By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A Gambian national has bagged life imprisonment in Germany for his role in an assassination squad called “Junglers”, a group that worked on behalf of The Gambia’s former President Yahya Jammeh.
Bai L, who worked as a driver for the squad was found guilty of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder.
During hearings of Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) in 2019, three other members of the “Junglers” accused Mr Jammeh of ordering numerous murders, including the notorious 2013 killings of two US-Gambian businessmen and veteran local journalist Deyda Hydara.
According to an AFP report, among the crimes that Bai L was alleged to have committed was helping to stop Hydara’s car before he was killed and driving one of the assassins away.
After 22 years in office as the President of Gambia, Mr Jammeh initially refused to give up power after losing an election in 2016.
He finally went into exile after regional states sent troops to force him to step down.
The TRRC, which was set up after he left, heard from hundreds of witnesses about execution squads and other alleged rights violations committed under his rule.
According to rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW), Bai L’s trial was able to take place in Germany as it recognises universal jurisdiction for serious crimes wherever they were committed.
