Remembering yahya jammehs mile 2 prison

Mile 2 Prison, a notorious facility in Banjul, the capital of The Gambia, during the regime of Yahya Jammeh. The prison was infamous for its harsh conditions, torture, and human rights abuses.

Yahya Jammeh, a former military officer, seized power in a coup in 1994 and ruled The Gambia with an iron fist until he was forced into exile in 2017. During his rule, Mile 2 Prison became a symbol of fear and oppression.

Conditions at Mile 2 Prison were brutal. Detainees were subjected to physical and psychological torture, including beatings, electrocution, and sexual abuse. Many prisoners were held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions, with limited access to food, water, and medical care.

The prison was also notorious for its use of forced labor, with prisoners being forced to work on farms, in mines, and in other industries. Those who refused to comply were subjected to harsh punishment, including imprisonment in solitary confinement or even execution.

Many political opponents, journalists, and human rights activists were imprisoned at Mile 2, often without trial or due process. The prison was also used to hold people who were perceived as threats to Jammeh's regime, including those who were accused of treason or plotting against the government.

The abuse and mistreatment of prisoners at Mile 2 Prison were well-documented by human rights organizations and international observers. In 2013, the Gambian government was accused of torturing and killing a prominent opposition leader, Solo Sandeng, who was arrested during a protest against Jammeh's rule.

In 2016, the Gambian government announced plans to renovate and modernize Mile 2 Prison, but many critics argued that the move was an attempt to whitewash the prison's notorious reputation and avoid accountability for past human rights abuses.

After Jammeh's regime was toppled in 2017, the new government of Adama Barrow launched an investigation into human rights abuses committed during Jammeh's rule, including those at Mile 2 Prison. The investigation led to the arrest and prosecution of several former officials and security personnel accused of involvement in torture and other human rights abuses.

Today, Mile 2 Prison remains a symbol of the human rights abuses committed during Jammeh's regime, and efforts are ongoing to hold those responsible accountable and to ensure that such abuses do not happen again in The Gambia.