By Fatou Sillah
The Gambia’s attorney general has requested a formal investigation into the death of Brigadier General Borra Colley, who passed away while in state custody, according to a statement released by the Gambia Armed Forces.
Brigadier General Colley, a former senior military officer, returned to The Gambia on Aug. 9, 2024, following eight years in self-imposed exile. Military officials said he had been suffering from deteriorating health conditions while living abroad in Guinea-Bissau and had also traveled to Casamance and the Middle East during his time away.
Upon his return, Colley was taken into custody due to his alleged role in human rights abuses detailed in the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) report, which implicated him in acts of torture and extrajudicial killings. The report had recommended his prosecution.
“Following his return, Brigadier General Colley was taken into state custody due to the circumstances surrounding his departure and his implication in the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) report, which recommended his prosecution for the killing and torture of victims in various locations in The Gambia,” Gambia Armed Forces wrote in a statement.
According to the military, Colley’s medical condition required ongoing monitoring, which was provided while he was detained. Despite these efforts, he died on March 9, 2025.
In response, the attorney general has petitioned the chief justice to open an inquest under the Coroner’s Act to determine the precise cause of death.
“The Hon. Attorney General and Minister of Justice has applied to His Lordship, the Hon. Chief Justice for an inquest to be conducted pursuant to the Coroner’s Act in respect of the deceased who died while in the custody of the Armed Forces.” the statement said.
“The purpose of the inquest is to ascertain the actual cause of death of the Deceased.”
Colley, once a powerful figure within former President Yahya Jammeh’s security apparatus, was among those named in the TRRC’s extensive findings on state-sponsored abuses during Jammeh’s 22-year rule. His return and subsequent detention reignited debate over the government’s handling of alleged perpetrators of past crimes and the broader question of justice and accountability in the country.