The death of former Brigadier General Bora Colley in the custody of the Gambia Armed Forces on March 9, 2025, has reignited a simmering debate about justice, accountability, and the fragility of truth in post-Jammeh Gambia. Colley, a once-feared figure accused of being a key operative in ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s notorious “Junglers” hit squad, surrendered himself to authorities in August 2024 after years in exile. His demise, just seven months later, under opaque circumstances, raises more questions than it answers—questions that strike at the heart of Gambia’s struggle to reconcile with its brutal past.
Colley’s name is synonymous with the darkest chapters of Jammeh’s 22-year rule. The Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) report implicated him in a litany of atrocities—torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances—recommending his prosecution as a step toward justice for countless victims. Some hailed his voluntary return from exile last year as a rare moment of accountability, a chance to see a high-ranking figure face the consequences of his alleged crimes. Yet, his death in custody has abruptly extinguished that possibility, leaving a void where justice might have stood.
The official narrative from the Gambia Armed Forces—that Colley passed away after a “brief illness”—is as vague as it is convenient. The announcement of an inquest under the Coroner’s Act, requested by the Attorney General, offers a semblance of transparency, but skepticism is warranted. Custodial deaths, particularly of politically charged figures, have a troubling history of being shrouded in ambiguity, not just in Gambia but across the world. Was Colley’s demise truly natural, or does it hint at something more sinister—an effort to silence a man who might have revealed uncomfortable truths about the Jammeh era and its lingering shadows in today’s institutions?
This is not to suggest a conspiracy without evidence but to demand clarity where opacity reigns. Colley was no ordinary prisoner; he was a symbol of a regime that terrorized Gambians for decades. His detention at Yundum Barracks, rather than a civilian facility, already raised eyebrows. Why was a man of his stature, facing such grave accusations, held by the military rather than handed over to a judicial process aligned with the TRRC’s recommendations? The Gambia Armed Forces’ swift condolence message to his family, while humanely worded, feels jarring against the backdrop of his alleged victims, whose families still await closure.
The broader implications of Colley’s death cannot be ignored. Gambia’s transition from dictatorship to democracy has been lauded internationally, but the pace of accountability has been glacial. The TRRC concluded its work in 2021, yet few of the “Junglers” and their enablers have faced trial domestically. Establishing the Special Prosecutor’s Office and Special Accountability Mechanism in 2024 was a promising step, but Colley’s death underscores a harsh reality: time is an enemy of justice. Witnesses die, evidence fades, and political will wanes. Each lost opportunity to prosecute alleged perpetrators risks entrenching a culture of impunity that Jammeh’s fall was meant to dismantle.
Moreover, Colley’s passing invites scrutiny of the state’s capacity—or willingness—to protect those in its custody. If he was indeed ill, why was his condition not addressed sooner? If foul play was involved, who benefits from his silence? These are not accusations but questions the public deserves answers to, especially in a nation striving to rebuild trust in its institutions. The inquest must be rigorous, independent, and public—not a perfunctory exercise to appease critics.
The Alkamba Times does not mourn Bora Colley. His alleged crimes, if proven, mark him as a perpetrator of unimaginable suffering. But we do mourn the lost chance for truth. His death in custody is not just the end of a man; it is a mirror reflecting Gambia’s unresolved wounds. Justice delayed is justice denied, and justice interrupted is a wound reopened. The government must act decisively—not just with this inquest, but with a renewed commitment to prosecuting Jammeh-era crimes. Otherwise, Colley’s burial amid tears and tributes will be less a footnote than a warning: the past remains perilously close and the future perilously uncertain.
