This archive report was first published on 11 December 2019.
Former President Yahya Jammeh ruled The Gambia for 22 years before fleeing in January 2017 after losing a presidential election to Adama Barrow.
Since January, the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) has heard testimony from over 190 witnesses about torture, murder, rape, and witch hunts under Jammeh's rule.
One witness, Amadou Badjie, described how he murdered two US-Gambian businessmen suspected of planning a coup, as part of Jammeh's personal death squad, known as the 'Junglers.'
The Junglers have accused Jammeh of ordering a string of other murders, including the execution of 50 African migrants who were mistaken for rebels.
Reed Brody, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch, said the TRRC is 'really building a case against Yahya Jammeh.'
After the proceedings end next year, the TRRC will write a report and request Jammeh's extradition from Equatorial Guinea, where he has been in exile since 2017.
Testimony has also revealed a mass witch hunt in 2009, in which 44 witnesses testified to kidnappings by witch hunters hired by Jammeh.
Victims were forced to drink strange concoctions, and many developed severe health problems afterwards.
