The Truth, Reconciliation & Reparations Commission (TRRC) of Gambia on Nov. 25 delivered its report to President Adama Barrow. The report, while not indicting any specific individual, recommends prosecutions for anyone who was associated with atrocities committed during the 22-year presidency of Yahya Jammeh. Based on nearly three years of inquiry and testimony from some 400 witnesses, the report details systemic crimes including widespread incidents of rape, killing, and torture. Officials of the National Investigative Agency and Jammeh’s alleged personal hit squad known as “Junglas” were the main focus of the inquiry. At least 250 people were confirmed to have been killed by the state under Jammeh’s rule.
Currently, Jammeh is living in exile in Equatorial Guinea, where he fled after he claimed the 2016 election results were rigged. Gambian law only allows for the prosecution of a former head of state after a two-thirds approval of the parliament.
New presidential elections are scheduled for Dec. 4, and there are six contenders including the incumbent Barrow. The National Peoples Party, founded by Barrow, has entered into an alliance with Jammeh’s party, the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation & Construction. However, the alliance has not been endorsed by Jammeh, who has encouraged his supporters to vote for the opposition.
Barrow or his successor have six months to take action on the report.
From Jurist, Nov. 26. Used with permission.
Map: CIA
