The Gambian military announced the arrest of former Gambian Brigadier General, Bora Colley on August 9, 2024, for his alleged involvement in a notorious death squad known as the “Junglers” under former dictator Yahya Jammeh.
Colley voluntarily surrendered to the Gambian Armed Forces (GAF) Military Police at Yundum Barracks, located near the capital, Banjul. His arrest followed surveillance operations conducted by intelligence services at his residence in Banjul.
The Junglers, the paramilitary unit to which Colley is alleged to have belonged, has been accused by the United Nations and human rights organisations of committing extrajudicial killings and torture during Jammeh’s rule.
The Gambian government had previously addressed the issue of atrocities committed during Jammeh’s regime by endorsing the recommendations of a truth commission in 2022.
The commission’s report led to the decision to prosecute 70 individuals, including Jammeh himself.
Jammeh, who came to power through a coup in 1994 and led the country for 22 years, was defeated in the presidential election of December 2016. He fled to Equatorial Guinea in January 2017, where he eventually relinquished power.
Colley is currently in detention and is cooperating with the Military Police as they continue their investigations.