Nine direct victims of the activities of Junglers, hitmen who were allegedly operating on the orders of former President Yahya Jammeh, have protested against the release of the 6 who had testified before the Truth Commission.
The justice minister Abubacarr Tambadou released the six Junglers, Malick Jatta, Omar Jallow, Pa Ousman Sanneh and Amadou Badgie, on August 1, few days after their testimony.
The four have confessed to dozens of executions including the killing of 56 West Africa migrants in the country in 2005.
Their release caused huge controversy in the country but Tambadou said the decision is in the best interest of the victims.
However, nine victims have issued a press release denouncing Tambadou’s move. Ya Mamie Ceesay, Sirra Ndow, Baba Hydara, Nana-Jo N’dow, Zainab Lowe, Abdul Aziz Barrow, Olay Ceesay, Ayesha Harun Jammeh and Sarjo Cham have requested the Truth, Reconciliation, Reparations Commission (TRRC) to report to the Ministry of Justice the self-confessed killers Malick Jatta and Omar A. Jallow for committing perjury.
The victims said the Junglers were not even truthful in their testimonies and could have been charged with perjury. They cited the case of Malick Jatta who claimed to have killed one person among the West African migrants, a testimony that was rubbished by Omar Jallow.
“We take this opportunity to call on the International Community who is supporting The Gambia in its democratic transition to hold accountable the Minister of Justice whose reasoning is dangerous, and ensure the generous funding is appropriately used and does not validate actions that result in impunity in The Gambia. The Transitional Justice process in The Gambia should not occur at the expense of the Victims’ rights,” the group said in a press release on Monday.