“My hands were tied together, my head covered with a black plastic bag… they poured cold water on me and the four men from the State Guard started beating me… until I became unconscious”, says ex-Gambian parliamentarian.
By Sheriff Bojang Jnr.
The Gambia is one of West Africa’s major tourist destinations. Every winter season, thousands of tourists from mainly Britain, The Netherlands and Scandinavia visit the country to escape the freezing weather in Europe.
For the holiday makers it is a paradise, one of the most peaceful and relaxing countries on the African continent. But there is another side of The Gambia that is worlds apart from the one presented to the tourists and the one they fall in love with.
Enemies of the state
Less than 15km away from the Tourism Development Area, a vast area where most of the hotels are located, are the headquarters of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Mile 2 Central Prison. These are The Gambia’s two most notorious and hostile detention centres where the authorities illegally detain and torture people they perceive as enemies of the state.
Demba Dem was a National Assembly member who won his parliamentary seat under the ticket of the President Yahya Jammeh’s ruling party. Unlike his peers on the ruling bench, Dem was renowned for challenging and voting against controversial pro-government bills. This had put him on a collision course with his peers and top government officials who confronted and threatened him on various occasions.
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| Demba Dem |
