Trial Opens in Gambia of Leader of Notorious Death Squad during Jammeh Era

A Gambian court on Thursday opened the trial of one of the leaders of former dictator Yahya Jammeh ‘s notorious death squad. 
  
Sanna Manjang, who headed a feared paramilitary unit called the “ Junglers ” under Jammeh, is accused by state prosecutors of two counts of murder dating back to 2006. He denies the charges. 
  
The paramilitary unit was accused of arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearance, and summary executions. Some members who testified before the country’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, which was created after Jammeh’s reign in 2017, said that they acted at the direction of the former president. 
  
Jammeh was forced to step down following an electoral defeat that ended his 22-year reign. He had refused to acknowledge his opponent’s victory, sparking a threat of military action by the Economic Community of West African States. 
 
Read more here.