Lang Tombong Tamba has shared how he surrendered State House to rebel soldiers after they marched on the compound in July 1994.
Soldiers loyal to former President Yahya Jammeh in July 1994 overthrew former president Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s government. The army’s deputy commander Lang Tombong Tamba was charged with protecting State House but he surrendered the compound after what he calls ‘thorough’ assessment.
“I could see the armaments they were having. Of course they had very sophisticated machine guns. They had these RPGs, I could see mortars and a lot of other sophisticated weapons and that reminded me of those weapons that were transferred to the army. So it gave me a view that we will not be able to sustain the firepower,” LTT looking back at the event told the TRRC.
He added: “At that moment we were in an enclosure and one of the assessments I put into consideration, they were getting more men coming to reinforce them and we could not have that opportunity to get the reinforcement coming.
“And the unfortunate thing we had our armoury at the Old Atlantic. It was rounded and taken over.
“After the negotiations, it was up to me as commander on the ground to take a decisive decision. One whether to engage them in a battle and eventually what will end up happening, they will overpower us. Because they have more sophisticated weapons and they will have reinforcement coming and they can have replenishment of more ammunition coming.
“We will not be in that position, once we run out of ammunition it is like me sacrificing my men, to have them killed. Because in that situation there is no way they could spare my men if they overcome us. So I took a decisive decision… And I instructed that they should open the gates and allow them to come in.”
