BANJUL, Gambia — A Gambian court on Thursday opened the trial of Sanna Manjang, a former leader of a feared paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers” during the rule of Yahya Jammeh, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors accused Manjang of two counts of murder dating back to 2006. Manjang denies the charges.
The paramilitary unit was accused of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance and summary executions, according to the case description outlined in court proceedings. Some members who testified before the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission—created after Jammeh’s reign in 2017—told the commission they carried out actions at the direction of Jammeh.
Jammeh was forced to step down after an electoral defeat ended his 22-year reign. Prosecutors said Jammeh refused to acknowledge his opponent’s victory, a move that led to a threat of military action by the Economic Community of West African States.
Manjang fled to Senegal in 2017. He was arrested last November in Casamance in southern Senegal after a joint operation by the two countries, prosecutors said.
According to the bill of indictment, Manjang is accused of the murders of two men named in the documents: Kajali Jammeh and Samba Wurry.
Manjang’s counsel argued that the law under which he was charged has been repealed. Prosecutors responded that the alleged crimes were committed in 2006, when the criminal code was still in force.
The next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 9.