By Lamin Njie
Former President Yahya Jammeh buried a ram alive to help neutralise a so-called coup threat in the early days of his rule, it has been revealed.
Former President Jammeh in January 1995 accused his deputy Sana Sabally of plotting to overthrow him. Mr Sabally was later arrested and jailed for nine years.
Jammeh ruled The Gambia from 1994 to 2016, but the period was marked by gross human rights violations.
The Barrow administration set up the TRRC last year to look into Jammeh’s crimes but it emerged at the investigation today the former leader was also into fetish.
His former right-hand man Edward Singhatey who is giving evidence on the role he played in the human rights violations told the probe today Jammeh buried a ram alive to help quash a coup that was about to be launched by his 1994 to 1995 deputy Sana Sabally.
Singhatey said: “The ram that I am aware of was not for Sana’s naming ceremony but the ram that I am aware of was a charity that Jammeh wanted to take out to subdue both Sana Sabally and [Sadibou] Hydara.
“He said he was told by a marabout that he should bury the ram. They [guards] dug a hole and put the poor ram inside and buried it.”
Former President Jammeh had done a lot of weird things in his life.
In 2007, Mr Jammeh announced he had invented a cure for HIV/AIDS and patients were made to undergo a treatment program that included drinking concoctions. Most of the patients have since died.
