Africa-Press – Gambia. A former member of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), Abdoulie Sanyang, has revealed his involvement in the arson attack of the APRC Political Bureau in Kanifing during ex-President Jammeh’s time.
According to him, the bureau (the building) was reportedly housing 300,000 voters’ cards allegedly issued to foreign nationals ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He said they deliberately set the building on fire, burning down the illegally issued voters’ cards numbering 300,000.
In an interview on Coffee Time on Thursday, Mr. Sanyang, now based in Switzerland, said he carried out the act alongside with other serving soldiers at the time, motivated by patriotism.
“It was widely known that Jammeh always demanded 300,000 voters’ cards after elections. These cards were kept at the APRC Bureau in Kanifing, in a compound seized from Abou Denton, a PPP member,” Sanyang recalled.
The former GAF member, who also participated in the 1994 coup that ousted President Sir Dawda Jawara, claimed the bureau stored clandestine voters’ cards prepared for elections. He alleged that former Mayor Yakuba Colley and others were responsible for managing these cards.
According to Sanyang, the APRC government allegedly transported people from Mauritania, Casamance, and Guinea-Bissau to vote in Gambian elections using these cards, placing them at locations including Gambia College, the Vice President’s residence, Kanilai, Tallinding, and Bundung.
“So we knew all these. To ensure a free and fair electoral process, we designated our soldiers and loyal citizens to burn down the APRC Bureau, and I was part of it,” he said.
He added that he and other soldiers from Bakau and Brikama took the risk, and many were present when President Adama Barrow was being sworn in Dakar.
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