Gambia Begins Compensating Jammeh-Era Victims with Proceeds from Seized U.S. Property

The Gambia Reparations Commission announced on Tuesday that it has received $2,573,414.10 from the sale of former President Yahya Jammeh’s seized mansion in the United States. The commission pledged to manage the funds responsibly and transparently, prioritizing the rights and needs of victims and survivors of the former regime.

Jammeh lost the 2016 election to Adama Barrow but initially refused to concede, stepping down only in 2017 after intense regional and international pressure, including the deployment of troops from Senegal and other West African nations. He subsequently went into exile in Equatorial Guinea.

A subsequent national inquiry revealed that Jammeh had amassed 281 properties in The Gambia, along with holdings in the U.S. and Morocco, and controlled more than 100 bank accounts. The commission concluded that he had misappropriated over $300 million, wealth far exceeding his official salary.

Jammeh stands accused of overseeing the murder of political opponents, enforced disappearances, rape, and torture. A commission of inquiry determined that widespread state-sanctioned abuses resulted in the deaths of an estimated 240 to 250 Gambians and non-Gambians.

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