Sulayman Trawally, a Gambian Citizen shot by Senegalese Gendarmerie before his arrest, detention, prosecution, and acquittal, has blamed the Government of The Gambia for failing to take his matter seriously with Senegalese authorities, leading to his current predicament.
In an exclusive interview with TAT, Trawally said he still suffers from the impact of the gunshot that impaired his arm, making labor work difficult following his wrangling with the Senegalese officials.
According to him, both the Minister of Interior and Minister of Defense visited him with the promise that Senegalese authorities would be taken to task and duly compensated for his ordeal and trauma.
“My current situation is unfortunate as the gunshot incapacitated my arm, making it extremely difficult to do the labor job I used to do to meet my family’s needs. I depend entirely on my extended family, who help me care for my needs. That of my family, and the situation is becoming unbearable to me,” Sulayman Trawally disclosed to TAT.
He added: “When the incident occurred and following my abduction, prosecution, and release, both the Minister of Interior and Defense all came here (Garawol Kuta) to see for themselves my situation. However, they promise me that the matter will not be taken lightly as the Gambia Government will engage the Senegalese authorities to bring closure to my case, but up to today, nothing has been done.”
He recalled that he was shot with multiple shots by officers of the Senegalese Gerdeemier while in his house on allegations of trafficking Cannabis sativa and killing a hippopotamus, adding that all the allegations were squashed by the Tambakunda Magistrate Court, who acquitted and discharged him without paying any compensation for the violation of his fundamental right.
“I am deeply disappointed that the Ministry of Defense and Interior failed to pursue my case with Senegalese authorities, leaving me in this current situation. Unfortunately, I have to be shot by foreign forces in my own country, my village, and worst of all, in my own house, and the Gambian Government is sitting on my case without doing any action to bring closure to it.”
Trawally disclosed that the bullet shells fired at him were handed over to the Gambian authorities for further action, noting that it had been over one year.
It could be remembered that in March 2022, Trawally, a native of Garawol Kuta, Kantora District, Upper River Region (URR), of the country, was shot in his house by the Senegalese Gerdeemier for alleged trafficking of Cannabis sativa and killing of Hippopotamus, charges that a Tambakunda Magistrate Court later cleared.
