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Gambia News : Gambians 'taken by witch doctors'
Up to 1,000 Gambian villagers have been abducted by
"witch doctors" to secret detention centres and forced to drink
potions, a human rights group says.
Amnesty International said some forced to drink the concoctions developed kidney problems, and two had died.
Officials in the police, army and the president's personal
protection guard had accompanied the "witch doctors" in the bizarre
roundup, said witnesses.
Gambia's government was unavailable to comment on the claims.
The human rights group asserted that many of those abducted were elderly.
The London-based rights group said the witch hunters, said to be
from neighbouring Guinea, were invited into Gambia after the death of
the president's aunt earlier this year was blamed on witchcraft.
Kate Allen, Amnesty's UK director, said hundreds of Gambians
have fled to neighbouring Senegal for safety after seeing their
villages attacked.
"The Gambian government has to put a stop to this campaign,
investigate these attacks immediately and bring those responsible to
justice," she said.
'Diarrhoea and vomiting' Amnesty spoke to villagers who said they had been held for up to
five days and forced to drink unknown substances, which they said
caused them to hallucinate and behave erratically.
Many said they were then forced to confess to being witches. In some
cases, they were also allegedly severely beaten, almost to the point of
death.
Eyewitnesses and victims told Amnesty the "witch doctors" were from neighbouring Guinea.
As well as police, army and national intelligence agents, they
were also reportedly joined by "green boys" - personal protection
guards of Gambian President Yahya Jammeh.
Amnesty said the incidents took place in the Foni Kansala district, near to the president's hometown in Kanilai.
In the most recent incident, said to have taken place on 9
March, hundreds of people from Sintet village were allegedly rounded
up.
One eyewitness told the rights group: "The paramilitary police
armed with guns and shovels surrounded our village and threatened the
villagers that anyone who tries to escape will be buried six feet
under."
Three hundred men and women were allegedly randomly identified
and forced at gunpoint into waiting buses, which ferried them to
Kanilai.
Once there, they were stripped and forced to drink dirty herbal water and were bathed with herbs, the eyewitness said.
Many of those who drank the concoctions developed instant diarrhoea and vomiting, the eyewitness added.
Src: BBC, Africa
5441 times read
- yow remember when our parents used to tell us that if former president jawara,takes out his glasses something will happend,and yet these undiciplin soldiers,just demonstrated he ran away,so is yaya that soo big or people also think he is untouchable?
(Posted on March 30, 2009, 7:09 PM L Mendy)
- Man you know this is how many problems started in many African countrys,when the state starts to harras its people,cus not everybody would tolerate his,her family or parents being surpess in these mad ways,what is the use of these YAFUS soldiers?
(Posted on March 30, 2009, 6:54 PM A Badjie)
- Yahya Jammeh for once i thought you were a very determined presdident who is trying to develop or atleast make the country better, you are a sick president, but i dont blame you i blame the Gambian peolpe who vote for you every 5 years. I am 17 years old but even i know that what you do is a complete violation of the human rights this can only be done in the Gambia Yahya Ja mmeh is a complete dictator i think the Gambia people should wake up, ans the wors t part is the opposition party has join an alliance with thats sick man which give gambia no chance of change from that sick man.
(Posted on March 28, 2009, 4:25 PM Lamin)
- tell me wat president do u see in dis world actting like an animal or like a dumb ass fool who don't kno how to run his country. pleople are jus sick off tired of this freaking game you playin. do your job and stop actting like a fool. some thing is not right. i think the president need help cause he is this time he is totaly out of his mind . please leave the pleople alone and stop smoking that crack... even a crackhead can run the country better than .. we as gambian have to stop him enough is enough is a bout time we put a stop to this...
(Posted on March 26, 2009, 4:37 PM ramou)
- I am so embaraced to say that I am a Gambia. Jammeh, remember that what goes aroung always comes back around no matter how long it takes.
(Posted on March 24, 2009, 2:11 PM MT)
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