Suspect accused in murder of AFP's Gambia correspondent

A former member of a Gambian death squad, suspected of being involved in the killing of AFP's correspondent in 2004, was charged with murder on Wednesday, according to an AFP journalist who witnessed his court appearance in Banjul. Sanna Manjang, arrested in Senegal on Saturday, faces two charges of murder: one for the killing of long-time AFP journalist Deyda Hydara and another for the death of another individual. Manjang was part of the notorious "Junglers" paramilitary unit, a group used by ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh to suppress opposition during his brutal reign in The Gambia.

Manjang had been in hiding since Jammeh was forced into exile in January 2017, but he was brought back to The Gambia on Tuesday. Court documents presented during his arraignment indicated that he acted "with malice aforethought" in the shooting death of Deyda Hydara. The arraignment was conducted under tight security, and the court ordered that Manjang be held in Banjul's Mile 2 Central Prison.

Deyda Hydara was shot and killed in his car on the outskirts of Banjul on December 16, 2004. At the time of his death, Hydara, a father of four in his 60s, had worked for AFP since 1974, initially as a translator before becoming a journalist. He was a co-founder of the independent newspaper The Point and frequently criticized the government, corruption among the elite, and attacks on press freedom.

In addition to the murder of Hydara, Manjang is also charged with the 2006 killing of businessman Ndongo Mboob, for which he is accused of shooting the victim with a gun, as stated in court documents.

Reed Brody, an international war crimes prosecutor working with victims of Jammeh's regime, described Manjang's arrest as "a pivotal step towards justice." Brody emphasized that former members of the Junglers have repeatedly identified Manjang as a central figure in some of the worst atrocities committed under Jammeh's rule, adding that his testimony could serve as a critical piece of evidence in holding Jammeh accountable. The former president, who now resides in Equatorial Guinea, is still at large despite efforts to bring him to trial.

The Gambian government reiterated its commitment in October to arrest and prosecute Jammeh if he returns, following his statements that he intended to return to The Gambia. The Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which investigated crimes committed during Jammeh's rule, uncovered details about Hydara's murder only after Jammeh was ousted. The TRRC's 2022 report revealed that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state under Jammeh's regime, with widespread evidence of extrajudicial killings, torture, enforced disappearances, witch hunts, and other human rights violations.

The Junglers operated outside the regular army, and the death squad has long been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings and torture, as reported by the United Nations and human rights organizations. Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, fled to Equatorial Guinea after losing the 2016 presidential election to opposition leader Adama Barrow.

The Gambia, a former British colony with a population of two million, remains one of the least developed countries in the world, according to the United Nations.

Author: Riley Thompson