The Nyang-Sanneh Institute (NSI), a prominent Gambian human rights organization, applauded President Adama Barrow’s administration Tuesday for its “strong and disciplined” rejection of immunity for exiled former dictator Yahya Jammeh, declaring his “free days are numbered.”
In a statement issued hours after the government’s press release, NSI congratulated authorities for reaffirming their commitment to justice and the rule of law. “Most Gambians congratulate the Barrow Government,” the institute said, praising the official denial of any secret amnesty deal and insistence that Jammeh will face arrest and prosecution upon return.
Jammeh, who fled to Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after losing the 2016 election, recently claimed he would return soon. The government swiftly clarified that no Memorandum of Understanding or immunity agreement exists—only an unsigned 2017 Joint Declaration by ECOWAS, the African Union, and UN to secure a peaceful transition.
NSI’s director, Professor Abdoulaye Saine, asserted there is “plausible evidence” to try Jammeh domestically for alleged murder, torture, enforced disappearances, and corruption documented by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC). “Yahya Jammeh is a criminal who has temporarily evaded justice,” the statement read. “He is a coward testing Gambia’s will to prosecute him.”
The institute emphasized that a fair trial is both a right and a necessity. “Jammeh deserves due process, and if found guilty, must be dealt with accordingly,” it said, adding that justice, though slow, “shall come eventually.”
Victims of Jammeh’s 22-year regime—marked by journalist assassinations, migrant massacres, and widespread repression—expressed relief. The statement reassured activists who exposed his abuses that their efforts were not in vain.
As international attention focuses on The Gambia’s transitional justice process, NSI predicted global anticipation for Jammeh’s trial, whether in Banjul or through universal jurisdiction. “The world awaits with great anticipation,” it said.
