Brigadier General Bora Colley has passed away while in state custody due to an unknown illness.

Colley passed away last night while in detention at Yundum Barracks. He was 61 years old.

He had voluntarily returned into the country in 2024 from Guinea Bissau where he spent eight years in exile. 

The late army officer was among senior officers who fled along with former President Yahya Jammeh after he was ousted through the polls in 2016.

Colley was adversely mentioned by findings of the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, set up to investigate human rights violations committed during former president Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule .

During his time in exile in Guinea-Bissau, he also traveled to Casamance and the Middle East, The Gambia Armed Forces said in a statement.

“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.

“While in custody, his medical condition was assessed and found to require continuous medical monitoring, which was provided by the state. Despite these efforts, he succumbed to his medical condition on 9 March 2025,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice has applied to 

the 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.

By Adama Makasuba