Micheal Sang Correa, alleged Jungler
By Buba Gagigo
A federal judge on Monday dismissed one of the charges against Michael Sang Correa, a former Gambian security official accused of participating in a notorious state-sponsored death squad, after a key witness failed to appear in court.
Prosecutors moved to withdraw Count Five, which relates to the alleged torture of army officer Bunja Darboe, who the state had intended to call as a witness. The government said Mr. Darboe was unable to testify because he is currently on deployment.
Judge Christine M. Arguello granted the motion to dismiss the count.
According to court filings, Mr. Correa is accused of transporting Mr. Darboe from the Mile 2 Prison to the National Intelligence Agency headquarters in Banjul, where he allegedly placed a plastic bag over Mr. Darboe’s head, restricting his ability to breathe. He is further alleged to have beaten Mr. Darboe repeatedly with his hands, feet, sticks, and tree branches, and at one point, reportedly held a knife to his neck and pointed a pistol at his head.
Mr. Correa, who was a member of an elite unit known as the “Junglers,” faces multiple charges related to torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings committed during the repressive 22-year rule of former President Yahya Jammeh. He was implicated by several former Junglers during testimony before The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).
Among the high-profile crimes he is alleged to have participated in are the murders of journalist Deyda Hydara and journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh, as well as the 2013 killing of Alhagie Mamut Ceesay and Ebou Jobe, two Gambian-American businessmen.
The trial, which is taking place in a U.S. federal court under the extraterritorial jurisdiction provisions of the Torture Act, is seen as a critical step in delivering justice for victims of the Jammeh regime’s abuses.
Mr. Correa appeared in court at 8:25 a.m. on Monday, dressed in a black suit over a white shirt, wearing small, transparent eyeglasses and sporting dreadlocks. He was seated between his four lawyers — two men on his left and a man and woman on his right. Throughout the proceedings, he frequently glanced toward the gallery where Gambian nationals were seated, the jury section in front of him, and the bench to his left.
The case is being closely watched by human rights advocates and members of the Gambian diaspora. The outcome could set a precedent for holding other perpetrators of Jammeh-era atrocities accountable through international legal channels.
This report is produced with support from the Center for Justice and Accountability (CJA).