By Adama Makasuba

Demba Touray, a supporter of the United Democratic Party (UDP), has told the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that their convoy was halted by armed security personnel at Denton bridge under former president Yahya Jammeh’s order in 1996. He said the members of the convoy were arrested and molested by the armed soldiers.

Mr. Touray, 53, was testifying before the TRRC Commission on Tuesday.

“Our cars were stopped just before Denton bridge. We were asked to strip off our UDP t-shirts and throw it in a burning fire. The soldiers ordered us to lie on our stomach and started to trample on us … and dragging us,” Touray said.

He said the armed soldiers used tree branches to beat them up adding “I was struck with a gun-butt on my shoulder which I still can’t use to work.”

Mr Touray, a blacksmith by profession said, he heard Yankuba Touray saying to soldiers at the bridge that “the soldiers at the bridge don’t know their job, UDP supporters should have been killed earlier.”

Despite his molestation at the bridge, Mr Touray said soldiers who were beating them happened to assist them to get into the vehicle in which they were transferred to Banjul.

He told the Commission that, UDP supporters were taken to a camp inside the State House, adding that due to disagreement and wrangling among the soldiers they were able to flee their captors.

He said: “There in, I was assisted by a soldier to hide under a truck and later abscond and found myself around the Atlantic hotel and ran to around the late Sheriff Dibba’s home.”

Denton Bridge is the entry point to the island city of Banjul from the Kombos.

The TRRC sitting continues.