November 11 marks the first major execution by former President Yahya Jammeh and his military colleague who took over power on July 22, 1994
Retired Col. Momodou Badjie, a former senior army officer and currently national security adviser to President Adama Barrow, has rebutted claims that he was a witness to the November 11 massacre of over 20 Gambian soldiers by the Junta following the 1994 coup.
A protected witness before the Commission said he was reliably informed both Badgie and former army leader Babucarr Jatta were present while the soldiers were being executed.
“I have learnt that the anonymous witness’s proclamation about my presence at that extrajudicial killings of Soldiers of The Gambia National Army with distress and huge surprise to me, my family and those that know me. Everyone that knows me will agree that I am a man with humility, compassion and great respect for human dignity and the respect for the due process,” said Badgie in a rebuttal published on The Standard on Wednesday.
Badgie said the allegation was totally false, malicious and deceitful. He said in August 1994, him and six (6) other Army officers were deployed to the Ministry of Local Government and Lands and were appointed as Mayors and Divisional Commissioners respectively.
“Specifically, I was serving as Divisional Commissioner in Mansakonko during the 11th November, 1994 incident,” he said.
“Sorrowfully, I learnt this alleged senseless killing of the members of the GNA with shock and trauma, even more traumatic for me, was when I learnt the killing of the alleged Counter-Coup leader Lt. Bassirou Barrow, who was not only my colleague in the Armed Forces but also my best friend. Lt Barrow and I used to share our lives together, our two families are extremely associated. In fact, it was the late Colonel SP Mendy (then Lieutenant Mendy) who called and informed me of this sad news. I can still recall the manner in which it was relayed to me; “Badjie, Your Man is Gone”.”