A notorious member of Gambia's "Junglers" paramilitary unit, which acted as a death squad under ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh, appeared in military court in Banjul on Monday to face desertion charges.
Sanna Manjang, who was the head of the squad and a lieutenant colonel, is charged with deserting the armed forces when he went on the run in January 2017, when Jammeh was forced into exile at the end of his two-decade reign.
Manjang had previously been charged with four counts of murder, including of longtime AFP journalist Deyda Hydara, but those charges were dropped in mid-July.
The murder charges were withdrawn while the state works through how it plans to call witnesses, given that most are themselves alleged Junglers.
The charges are expected to be refiled at a future date.
Extrajudicial killings
The Junglers worked independently of Gambia's regular army, and the death squad has long been accused of extrajudicial killings and torture by the United Nations and rights groups.
In addition to the shooting of Hydara, Manjang was formally accused of killing three other men, including one whom he allegedly told would be fed to crocodiles before decapitating him.
Manjang's court martial is for desertion "on or about" January 21, 2017, when Jammeh also fled the country, and of absence "for a continuous period of nine years with the intention of deserting".
Manjang was arrested in neighbouring Senegal in November and repatriated to Gambia in December.
‘Human rights violations’
The Gambian Armed Forces described Manjang as "implicated in serious human rights violations" in its statement on Monday announcing the court martial.
When the murder charges were dropped in mid-July, Manjang was charged separately with the assault of two other men, in a trial that is ongoing.
Jammeh's more than two decades in power, from 1994 to 2017, were marked by significant rights abuses and the earmarking of state funds for the eccentric leader's personal use, the current government and rights groups say.
After losing a presidential election in December 2016 to opposition leader Adama Barrow, Jammeh refused to acknowledge the results and was ultimately forced to flee.
Truth and reconciliation commission
Following his departure, the country established the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), which probed alleged crimes under his rule.
The commission found that between 240 and 250 people were killed by the state during Jammeh's reign.
It also found evidence of widespread extrajudicial killings, torture, kidnappings, witch hunts and other abuse.
Several of Jammeh's accomplices, including Junglers, have been detained and sentenced abroad in Germany, Switzerland and the United States.
