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General News of Monday, 20 August 2007

Source: Daily Guide

Ghanaians killed on high seas in Senegal

The dust has not settled yet on the alleged gruesome murder of 44 Ghanaians on the orders of President Yayha Jammeh of The Gambia in 2005 in that country, and reports are filtering in about the murder of some eight other Ghanaians on the high seas in Senegal.

The Daily Guide newspaper reports on Monday that, it has received news that some eight Ghanaians have been killed on the high seas.

This incident according to the newspaper happened last month when the eight boarded a Senegalese fishing boat heading to Spain in search of greener pastures.

The report suggested that the Ghanaian mission in the Hague, Netherlands, last week sent an SOS to Accra in which it indicated that between July 27 and 30 2007, eight passengers identified as Ghanaians travelling on board a fishing vessel have been killed on the high seas between Senegal and Mauritania.

The report further stated that the murder involved the drawing of blood and harvesting of human parts by Senegalese connection men who were ferrying more than 200 people of different nationalities to Spain.

The victims were said to be at sea for nine days before the murder.

One Ghanaian named as Alex Takyi, the only Ghanaian passenger who could speak French was said to have been pushed out of the boat and thrown out into the shark infested sea when he protested against the treatment being meted out to them.

The sole survivor of the dreadful event, one Agyeman had the tragic news conveyed to The Hague through a relative in Amsterdam, known as Joe Kwao. The Ghana embassy in Dakar as at last week has not been aware of the incident.

According to the report, Agyeman claimed to know three of the victims and gave one’s name as Tanor.

According to Agyeman, when the perpetrators of the crime finally docked at a port in Mauritania, the incident was reported to the Mauritanian Police, who took no action.

Agyeman said, he and other survivors were however escorted to the border between Mauritania and Senegal and advised to find their way back home to their countries of origin.

Agyeman is reported to be hiding in a Senegalese town of Rousso waiting to be rescued.