By Buba Gagigo
The trial of Michael Sang Correa, a former member of ex-Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s notorious paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers,” begins today in a federal court in Denver, Colorado.
Correa was indicted on June 11, 2020, on six counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in a campaign of brutality carried out under Jammeh’s regime.
Presiding over the case is Judge Christine Arguello, who is scheduled to begin jury selection today. Following the selection process, the trial will move forward with opening statements and the presentation of the prosecution’s first witness.
Correa is accused of playing a key role in a state-sponsored death squad that carried out acts of torture, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings. Testimony from former Junglers during The Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) implicated Correa in several high-profile crimes, including the torture of individuals accused of involvement in the 2006 attempted coup.
He is also alleged to have participated in the murders of prominent journalist Deyda Hydara and Chief Ebrima Manneh in 2012, as well as the killing of Gambian-American citizens Alhagie Mamut Ceesay and Ebou Jobe in 2013.
The trial marks a significant moment in efforts to hold former members of Jammeh’s regime accountable for human rights violations committed during his 22-year rule.