The conviction in the United States of Michael Sang Correa, an alleged member of former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s notorious “Junglers” death squad, is a welcome ray of hope for the victims of the dictator’s regime as the transitional justice process in the West African nation limps along on its slow and uncertain way.
On April 15, 2025, a jury in Denver, Colorado, convicted Correa of multiple counts of torture and one count of conspiracy to commit torture arising from the March 2006 failed coup in The Gambia.
“The jury found that, as a Jungler, Correa conspired with others to commit torture. The jury also found that, together with others, he tortured five victims. The evidence at trial showed that Correa and his co-conspirators targeted these victims based on suspicions that they plotted against Jammeh,” said a statement released by the Office of Public Affairs of the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The American judicial system acted fast to hold Correa accountable for his participation in what it described as “horrific acts of torture and abuse”.
“The evidence at trial proved that in March 2006, shortly after a failed coup attempt, Correa and his co-conspirators transported the victims to the main prison of The Gambia, known as “Mile 2 Prison”. For the rest of the month of March and well into April 2006, Correa and his co-conspirators beat, stabbed, burned, and electrocuted the victims. A victim testified that he had his thigh burned by hot, molten plastic; the Junglers also placed the victim in a large bag, suspended him in the air, and dropped him to the ground.
“Another victim testified that he was suffocated when Correa and his co-conspirators placed a plastic bag over his head; one of Correa’s co-conspirators also put the barrel of a pistol in his mouth. In addition to suffocation from a plastic bag over the head, another victim testified he was electrocuted on his body, including his genitals; hanged upside down and beaten in that position; and stabbed in the shoulder.
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A fourth victim endured electrocution and was hit in the head with a pistol. A fifth victim’s testimony indicated that he had cigarettes extinguished into his skin and experienced electrocution and was also struck in the face with a hammer. These and other horrific acts of torture and abuse emerged in the testimony of the victims at trial and revealed that Correa played an integral role in inflicting this torture on the victims,” the DOJ statement said.
Many of these victims recounted their ordeal during the public hearings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in Banjul between 2019 and 2021 and named their torturers, including Correa and other Junglers and government officials, some still living in The Gambia. The Gambian government set up the commission to investigate human rights violations committed by Jammeh’s regime from July 1994 to January 2017. Despite the TRRC’s recommendations that the perpetrators be prosecuted for their crimes, none of them has been made to answer for their part in the violations.
But the American justice system was not having any of that. Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, was clear on this. “Michael Sang Correa tried to evade responsibility for his crimes in The Gambia by coming to the United States and hiding his past,” he said. “But we found him, we investigated him, and we prosecuted him. The lesson is: if you commit violent crimes – let alone torture or other human rights violations – do not come to the United States. If you do, the Department of Justice, together with its law enforcement partners, will leave no stone unturned to see that your crimes are exposed and justice is served.”
“Correa’s crimes caught up with him today,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Cagen of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Denver. “Correa chose the wrong country to try to escape from justice …We have a zero-tolerance policy for human rights violators.”
Galeotti commended the victims who testified. “I want to express my admiration and gratitude for the strength and courage of the victim witnesses who travelled all the way from Africa to a courtroom in Denver, Colorado, to tell the jury what Correa and his co-conspirators did to them. Reliving those horrific crimes and facing their tormenter in person again takes tremendous bravery. It must have been painful and difficult, and we thank them for enduring this ordeal in the interests of justice.”
The victims travelled from Gambia, Europe and other parts of the US to Colorado to testify.
Correa was tried under the extraterritorial Torture Act, which criminalises torture committed outside the United States by US citizens or non-citizens present in the US, regardless of the victim’s nationality. It was the first time a non-US citizen was tried under this law for acts committed outside the US. Correa is only the third person charged under the Torture Act, which was enacted in 1994.
The trial started on April 7 and was expected to run until April 18 but concluded after just one week after Correa failed to call any witnesses and declined to testify. The defence argued that Correa committed the crimes because he feared for his life and safety if he disobeyed orders.
According to the DOJ statement, Correa faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each of the five torture counts and the count of conspiracy to commit torture. He will remain in US custody pending his sentencing at a date to be determined by the court. “A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the US Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors,” it said.
Correa arrived in the US in September 2016, to attend a United Nations General Assembly meeting as former Gambian Vice-President Isatou Njie Saidy’s bodyguard. He was detained in 2019 for overstaying his visa.
This is the third time that Jammeh’s victims have glimpsed justice from a far-off land, thousands of kilometres away, while the process at home drags on with no end in sight as perpetrators walk free, apparently with no fear that they will be called upon to answer for their actions any time soon.
