Jammeh gives food rations to hungry army - report

The Gambia’s former president Yahya Jammeh. File picture: Reuters

The Gambia’s former president Yahya Jammeh. File picture: Reuters

Published Feb 23, 2017

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Johannesburg – Exiled former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh has provided food rations to the Gambian army command which has been facing acute food shortages, according to a Gambian media report.

Gambia's Freedom Radio and Newspaper reported on Wednesday that the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) Mission in Gambia (ECOMIG) forces recently received over three hundred bags of rice, cooking oil, cattle, and other provisions from Jammeh.

"Jammeh was contacted to help feed the soldiers after their rations had finished. We had to seek his permission before using the rice, cattle, and condiments he left behind," a Freedom source said.

"The dictator then instructed his surrogates on the ground to allow ECOMIG forces to take over 300 bags of rice from his warehouse in Kanilai," added the source.

However, it remains unclear if The Gambia's new coalition government is aware of the food donations as spokesmen from ECOMIG and President Adama Barrow's government could not be reached for comment.

Jammeh still has control over some of his assets and properties in The Gambia, although some of his luxurious cars have been appropriated.

Meanwhile, police are investigating the country's former head of the national intelligence agency and his deputy who are both accused of overseeing killings, kidnappings, arbitrary arrests, torture and rape during their time in office.

Spy chief Yankuba Badjie and director of operations Sheikh Omar Jeng were detained on Monday. Badjie became head of the intelligence agency in 2013, with Jeng as his deputy.

The arrests are an attempt by Barrow to bring the perpetrators of abuses to justice and to establish democracy in the small West African nation.

Since taking the presidency in January, Barrow has released dozens of opposition activists from prison.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that the country's former state intelligence, supported by the paramilitary forces, targeted journalists, political opponents and the lesbian and gay community over a period of two decades under Jammeh's rule after he took power in a 1994 military coup.

African News Agency

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