Gambiaj.com – (KANIFING, The Gambia) – Sanna Manjang, the former Jungler who spent eight years hiding in Senegal, appeared before the Kanifing Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to face three counts of murder linked to killings committed during the Yahya Jammeh regime.
The prosecution filed charges accusing Manjang of intentionally shooting and killing three men in separate attacks carried out by the Junglers, Jammeh’s notorious hit squad.
The victims were journalist Deyda Hydara, killed in 2004; Ndongo Mboob, killed in 2005 in Kanilai; and Haruna Jammeh, killed in 2006 in Kanilai. According to the December 2025 charge sheet, each killing was carried out with malice aforethought, with Manjang allegedly shooting the victims with a firearm.
Manjang did not take a plea. Principal Magistrate Sallah Mbye ruled that the case falls outside the jurisdiction of the Magistrates’ Court and transferred it to the Special Criminal Division of the High Court.
She ordered that Manjang be remanded at Mile 2 Central Prison pending his appearance before the High Court.
TRRC Testimony Places Manjang at the Heart of the Killings
The Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC) previously named Manjang as a central figure in multiple regime-ordered killings.
Witnesses testified in detail about his alleged role in the murder of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara, co-founder of The Point newspaper and correspondent for AFP, who was gunned down near Banjul on 16 December 2004.
In 2019, former Jungler Malick Jatta told the TRRC he drove the attack vehicle while Manjang and another operative fired the shots that killed Hydara.
The TRRC also linked Manjang to the killings of Ndongo Mboob in Kanifing in 2005 and Haruna Jammeh in Kanilai in 2006, both said to be carried out on orders originating from Jammeh’s inner circle.
The Commission described Manjang as a key operative who executed arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and killings.
Prosecution Seeks High Court Trial
The prosecution team, led by Commissioner Sanneh and supported by ACP Manga, DPC Jarju, ASP Y. Colley, and F. Kujabi appeared on behalf of the Inspector General of Police. Sanneh told the court that murder is a capital offense beyond the Magistrates’ Court’s mandate.
Citing section 72 of the new Criminal Offences Act and section 72A on custody requirements, she requested that the matter be transferred to the High Court. She also relied on Legal Notice No. 3 of 2009, which established the Special Criminal Division to handle grave offenses.
Magistrate Mbye granted the request and ordered that Manjang remain at Mile 2 until the High Court assumes jurisdiction.
Arrest After Eight Years on the Run
Manjang was arrested in Casamance on 29 November in a joint Senegalese-Gambian security operation. He fled The Gambia in January 2017 after Jammeh’s fall and had since been living clandestinely in Senegal.
His arrest has been hailed by victims’ groups as a major breakthrough. Advocates such as Reed Brody of the International Commission of Jurists said Manjang’s detention could help uncover the truth about longstanding enforced disappearances, including possible burial sites of victims.
Baba Hydara, son of slain journalist Deyda Hydara, said the arrest offers victims’ families a renewed chance at justice after more than two decades of waiting. Many families, he noted, have endured repeated delays, with some victims dying without answers.
Casamance Dealings Surface
Security sources in Senegal say Manjang had recently become embroiled in disputes involving arms and timber trafficking in the Casamance region. He reportedly maintained ties with elements of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), and disagreements over money reportedly led to the tip-off that triggered his arrest. Three others were detained alongside him.
The arrest underscores growing cooperation between Gambia and Senegal on cross-border security.
More Charges Expected
A High Court date has yet to be scheduled, but prosecutors say additional charges, potentially including torture and crimes against humanity, are being prepared. The Gambia government is pushing for a hybrid court with local and international judges, an initiative backed by ECOWAS and the United Nations.
Such a court could pave the way for accountability not only for Manjang but also for former ruler Yahya Jammeh, should Equatorial Guinea eventually agree to extradite him.
For the families of Hydara, Mboob, and Jammeh, the court action marks a long-awaited shift. After years of uncertainty, they say the path toward justice, though overdue, finally appears to be opening.
