By Sainabou Sambou
A senior police investigator took the stand Monday in the High Court murder trial of Sanna Manjang, the former key member of ex-President Yahya Jammeh’s notorious “Junglers” paramilitary death squad, detailing a 2025 probe into alleged extrajudicial killings dating back nearly two decades.
Deputy Superintendent Jali M. I. Senghore, a 15-year veteran of the Gambia Police Force, testified as the prosecution’s opening witness before Justice S. K. Jobarteh. Manjang faces two counts of murder for the deaths of Kajali Jammeh and Samba Wurry, allegedly committed in Kanilai village in 2006.
Senghore described the formation of a multi-agency joint investigative panel in November 2025, involving the Gambia Police Force, Gambia Armed Forces, and State Intelligence Services. The panel included key figures such as Deputy Police Commissioner Ba Demba, ASP Jankey Manneh, Inspector Samba J. Sowe, Sergeant Musa Jallow, Sergeant Gibrila Samba, NIA Director Pa Ebrima Faye, and Assistant Director Momodou Lamin Jallow.
The investigation centered on witness Ensa Keita, who claimed to have been present at the incident. Keita provided a statement, led investigators to the alleged detention site in Kanilai, and demonstrated the events, allowing photographs of the location. Senghore noted the victims were described as destitute border-area residents possibly engaged in petty crime, with unsuccessful efforts to locate their families.
When confronted at Mile 2 Prison—with an independent witness and defense counsel present—Manjang denied the allegations, the witness said.
The prosecution admitted Manjang’s customary and voluntary statements, recorded on December 3, 2025, as exhibits. Senghore confirmed recording one of each.
Defense counsel S. K. Jobe objected to hearsay elements in the testimony, and the court addressed them under the Criminal Code.
Under cross-examination, Senghore upheld the probe’s propriety, noting multiple statements from Manjang by various officers. He confirmed Manjang’s absence from the Kanilai visit and cited security for withholding some interviewee identities, despite including civilian and military sources.
Manjang, extradited from Senegal in late 2025 after his November arrest, pleaded not guilty when the trial opened in January following dismissal of a preliminary objection challenging the charges’ validity.
The case represents Gambia’s first prosecution of a Jungler member since Jammeh’s 2017 ouster and the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission’s recommendations. It is seen as pivotal for addressing regime-era atrocities, including extrajudicial killings and torture.
State prosecutor E. R. Dougan led the examination.
Proceedings adjourned to February 24, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
