On trial in Germany for alleged crimes against humanity, murder, and attempted murder while serving under former President Yahya Jammeh’s command, Bai Lowe, a former member of the Gambian Armed Forces and part of “The Junglers,” is scheduled to learn his verdict.
The German court in the city of Celle declared on Monday that the judges would render a decision in Bai Lowe’s case on Thursday.
Now 48 years old, Bai Lowe was reportedly a member of the Gambian army’s “Patrol Team” or “the Junglers,” Yahya Jammeh’s murder squad. Prosecutors said that this group executed extrajudicial executions on Yahya Jammeh’s orders with the intention of stifling the political and public resistance to the former president.
According to the prosecutor’s office in Karlsruhe, Bai Lowe carried out a number of alleged crimes in his capacity as a driver, including carrying out orders to kill political opponents with the help of collaborators and Junglers.
On December 25, 2003, Bai Lowe took the Junglers to the home of attorney Ousman Sillah. It was then that Sanna Manjang and Bora Colley exited the vehicle and shot the attorney until they thought he was dead. “Bai Lowe had already prepared to drive and was waiting in the vehicle. He drove the offenders to leave the area. Despite surviving the attack, attorney Sillah was forced to resign from his position and depart the nation. He continued to experience the psychological and physical effects of the attack until today.
Journalist Deyda Hydara was returning home on December 16, 2004, following the celebration of his newspaper The Point’s 30th anniversary. As he was returning home with his coworkers, Bai Lowe’s car came up from behind and began to flash its lights. Hydara slowed down to give it room, but before he could do so, the Junglers opened fire on Deyda Hydara, killing him instantly and wounding the two female passengers. They are victims of attempted murder, according to the prosecution.
The killing of Dawda Nyassi, a former Gambian soldier Jammeh considered a possible threat, after he traveled to Liberia to aid warlord Charles Taylor was finally detailed by the prosecution. He was taken into custody in 2006, tied to a tree close to the airport, shot, and buried in an undisclosed place.
Bai Lowe has been detained since his arrest in Hanover, Germany on March 2021. A year later, charges were brought, and the Celle Higher Regional Court, located north of Hanover, hosted the trial that followed.
Federal prosecutors have asked for a life sentence, while the defense has asked for the accused to be found not guilty.
