Former AFPRC junta strong men Sana Sabally and Edward Singhatey on Wednesday hugged each other twenty five years after they parted ways in an acrimonious manner.
The duo together with Yahya Jammeh, Sadibou Hydara and Yankuba Touray, toppled the government of Dawda Jawara which ruled The Gambia for 30 years.
Sana Sabally was arrested on 29th January 1995 on allegation that he wanted to overthrow the government of ex-president Yahya Jammeh. He was tried and subsequently sentenced to nine years in jail. After serving his jail term, he went in to exile in Senegal and subsequently Germany.
Sabally said: “When I listened to Edward’s testimony, I understood we fall in the same category, either way, we were victims, either way, we were oppressors. So, I decided to initiate the line so that we can reconcile for our personal interest but also so that we can
[jointly] ask for forgiveness [from] the nation, so that the victims can find it in their hearts to forgive us.”
According to Sana, he initiated the reconciliation talks with the view of reconciling with Singhatey, who he described as his brother..
He added: “I have said it from the day I left the prisons that I have forgiven you all. Even if Jammeh was here today, I will tell him the same.”
Singhatey, who said he arrested Sabally after Yahya Jammeh told him that the former vice chairperson of the junta wanted to topple his regime, expressed remorse for what happened to his colleague (Sabally).
He said: “We should not have been in this situation right now. This is not what we got up to do in 1994. I can remember clearly your (Sana Sabally’s) vision [and] my vision that this country would be a paradise for all Gambians. We had our intentions it did not end up like that. In the process, we fell apart to such an extent that you (Sana Sabally) had to go through something so terrible.
