The Junglers, an elusive team of the Gambian military operating under the State Guards— an elite unit protecting the Gambian presidency, faces allegations of routine extrajudicial executions and tortures on the orders of former dictator Yahya Jammeh. Disbanded following Jammeh’s shocking election defeat in 2016, a veil of secrecy over deathsquad operations was lifted by testimonies before the country’s truth commission by serving members, answering questions over decades of unsolved murders under the dictatorship including the 2004 assassination of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara.
Denver, Colorado, US- The trial of the former Gambian Jungler, Michael Sang Correa, entered its third day in the US city of Colorado with a fundamental question: could a member of the Junglers refuse orders? The Junglers were a loose group of soldiers operating under the State Guards, an elite team protecting the Gambian presidency, though they reportedly received orders directly from former president Yahya Jammeh.
In 2006, a serving Gambian Major Yahya Darboe, who participated in a foiled coup, was arrested and tortured at the headquarters of the country’s National Intelligence Agency (NIA). The NIA complex used to host a panel of security officers tasked to probe such crimes as the coup under Jammeh. An investigation by the truth commission has found that such investigations are in fact a confession session made possible by the ‘merciless’ beatings of Junglers, who are always on stand-by for orders.
Major Darboe was the third witness to testify in the Correa trial. Although the defence has argued that Junglers could not refuse orders for fear of reprisal, Darboe told the court that Malick Jatta and Bora Colley refused to participate in his torture and he was not aware of anything happening to them.
Yahya Darboe was an adjutant to the commanding officer of Yundum Barracks at the time of the 2006 coup attempt. He was approached by Major Wassa Camara about the coup. Darboe’s role was to get the support of soldiers in his battalion and also control the airport.
When the coup attempt failed, he was arrested at his house and taken to the Mile 2 prisons. While at Mile 2, Major Darboe said he was taken to the NIA at least four times to be tortured by the Junglers, leading to lifelong injuries and suffering. He was hit in his left eye—which now has an issue—and pictures of scars left behind by melted plastic bags on his skin were exhibited in court.
Even after getting a forced confession from him, the torture did not stop.
“During those times you were at the NIA, did you see the Junglers being ordered?” the prosecutor, Laura Cramer-Babycz, asked.
The witness responded in the affirmative, stating that Musa Jammeh was giving them orders.
“Did you see anyone refuse to participate in beating you?”
Darboe mentioned Bora Colley and Malick Jatta as Junglers who refused to participate in his torture.
“Did you observe any consequences Malick Jatta suffered for refusing to beat you?”
The witness responded in the negative.
He further identified Correa, Dembo Jarju and Sanna Manjang as the Junglers who participated most in the tortures. “These are terrible people,” he remarked.
“He [referring to Correa] was more aggressive. I could not believe it was the Michael Correa that I knew before.”
Correa had previously worked under the witness in 2004.
Former Accountant General takes the stand
The supposed civilian leader of the 2006 coup was Alieu Jobe, the Gambia’s Accountant General at the time who is now the head of account at the Gambia National Petroleum Corporation. The defense referred Alieu Jobe to a transcript of his statement to the United States government in 2020 and also mentioned his testimony before The Gambia’s truth commission.
Alieu Jobe testified at the commission, and although he is not one of the plaintiffs in this trial, he has identified Correa as one of his torturers at the NIA. According to his testimony before the TRRC, Ndure Cham had told him that he was going to put his name forward to be the head of the civilian government.
Jobe said he did not agree to be part of the coup. When the coup failed, Ndure Cham called him to inform him that it had failed and he needed a boat to flee to Senegal. Jobe sent him some money through his nephew, Alieu Lowe, who also did not escape the wrath of the Junglers.
Jobe was asked by Ndure Cham to inform and convince one Nfamara Jammeh about the coup, which he did not. Jobe’s name eventually came up when Famara was arrested and being interrogated by the panel. Nfamara told the panel that Ndure Cham told him that Jobe was supposed to inform him about the coup plans but Jobe did not.
The defence counsel asked the witness why he did not flee and he responded that this is because he knew he did not do anything wrong and the only thing Ndure Cham told him was to tell Nfamara Jammeh about the coup, which the witness said he did not. He further stated that he was not concerned that he would be arrested by Jammeh because he knew he did nothing wrong.
The defence attorney, Mathew Belcher, pulled up a paragraph from the witness’s statement highlighting that the witness said he was afraid that President Jammeh would destroy his entire family. The defence counsel also asked the witness if he was aware that Musa Jammeh, Tumbul Tamba, and Manlafi Corr [notorious Junglers] were killed by Jammeh. The witness responded that he only knew they died.
“Defence counsel asked you if you were afraid,” the prosecutor, Melissa Erin Hindman, put it to the witness.
The witness replied that at first he was not afraid because he did not know he would be tortured, adding that he heard rumors but he did not think he would be tortured.
“Were you tortured?”
“Of course I was tortured.”
“He [defence counsel] asked you about fears.”
“There were fears, of course”
“Who were you afraid of?”
“The Junglers.”
The story of Pierre Mendy
Pierre Mendy, now deceased, is not present to face Correa in court. At the time of the incident, Pierre was commander at the Fajara barracks. In his testimony before the TRRC, he said that he was told about the coup by a soldier Alpha Bah but he did not take it seriously. This conversation eventually led to his torture, unlawful interrogation and imprisonment.
But the people he went through this ordeal with are witnesses in the trial and are making sure to tell his story. Mendy himself mentioned Correa as one of his torturers during his testimony at the TRRC.
Following Mendy’s torture at the NIA, Yahya Darboe told the court, he walked him to the bathroom and observed injuries on him, adding that he appeared in so much pain.
If found guilty on all charges, Correa will be sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count and a total of 120 years.
Mariam Sankanu’s trip to the United States of America to cover this trial has been funded by CJA.
