Sanna Manjang, the former head of the Gambian paramilitary unit known as the "Junglers," appeared in a military court to face charges of desertion. Manjang is accused of abandoning the armed forces in 2017 after fleeing the country following the end of President Yahya Jammeh's 20-year rule.
The trial, held in the capital city of Banjul, represents another attempt at accountability for killings that occurred during Jammeh's presidency. A previous murder case against Manjang was dropped in July. He is now facing charges for being absent for a continuous period of nine years with the intention of deserting. Manjang was arrested in Senegal in November 2025 and was repatriated to The Gambia a month later.
The Junglers, which operated independently from the Gambian army, have been accused by the United Nations of extrajudicial killings and torture. Jammeh was forced into exile after losing power in 2016 to Adama Barrow, who was then the opposition leader and is now the president.
After Jammeh's departure, The Gambia established the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to investigate alleged crimes committed under his rule. The TRRC found that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state and uncovered evidence of widespread extrajudicial killings, torture, kidnappings, witch hunts, and other abuses.
Several of Jammeh's accomplices, including members of the Junglers, have been detained and sentenced in Germany, Switzerland, and the United States. Manjang was previously charged with four counts of murder, including the killing of AFP journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, but those charges were dropped due to difficulties in summoning witnesses. In addition to Hydara's case, Manjang was accused of killing three other men, one of whom he allegedly decapitated. Following the dropping of the murder charges, he was charged separately for the assault of two other men in an ongoing trial.