Gambia ex-Junglers leader Sanna Manjang faces military desertion trial

September 22, 2026 at 01:57 AM2 min

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Sanna Manjang, former head of Gambia's 'Junglers' paramilitary unit, appeared in a military court in Banjul on desertion charges. He is accused of fleeing the country in 2017 after Yahya Jammeh's 20-year rule ended. The trial follows the July dropping of murder charges against him, including the 2004 killing of journalist Deyda Hydara.

Key Facts

Sanna Manjang faces a military court for deserting the Gambian army in 2017 after Yahya Jammeh's 20-year rule ended.
Manjang was arrested in Senegal in November 2025 and repatriated to The Gambia a month later.
The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission found that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state under Jammeh.
Murder charges against Manjang, including the 2004 killing of AFP journalist Deyda Hydara, were dropped in July.

Desertion Trial

Sanna Manjang, former head of the Gambian paramilitary unit known as the 'Junglers', appeared in a military court in Banjul to face charges of desertion. He is accused of deserting the armed forces when the lieutenant colonel fled the country in 2017 after the end of President Yahya Jammeh's 20-year rule. The charge specifies an absence of 'a continuous period of nine years with the intention of deserting'. Manjang was arrested in Senegal last November and repatriated to The Gambia a month later.

Junglers Atrocities

The Junglers armed group, which operated independently from the Gambian army, has long been accused by the United Nations of extrajudicial killings and torture. Longtime leader Jammeh was forced into exile after losing power in 2016 to Adama Barrow, then opposition leader and now president. Following Jammeh's departure, the country established the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which investigated alleged crimes under his rule. The TRRC found that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state and documented widespread extrajudicial killings, torture, kidnappings, witch hunts and other abuses. Several of Jammeh's accomplices, including Junglers, have been detained and sentenced abroad in Germany, Switzerland and the United States.

Dropped Murder Charges

Manjang was previously charged with four counts of murder, including that of AFP journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, but the charges were dropped in July as The Gambia struggled to summon witnesses, some allegedly members of the death squad. In addition to Hydara's shooting, Manjang was accused of killing three other men, including one he personally decapitated. After the charges were dropped, Manjang was charged separately for the assault of two other men in an ongoing trial.