Sambang Fula Residents Recount Victimisation During Jammeh Era

Sambang Fula resident © Askanwi

By Edward Francis Dalliah, Jr.

Residents of Sambang Fula in Niamina have recounted experiences of victimisation during the era of former President Yahya Jammeh, as the Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims’ Center) continued its Musical Caravan outreach involving community dialogue and public engagement.

During the engagement in late January 2026, villagers disclosed that the community suffered arrests and abuses at the hands of state security forces in the mid-1990s. Speaking to the center and subsequently our reporter, one resident revealed that four of their village leaders were arrested and detained at McCarthy Prison in 1996 for over a month. The individuals arrested, he said, were “Alhagie Nano Camara, Kissama Sawnneh, Foday Sow, and Bonja Jawo, all of whom have since passed away.”

Sambang Fula resident © Askanwi

Another villager told the Victims’ Center that his brother was also a victim of human rights abuse, though now deceased. Narrating the incident, he explained that the abuse occurred during the Jambanjelly borehole incident that led to the detention and torture of some individuals by state security officers.

According to his account, the victim was “taken to Kanifing and was severely tortured by security personnel, forced to lie on the ground, stepped on, and had water poured over his body.” The villager noted that “a police officer who was a relative intervened to secure his release.” However, he added that “the injuries sustained during the ordeal had lasting effects, and the victim later died.” These accounts reflect patterns of arbitrary arrest, unlawful detention, and torture that were documented by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in its final report.

The Commission found that security forces during the Jammeh era routinely targeted civilians, community leaders, and traders, often detaining them without charge and subjecting them to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. Such testimonies underscore the relevance of the ongoing musical caravan in amplifying victims’ voices and advancing public understanding of transitional justice and accountability mechanisms.