By: Sainabou Sambou
In a packed Kanifing Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon, former “Jungler” death squad member Sanna Manjang was formally charged with three counts of murder for the 2005 assassination of prominent journalist Deyda Hydara and the 2006 killings of opposition figures Ndongo Mboob and Haruna Jammeh.
Appearing for the Inspector General of Police, Commissioner of Police Sanneh, assisted by ACP Manga, DPC Jarju, ASP Y. Colley, and F. Kujabi, informed Principal Magistrate Fatou Sallah Mbye that the offences are capital in nature and fall outside the jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Court.
Commissioner Sanneh successfully applied under Section 72 of the Criminal Offences Act for immediate transfer of the case to the Special Criminal Division of the High Court, citing Legal Notice No. 3 of 2009 that designates such grave crimes for trial before the High Court’s specialised bench established to handle serious human-rights violations from the Jammeh era.
Invoking Section 72A, the prosecution further requested that the accused remain in custody pending his appearance before the High Court. Commissioner Sanneh asked that Manjang be remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison, the country’s maximum-security facility.
Delivering her ruling, Principal Magistrate Sallah Mbye confirmed that Magistrates’ Courts lack jurisdiction over murder charges, granted the prosecution’s applications in full, and ordered the immediate transfer of Criminal Case No. KMC/CC/20/25 to the High Court’s Special Division.
Sanna Manjang, dressed in a grey Haftan and visibly calm, was led away by heavily armed officers and taken directly to Mile 2 Central Prison. No plea was entered at this preliminary stage.
The development marks a significant step in The Gambia’s transitional justice process, with former Junglers increasingly facing prosecution for alleged extrajudicial killings carried out under ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year dictatorship—a date for Manjang’s first appearance before the High Court is expected to be announced shortly.
