General Bora Colley
We have noticed the public statement from the Gambia Armed Forces published on their Facebook page on March 10 of the death of Brigadier General Bora Colley, a former military officer and a member of the notorious Jungler death squad of former dictator Yaya Jammeh. The death was announced to have occurred on 9 March 2025.
Considering the circumstances, we welcome the decision of the Attorney General in applying for a coroner’s inquest into his death as per Section 11 of the Coroner’s Act. We urge that the full report of the inquiry be made public. We will continue to monitor the inquiry.
We recall that Bora Colley was in custody of the Gambia Armed Forces since 9 August 2024 when he was reportedly apprehended in his residence within the Greater Banjul Area. This followed his undetected entry into the country from Equatorial Guinea where he was in self-imposed exile with the former dictator since January 2017. GAF stated in its press release that while Bora was in custody he was receiving medical attention until his death.
GAF had said his detention in August 2024 was in connection with his desertion and his implication in the TRRC findings. A few days after his arrest, the CDS Lieutenant General Mamat Cham had said in the Government’s Mansa Kunda press conference that Bora’s arrest was in line with “national laws and the military law” as he described Bora as a deserter.
We note that Bora Colley was adversely mentioned in the TRRC hearings mainly under Theme 15 on Institutional Hearings focused on the National Intelligence Agency where acts of torture, murder and other crimes were committed especially regarding the Farafenni Attack, 2006 Failed Ndure Cham Coup and many others.
In its findings, Bora was found culpable individually and collectively with other Junglers of crimes of murder, torture and other serious human rights violations. Specifically, Bora was implicated in the unlawful killing of Daba Marenah and six others, the unlawful killing of Ello Jallow and was aware of several other tortures. He was also found to have participated in the physical torture of the 2006 alleged coupists, as well as involved in the torture of Bunja Darboe, and the persons arrested in relation to the Freedom Online Newspaper saga.
The TRRC has recommended for the prosecution of all the Junglers including Bora Colley together with Yaya Jammeh for the crimes they committed, which the Government has accepted in its White Paper issued on 25 May 2022.