The Gambia Armed Forces has opened a General Court Martial against Lieutenant Colonel Sanna Manjang, a former officer and alleged member of the feared Junglers unit, on a charge of desertion dating back to January 2017.
Proceedings began on Monday, 21 September 2026, at 10:00 hours at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers’ Mess, Guards Battalions, Fajara Barracks. Defense Headquarters said Manjang is charged under service law, Section 34 of the Gambia Armed Forces Act 1985, with desertion contrary to section 53(1)(a) of the Gambia Armed Forces Act.
Prosecutors allege that on or about 21 January 2017 he absented himself from his duty post at the State Guards Battalion in Banjul and remained away for nine years with the intention of deserting. Manjang fled after Yahya Jammeh lost power and was arrested on 29 November 2025 in Senegal’s Casamance region following a joint security operation. He has since faced separate civilian proceedings over alleged Jammeh-era abuses.
Colonel Ousman Bah chairs the court-martial, with Honorable Justice Omar Cham as Judge Advocate. The Director of Public Prosecutions, A.M. Yusuph, or his representatives, together with GAF lawyers, will prosecute. Manjang has been assigned defending officers and may choose his own counsel through the Officer-Under-Instruction.
The hearings are open to the public and the media. The Armed Forces said the trial reflects its commitment to justice, accountability and the rule of law. The desertion case is distinct from High Court proceedings in which murder counts against Manjang have previously been amended or dropped in favor of assault charges, which he has denied.
Manjang remains one of the most prominent alleged Junglers named in Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission testimony. The military trial now tests whether the former lieutenant colonel will answer for nearly a decade of absence from duty.
