By: Alieu Jallow
Amadou Juma Camara, a Gambian truck driver, was shot by Senegalese soldiers in Keelan near Kanilai while transporting timber from Soloben in the Casamance region with two others.
Amadou’s mother, Awa Bah, reported that her son was shot while driving and managed to escape, but his apprentice is currently missing. Fortunately, Amadou’s colleague was not injured.
In 2017, during the ECOWAS military intervention in The Gambia (ECOMIG), Senegalese soldiers occupied some settlements in Foni, a move described by the government as being for “security reasons.” The occupation by the ECOMIG Senegalese army in Foni has allegedly caused several fatalities, intensifying calls for the removal of these soldiers by the five Foni parliamentarians.
Expressing her dismay, Awa Bah, mother of the victim, indicated that her son is a hardworking young man who took up driving to support her and the family. She expressed pessimism about the government taking any concrete steps to address the conflicts between the Senegalese soldiers and the people of Foni, and the continuous shooting of innocent civilians.
“Ah, the government—we can’t say anything, we all know better. He is not the first person to be shot, so speaking will not change the narrative. On numerous occasions, I have advised him to refrain from going to Casamance.”
For decades, timber has been smuggled by men like him from southern Senegal’s Casamance region into The Gambia, to then be shipped to China. One of the most sought-after species is rosewood, but since the Senegalese occupation of Foni, there has been a major crackdown on the smuggling business.
On his part, the National Assembly Member for Foni Kansala, Almameh Gibba, urged the Ministry of Information to revisit the press release, which he believes contains some misinformation, notably the name of the victim and the location of the incident. He outlined that the Ministry of Information was misled with the information they gathered and shared, and clarified that the name Amadou Jah is the victim’s father.
“The Ministry of Information should be well-informed about the victim. The name they wrote in the press release is the father’s name. The victim is called Amadou Juma Camara, and the father is commonly called Amadou Jah, but his name is Amadou Jah Camara. So, I think the information should be corrected for posterity and record purposes. The victim is called Amadou Juma Camara,” he emphasized.
The NAM for Foni Kansala vowed to embark on a dialogue with the village heads within the Casamance-Foni belts.
There are widespread allegations, albeit sometimes conflicting, that Senegalese forces along the Gambia-Casamance border continue to conduct abusive and systemic operations against innocent, unarmed, and defenseless Gambians living in Foni, particularly those in the border villages. There are widespread rumors of a divided faction within the Senegalese forces, with allegations that those not in support of the timber trade are setting up ambushes in the deep forest and shooting timber smugglers. Amadou Juma, the latest victim of the oppression, was shot by the Senegalese soldiers in Keelan while coming from Soloben village in Casamance and managed to escape with a bullet in his body to Kanilai.
Amadou Juma Camara is currently receiving treatment at the Ndemban Clinic.
