Al Jazeera and The Alkamba Times reported that Sanna Manjang, a former commander of the Junglers unit under ex-President Yahya Jammeh, appeared before a Gambian military court on an allegation that he deserted the army in 2017. Prosecutors say Manjang remained absent from duty for nine years. Murder charges dropped in July fall outside this military case, and the desertion allegation has not been decided.
Al Jazeera and The Alkamba Times reported that Lieutenant Colonel Sanna Manjang appeared before a general court martial in Gambia. Prosecutors allege that Manjang left his armed-forces post in January 2017 and remained absent for nine years. The charge at this hearing is limited to alleged desertion. Neither report says the court has decided the allegation; Manjang's military criminal responsibility will be determined through the proceedings.[1], [2]
Manjang is identified as a former commander of the Junglers unit that operated under former President Yahya Jammeh. Al Jazeera and The Alkamba Times reported that background alongside the defendant's identity and the case's public significance. Allegations about the unit's role under Jammeh remain separate from the desertion file before the military court. This hearing is not a comprehensive trial of every allegation involving the Junglers.[1], [2]
Murder charges against Manjang were dropped in July. Al Jazeera stressed that those earlier charges are outside the present military case, while The Alkamba Times described the new proceedings through the desertion allegation. The concrete question before the court is whether his absence from duty beginning in 2017 constituted desertion under military law. The prosecution's allegation of a nine-year absence remains subject to evidentiary review and has not become a judgment.[1], [2]
