A Sintet marabou Mustapha Fanneh has told the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that former president Jammeh sent so-called witch-hunters to arrest him after he was accused of using “black magic to kill people”.

The former president, who believed in witchcraft and sorcery, launched a nationwide crackdown on alleged “witches” in 2009 after the unexplained death of his aunt and two of his bodyguards.

Mr. Fanneh, 73, said a group of so-called witch-doctors, accompanied by Solo Bojang, a former bodyguard of Jammeh, raided his compound in their search for alleged witches.

He said the so-called witch doctors used a mirror which they pointed around to identify alleged witches.

According to Mr. Fanneh he was arrested along with 100 people in the village and taken to a place in Kanilai that “look like an idol worshipping palace”.

He said they were forced to inhale smoke as part of their “cleansing” rituals and forced to drink hallucinogenic concoction that made them fainted.

He said the hallucinogenic drinks were given to them by young boys and he was forced to drink it “six times” during the ritual process.

“I was the third person to be washed and given concoction to drink by young boys. They wanted me naked but I refused and that was the time they poured water on me.”

The marabou said he still suffers from health problems due to his terrible ordeal at the hands of the so-called witch doctors.

He said several of the other people who were detained with him died after drinking the concoctions.

Mr. Fanneh told the Commission that his marabout books were taken away from him.

many health complications which disturbed him seriously. “Almost 12 people died after drinking the witch hunters’ concoction.”

In his concluding remarks, he called on the youth to work for the benefit of the country and stay from things that can be destructive them.

The TRRC’s regional hearings in Sibanor continues.