Sanna Manjang, the former leader of a Gambian paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers,” has appeared before a military court in Banjul to face charges of desertion.
Manjang, a former lieutenant colonel, is accused of abandoning the Gambian armed forces in 2017, following the end of former President Yahya Jammeh’s 20-year rule. Prosecutors allege that he remained absent from duty for nine years with the intention of deserting.
He was arrested in Senegal in November 2025 and extradited to The Gambia the following month.
The case comes amid efforts by Gambian authorities to pursue accountability for alleged abuses committed during Jammeh’s rule. The country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission found evidence of killings, torture, kidnappings and other abuses, estimating that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state.
The Junglers, which operated separately from the Gambian army, have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings and torture.
Manjang previously faced four murder charges, including the 2004 killing of AFP journalist Deyda Hydara, but those charges were dropped in July after prosecutors struggled to secure witnesses. He was also accused of killing three other men.
Several alleged accomplices of Jammeh, including former Junglers members, have been prosecuted and sentenced in countries including Germany, Switzerland and the United States.
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