Nineteen years after his alleged involvement in the gruesome killings of Gambia’s former spy chief Daba Marenah and 4 others, 45–year old alleged member of ex-president Yahya Jammeh death squad, Junglers, Michael Sang Correa faces a historic trial in the United States of America but on torture charges, not murder.
By Mariam Sankanu
In March 2006, Ebou Lowe, a soldier of The Gambia Armed Forces, was summarily executed on allegations that he took part in a coup plot.
Lowe and four other soldiers; former spy chief Daba Marenah, Alpha Bah, Manlafi Corr, and Alieu Ceesay were picked up from the state central prisons in the outskirts of Banjul at 1AM and driven into a garden in Bunubor, a village less than an hour’s drive from Jammeh’s native village Kanilai. All five soldiers were shot dead at close range by the former president Yahya Jammeh’s death squad and their bodies thrown into a ditch.
The Jammeh government did its best to cover up the extrajudicial killings by announcing the next day that the prisoners had escaped after a vehicle transporting them to Jangjangbureh, a prison about 5 hours’ drive from Banjul, somersaulted.
Now in a self-imposed exile in Equatorial Guinea, Jammeh ruled The Gambia with an iron fist for 22 years. In a shocking turn of events, the eccentric leader who swore to rule the country for a billion years, lost the presidential election in 2016 to Adama Barrow. In 2019, President Barrow established a truth commission to probe his human rights violations.
The Commission found that the so–called escapees in 2006 were in fact murdered in cold blood by a deathsquad under the orders of Jammeh. In its series of reports published on the website of the Ministry of Justice, the Commission identified the culprits as Yahya Jammeh, Tumbul Tamba, Solo Bojang, Malick Jatta, Sainey Jammeh, Yusupha Sanneh, Bora Colley, Michael Correa, Nfansu Nyabally, Mustapha Sanneh, Ismaila Jammeh and Alieu Jeng.
Nineteen years after the gruesome killings, 45–year old Michael Sang Correa, an alleged death squad member implicated in the murders, faces a historic trial in the United States of America but on torture charges, not murder.
Ousman Lowe—one of Ebou’s sons—was only five years old when his father was summarily executed. Even though Correa’s trial has been hailed for being first of its kind in the US, the 24-year-old feels disappointed in the charges preferred against him.
“….the charges against him are not for my father’s killing—they are for acts of torture committed in relation to the 2006 coup in The Gambia. It is frustrating to know that he is facing justice, but not for the crime that took my father away. It is as if his role in our suffering is being overlooked; as if my father’s life is somehow less significant in the eyes of the law,” Ousman told The Republic.
“At the same time,” he added, “I find some comfort in knowing that Correa is no longer untouchable. For years, men like him walked freely, living normal lives while we, the victims, carried the burden of their crimes. His trial may not be for my father’s murder, but it is a step toward accountability. It is proof that justice, even if delayed, is still possible.”
Lowe is survived by a wife and four children. As the second child, Ousman took on the weight of responsibility at a very early age. The 24-year-old is currently pursuing a 6-month cybersecurity course through a scholarship from the Mayor of Banjul. In the absence of the breadwinner and head of the family, a young Ousman had to grow quickly and be strong for his siblings and mother.
“I was very young when my father was taken from us. The memories I have of him are few, but they are deeply cherished. He was a strong, principled man—someone who believed in standing up for what was right, even in the face of danger. My family was never the same after his murder. We lived in fear, knowing that those who killed him could do the same to others. The trauma shaped our childhood, forcing us to grow up too quickly, to understand things no child should have to understand,” said Ousman.
“His absence left not only an emotional void but also a financial and social one. We were no longer just an ordinary family; we were a victim family, forever marked by the cruelty of those in power.”
Torture. Why not murder?
Following the failed coup attempt in 2006 spearheaded by Colonel Ndure Cham– the army chief–several individuals were arrested and subjected to gruesome tortures at the hands of the junglers and unlawful interrogations by a panel. Colonel Cham was later arrested and executed by Junglers in 2013.
According to the indictment before the US Court, Correa and other junglers “beat victims, put plastic bags over their heads, and used electric shocks while they were interrogated.”
“In the U.S., prosecutors have the discretion to decide which cases they bring. In making these decisions, prosecutors consider a range of factors, including available resources and documentation. The prosecutor has not disclosed why they chose to prosecute these specific alleged acts of torture and not others,” said Ela Mathews, staff attorney at the Centre for Justice and Accountability (CJA).
