As the Historic Gambia Trial Begins, the Former Head of the Jammeh Murder Squad Enters a Not Guilty Plea

The Gambia on Thursday began its first trial involving a former member of the feared “Junglers” paramilitary unit, a group that operated as a death squad during the rule of ex-president Yahya Jammeh. Sanna Manjang, who is accused of leading the unit, pleaded not guilty to two murder charges during a hearing at the High Court in the capital, Banjul.

Although Manjang was charged in December over two other killings, including the murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, those cases were not included in Thursday’s proceedings, a move that surprised some observers.

The current trial focuses instead on the killing of Kajali Jammeh, who was reportedly linked to the MFDC rebel group that has long fought for independence in Senegal’s Casamance region. Prosecutors allege that Manjang murdered him by slitting his throat with a knife. Manjang is also accused of killing another man, Samba Wurry, by stabbing him in the chest.

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