Under the legal principle of universal jurisdiction, two other Gambians have been tried in Germany and Switzerland. In November 2023, a court in Germany sentenced Bai Lowe, then aged 47, to life in prison for his role in the paramilitary Jungler unit that killed Jammeh’s opponents. He was convicted of crimes against humanity, murder, and attempted murder. He was linked to the killing of newspaper editor Deyda Hydara in 2004.
In May 2024, the Swiss Federal Criminal Court (FCC) sentenced former Gambian Interior Minister Ousman Sonko to 20 years in prison after finding him guilty of intentional homicide, torture and false imprisonment. He was convicted of the killing of a perceived political opponent in 2000, torture and illegal detention following a failed coup in 2006, the killing of Jammeh’s ex-right-hand man Baba Jobe in 2011, false imprisonment, acts of torture, and the killing of peaceful demonstrators in 2016. He was acquitted of rape. Sonko, then aged 55, became the highest-ranking government official ever to be prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction in Europe.
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Back home in The Gambia, many victims’ hopes of justice have been dashed as the process of setting up the mechanism of trying both high-profile and low-cadre perpetrators has dragged on. It has taken the government years since the TRRC proposed the setting up of a judicial system for the trials. It was a major victory for transitional justice when, in December 2024, the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) approved its partnership with The Gambia to set up a Special Tribunal, a hybrid court with the mandate to try crimes committed under the Jammeh regime. However, the celebration of this significant achievement has been tempered by concerns about funding to enable the tribunal to start operations. The recent withdrawal of US funding for foreign projects threatens to spell doom for the start of the trials, further postponing justice for the victims.
It took a long time for the Gambian national assembly to pass the Special Accountability Mechanism Bill, which it did in April 2024. The law paves the way for the setting up of the Special Prosecutor’s Office, the Criminal Division of the High Court, and the Special Tribunal in partnership with ECOWAS. These three institutions will take charge of prosecuting Jammeh-era crimes. The Criminal Division of the High Court will try domestic crimes, the Special Tribunal will focus on international-nature crimes and will try high-profile perpetrators. Gambian government officials have been quoted expressing hope that the Special Prosecutor’s office will soon be up and running if funding for it can be found.
Human rights groups in the Gambia have welcomed the trial of Correa. In a statement, the Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations said the trial provides a glimmer of hope for victims who suffered gravely during Jammeh’s 22-year reign of terror.
“The Gambia Centre for Victims of Human Rights Violations appreciates and commends the efforts of the United States Government for supporting and facilitating the participation of the victims from The Gambia serving as witnesses in the trial. This trial is a glimmer of hope for our victims because this is the third court trial with universal jurisdiction following the imprisonment of ‘Jungler’ Bai Lowe and former Interior Minister Ousman Sonko in Germany and Switzerland, respectively. This is commendable and we urge the victim’s community to not lose hope but to hold on to the glimmer of hope these trials are bringing.”
The centre urged the Gambian administration under Adama Barrow to advance efforts to hold accountable those responsible for atrocities during Jammeh’s repressive regime.
“This trial is yet another reminder to the government of The Gambia that the time to give victims justice is now. In this regard, we urge the government of The Gambia, through the Ministry of Justice, to complement the efforts of the international community in bringing the perpetrators of human rights violations under the Jammeh regime to justice by speeding up the process of establishing a Special Prosecutor’s Office, the Hybrid Tribunal, and the timely provision of reparations and memorialisation of victims,” it said.
According to Baba Hydara, the son of slain journalist Hydara, the indictment of Correa was a relief. “This shows that no matter where they run to or hide, eventually, justice will catch up with them,” he said.
Fatoumata Sandeng, the daughter of Ebrima Solo Sandeng, an opposition activist, echoed the sentiments.
She said the trial’s broader significance represents a turning point in holding perpetrators of state-sponsored violence accountable. “We hope that universal jurisdiction cases will continue to put pressure on the Gambian government… They will be tried wherever they are because justice will just catch up with them,” she said.
Fatoumata Sandeng’s father, Solo Sandeng, died in police custody in 2016 after being tortured. He was targeted by the Junglers for leading a peaceful march for political reform. His death became a symbol of resistance against the regime and galvanised efforts to oust Jammeh, ultimately leading to the dictator’s defeat in the December 2016 presidential election. Jammeh is in exile in Equatorial Guinea, where he fled after losing the election to Barrow.
For Anja Hartwig of TRIAL International, the United States’ action against Correa is a critical step towards securing truth and justice for victims of Jammeh’s dictatorship.
She reiterated that the case is a signal of global commitment to addressing impunity for human rights violations, noting, “This is about sending a message that human rights abusers will not find a haven. The US must continue to lead in prosecuting atrocities, even when perpetrators flee to its shores.”
According to Human Rights Watch, the trial heralds a part of “ever-increasing efforts to ensure victims of the most heinous crimes have additional pathways to justice,” emphasising its importance in holding perpetrators accountable and addressing impunity for serious human rights violations.
