Prolific Charles Taylor fighter Balo Kanteh has detailed how he surveyed Yahya Jammeh’s meetings to assess possibilities of him being captured.
Speaking to the TRRC on Wednesday Mr Kanteh, 55, said: “I entered The Gambia but no one would know how I did. It was only Abdoulie Sonko who would know how I entered Gambia. But my entering into Gambia is based on knowledge. When I entered Gambia, Yahya Jammeh was holding a meeting in Fass Njaga Choi.
“I went there to observe everything like how their seating arrangement is. But at that time, apart from Sana Sabally, they all are usually there. So one can capture him from these meeting. He went to Ndungu Kebbeh to Baddibu Kerewan and I went to all these places to observe how he goes about his meetings and how one can capture him.
“His NIAs did not know because I have means which if I use to enter without anyone knowing it’s me. I then realised if we are going to capture him, we will have to have something. For example two AK-47 [rifles]. Because if you’re going about such operations, since they’re commando operations, you have to have equip yourself. In such an operation, you go into it with two things [plans]. To kidnap him there or he dies there.
“I came all the way to State House and entered it. This was before the election [in 1997]. I came there twice and my mission was to find out how one could attack the place. I used a strategy. I inserted myself in a group of people who were at State House. But there are means which if I used, I could walk past you and you would not see or say anything.
“I could not find out where their armoury was. Because if you’re attacking a place, I am not talking about a so-called soldier, but if you’re good soldier, the first place you try to take is the armoury. When I could not find the armoury, I went back to Senegal and told Abdoulie Sonko that I could not locate the armoury. That was how Abdoulie told me the only place for us to now turn to was Farafenni.”
