Lieutenant Colonel Sanna Manjang, one of the most feared names from the Jammeh-era Junglers, has been delivered back to Gambian authorities after eight years on the run. His extradition from Senegal on December 2 has triggered a legal storm that insiders say could end in the harshest punishment available under Gambian military law.
A senior officer within the Gambia Armed Forces legal unit, speaking to JollofNews under strict anonymity, described the case as “one of the most serious the military has ever prepared for.” Manjang is expected to face charges tied to murder, torture, and enforced disappearances. And after spending nearly a decade abroad while still an enlisted officer, the military will count every year of his absence as desertion.
That single charge alone could destroy any slim hope he might have had of leniency.
“An officer accused of crimes like these would normally expect severe penalties,” the legal insider said. “Add eight years of desertion, and the consequences only get heavier.”
If convicted by a court martial, Manjang could face a dishonorable discharge, loss of all service benefits, long-term imprisonment, or even a death sentence. The Armed Forces Act, which governs military trials, gives the President as Commander-in-Chief the power to convene or direct court martial proceedings. That political weight hangs heavily over what is likely to become one of the most closely watched trials in recent Gambian history.
The return of a man long accused of operating at the heart of the Junglers’ darkest operations has reopened old wounds, and victims’ families are already preparing for civilian action. The military source confirmed that the public is free to pursue charges in the regular courts, independent of whatever unfolds in the barracks.
“Members of the public have the right to sue a military officer for crimes like murder and disappearance,” the insider said. “The Constitution gives them that path.”
That means Manjang may find himself fighting on two legal fronts at once: a military trial that could strip him of his rank and freedom, and civilian cases pressed by families who have waited years for answers.
With the Armed Forces tightening its grip and the civilian justice system preparing to move, the extradited Jungler is now cornered. The coming weeks will show whether Gambia’s institutions can deliver what victims have sought for years: truth, accountability, and a clear break from the impunity that once defined the state.
JollofNews will keep tracking every development as the case moves toward trial.