“The U.S. does not have legislation to prosecute many other crimes against humanity committed outside of its borders. This limits the type of charges that a prosecutor might bring. Correa’s case highlights the urgent need for the U.S. to pass legislation criminalizing crimes against humanity. Without this law, perpetrators who are in the United States could escape accountability for some or all of their crimes.”
Correa left The Gambia in 2016 following the fall of Jammeh. In September 2019, he was arrested for overstaying his visa. A coalition of human rights organisations including CJA and Swiss-based Trial International urged the government to charge him for his involvement in other serious crimes. This led to his indictment in 2020.
In 2004, Michael Sang Correa was one of the soldiers who had undergone commando training, the special training for Junglers. Although Junglers were part of the Gambia Armed Forces, they were Jammeh’s hit-squad, and directly took their orders from him, according to the Truth Commission. Correa has been adversely mentioned at The Gambia’s Truth Commission by several witnesses. He has been found responsible for murder and other human rights violations.
Slow-paced justice home, fast-paced abroad
The Gambia’s transitional justice efforts have been progressing at a snail’s pace, much to the frustration of rights activists and victims of Jammeh-era crimes.
The Barrow government’s will to prosecute these crimes has been questioned after nearly a decade of stagnation despite the truth commission’s treasure trove of evidence against individuals implicated in the rights violations.
Though a significant number of the Junglers are still in exile, a good number have voluntarily returned, interrogated by the army and released. However, none has been charged or prosecuted.
And, irony on top of tragedy, the opposite is true abroad. Bai Lowe was tried and sentenced to life in Switzerland in November 2023. Former interior minister, Ousman Sonko, was tried and sentenced to 20yrs in Germany in May 2024. Michale Sang Correa starts his trial tomorrow in the US and another former official of feared National Intelligence Agency, Alagie Morr, is under investigation on allegations of torture in Scotland.
The victims reparations commission has been established but the biggest mechanism expected to kick into gear prosecutions—the Special Tribunal—requires nearly 40 million dollars to start .
Meanwhile, in Banjul, the tectonic shifts in the politics continue to cast doubt on political will to prosecute Jammeh–era crimes. Though Jammeh, as his allies in crime, remain fugitive from justice on paper, not much efforts were made to bring them to book. While the 60–year-old Jammeh governs his party, as a ‘supreme leader’ from Equatorial Guinea, through his frequent WhatsApp audios, radical mergers were forged in Banjul. His former ruling APRC, which claimed to have started coalition talks with Barrow on Jammeh’s order, went into an alliance with the President ahead of the 2021 elections.
Jammeh denounced the alliance and made a failed attempt at sacking all his executive members who were already recognised by the Independent Electoral Commission. The faction of the party loyal to Jammeh went on to form a “No-to-alliance” movement, currently holding 5 representatives in the National Assembly.
Following his 2021 re-election, Barrow appointed as Speaker of the Parliament, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Jammeh’s loyal lawmaker in the House for 20 years, now APRC leader, who shared his claims that the 2016 presidential election was stolen. His deputy in the House Seedy Njie, now a prominent member of Barrow’s National People’s Party, was Jammeh’s last information minister who went into exile with him.
Why the trial was postponed
Correa’s initial trial date was September 16 last year. Few days before the trial, it was postponed. In 2024, Correa submitted a motion for his indictment to be dismissed because the government failed to provide assurance that two of his key witnesses will be granted immunity during the period they are present in the US to give testimony. The court denied this motion. Correa also filed a motion for the court to delay the trial whilst the defense team travels to Gambia to obtain depositions from the witnesses.
According to Correa, the testimony of Momodou Hydara, former deputy director of the National Intelligence Agency; and Alieu Jeng, a former Jungler, will prove that he was coerced and under duress whilst participating in those tortures. Both Jeng and Hydara testified before the Commission and accepted responsibility for some crimes which means they could be arrested if they travel to the U.S.
“The only way that victims get assurance that at least perpetrators are being held accountable and their cases matter is the fact that universal jurisdiction is making perpetrators who have run away pay for the crimes they have committed back home. So this is something that will give little comfort also to victims because to be honest, every victim wants your perpetrator to be tried in the country because that is where the crimes have been committed. But as long as that is not happening, the only option, the only hope that we have is Universal Jurisdiction cases,” said Fatoumatta Sandeng, the daughter of Ebrima Solo Sandeng— a political activist tortured to death in state custody in April 2016 for protesting for ‘proper electoral reforms.
In July 2022, five former officials of the National Intelligence Agency were sentenced to death for Sandeng’s murder. If found guilty on all charges, Correa will be sentenced to 20 years in prison for each count and a total of 140 years.
