The peaceful forest of Birkelane was the scene of a rare act of violence last Thursday. While he had just arrested the shepherd A. Bâ, suspected of having slaughtered the farmer M. Dramé, the Commander of the local gendarmerie brigade himself narrowly escaped death. Caught in an ambush set by relatives of the suspect, he was savagely attacked with a machete.
According to information reported by L’Observateur, it all started in the afternoon of Thursday, October 30, around 5 p.m. That day, M. Dramé, a farmer established in Fass Sy, was working in his millet field when he saw the flock of the shepherd A. Bâ destroying his crops. Furious, he called out to the shepherd and asked him to remove his animals. But he categorically refused and let his flock continue to ravage the field.
Unable to tolerate this provocation any longer, M. Dramé became angry and a heated argument broke out between the two men. The dispute quickly escalated: A. Bâ, armed with a machete, violently attacked the farmer and slaughtered him on the spot. Alerted by the screams, villagers rushed to the scene, subdued the shepherd, and alerted the gendarmerie.
Informed of the tragedy, Commander Ndiaye immediately went to the scene with his men to ascertain the facts and arrest the suspect. Little did he know that his life was about to take a drastic turn.
Still according to L’Observateur, it was on the way back that the unthinkable happened. While the gendarmerie vehicle was transporting Commander Ndiaye and the alleged murderer, an ambush was set up on an isolated stretch of the road to Birkelane. A group of men, identified as relatives of A. Bâ, emerged from the bushes, armed with machetes. “They came out like devils,” a witness quoted by the newspaper said. “They particularly wanted the Commander. Their goal was clear: to kill him to free their comrade.”
The attackers rushed at the vehicle with unprecedented violence. In the chaos, Commander Ndiaye was struck several times with a machete, including a very violent blow to the jaw. His men, caught off guard, bravely fought to protect him and repel the attackers.
Still according to L’Observateur, the gendarmes’ response was decisive. Showing exemplary courage, they managed to extricate their seriously injured superior and neutralize several attackers. Seriously injured, Commander Ndiaye was urgently evacuated to the Birkelane health center, where he was admitted to the emergency room in a worrying condition.
Contacted by L’Observateur from his hospital bed, the Commander, despite great weakness, confirmed that nine of the attackers had been arrested and placed in custody, while others were still on the run.
This double tragedy – the slaughter of the farmer and the attempted assassination of the Commander – plunged Birkelane into a tense situation. During the night from Thursday to Friday, law enforcement had to intervene several times to prevent clashes between the inhabitants of Fass Sy and Loumbal Peulh.
M. Dramé’s body was transferred to the morgue of the regional hospital Thierno Birahim Ndiaye in Kaffrine pending autopsy. As for A. Bâ, the alleged murderer, he received treatment for a wound to his right arm before being incarcerated.
According to information relayed by L’Observateur, the nine arrested attackers as well as the shepherd A. Bâ are expected to be brought before the Kaffrine prosecutor’s office in the coming hours, at the end of their custody. They face charges of attempted assassination on a person in authority, among others.
Injured in the jaw, Commander Ndiaye has begun a long recovery, while the gendarmerie of Birkelane remains on alert to prevent any further incidents in this now tense locality.
