed him that he (Musa Sallah) was shot by the ‘Junglers’.
“The police officer informed me that I was shot by the ‘junglers’ and that they were
following me. He told me that he was guarding me in order to protect me from
the ‘junglers’. He said he was also putting an eye on me so as to know the in
and out of those visiting me.”
The witness
also said while he was discharged from the hospital, he was taken to the police
headquarters and was asked to confess that Pa Manneh was a drug peddler.
“I was asked
to confess that Pa Manneh was a cannabis peddler or else I would be locked up.
I was later picked up by the NIA and they place me in one place without giving me any food or water. I was suffering from palpitation,” he noted.
