The government of The Gambia commended the United States government for indicting Michael Sang Correa, a member of the Junglers patrol team under former President Yahya Jammeh, for alleged crimes of torture committed in The Gambia.
Correa was indicted in the United States on 11 June, 2020, an alleged former Gambian “death squad” member on torture charges.
This is an important step for Gambian victims and international justice, a coalition of human rights groups said .
Correa, 41, was an alleged member of the notorious “Junglers” death squad set up by then-President Yahya Jammeh in the mid-1990s.
Jammeh’s 22-year rule was marked by widespread human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, and arbitrary detention.
Jammeh is currently in Equatorial Guinea, where he fled after losing the 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow.
The government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Justice Saturday commended the United States government for its continued strong support to the cooperation with The Gambia government, especially in respect of the on-going transitional justice process.
“The indictment of Mr Correa by US authorities is an extraordinary legal milestone. It demonstrates that no matter where such crimes are committed, and wherever the culprits may be hiding, global accountability mechanisms will reach them, and that there is no hiding place for those who commit such crimes in today’s world.
“The government of The Gambia will continue to cooperate with US authorities in Mr. Correa’s case, as well as in other active cases in the United States in which The Gambia government has an interest,” the statement obtained said.