Says He Had No Role in Arrests of Complainants
By Mariama Marong
Alleged Jungler Sanna Manjang has denied taking part in the arrest and alleged torture of Tamsir Jasseh and military officer Yaya M.S. Darboe, telling the High Court in Banjul that he was stationed in Kanilai when the incidents allegedly occurred in March 2006.
Testifying before Justice Sidi K. Jobarteh, Manjang said his military duties were confined to patrols along the border and surrounding villages, insisting that he had no operational involvement with the team based at State House in Banjul.
He also told the court that he first learned of the names “Junglers” and “Black Blacks” during the proceedings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC), maintaining that the group was officially known within the military as the “Patrol Team”. Manjang is facing two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 228 of the Criminal Code. The charges relate to the alleged assault of Jasseh and Darboe, who were reportedly arrested in connection with an alleged coup plot involving Ndure Cham.
Led through his evidence-in-chief by defence counsel M. Bah, Manjang said he joined the Gambia Armed Forces in 1995 and was initially posted to Fajara Barracks after completing his military training. He later served in Kanilai, where he said he remained from 2003 until 2017. He told the court that his responsibilities included conducting patrols along the border and in nearby villages to protect lives and property.
Military clerks, he explained, were responsible for training soldiers on their duties and assigning them to different locations. Each unit had its own area of responsibility, he said, adding that his posting in Kanilai did not require him to carry out operations in the Greater Banjul Area.
Manjang recalled receiving a military signal message in 2006 concerning the alleged coup plot involving Cham. Through military radio communications, he said, he learned that Jasseh and Darboe were among those mentioned in connection with the alleged plot.
However, he insisted that he had never known either man personally before their names emerged in the reports and denied participating in their arrest.
According to Manjang, the team responsible for patrols in the Greater Banjul Area operated from State House and received its commands from there. He identified several people he remembered as members of the team, including Nuha Badjie, whom he described as its head, Momodou Jarju, also known as Rambo, Michael Correa, Fansu Nyabally, Mustapha Sanneh and Sulayman Sambou.
Manjang told the court that he had never worked with the team because his military responsibilities were based in Kanilai.
“The names Black Blacks or Junglers were names given to them by ordinary people,” he said.
He maintained that those names did not appear in the official records of The Gambia Armed Forces and that he became familiar with them only during the TRRC proceedings. He also said he did not know how the State House-based team carried out its operations because he had never interacted or associated with its members.
Addressing the allegations directly, Manjang denied having any role in the arrest or alleged torture of Jasseh and Darboe. He said he learned of their arrest through a military signal message and believed they would have been taken to either the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) or Mile 2 Prison.
He rejected the suggestion that a military unit stationed in Kanilai could have conducted operations in Banjul, arguing that the two units operated in separate areas of responsibility.
On his own contact with detention facilities, Manjang told the court that he last entered Mile 2 Prison in 2000, when he was stationed at Fajara Barracks and assigned to guard duties there.
Regarding the NIA, he said he knew only the entrance to the institution and had no operational dealings with it.
Manjang acknowledged that Darboe had undergone military recruit training but said he did not know him personally.
He explained that recruits joined the armed forces in large numbers, making it difficult for him to know every soldier individually.
As a senior officer with regimental powers, he said his responsibilities included disciplining soldiers. However, he maintained that the fact that recruits might have known him did not mean he personally knew all of them.
Manjang also challenged Jasseh’s account, claiming that Jasseh had not mentioned his name during his TRRC testimony and had implicated him only after his recent arrest by the Gambia Armed Forces.
He alleged that Jasseh included his name after hearing other people mention him following his arrest.
The claims were presented as Manjang’s account of the allegations before the court.
“My Lord, the allegations levelled against me by both victims are false because I have never participated in their arrest or torture during their detention,” he told the court.
During cross-examination, Manjang confirmed that he served in Kanilai from 2003 to 2017 and remained a member of the military from 1995 until 2017. He said he rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel.
He told the court that military promotions depended on dedication to duty and qualifications.
Manjang also described the demands of his work in Kanilai, saying that although normal working hours generally ran from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., his duties often prevented him from finishing at a fixed time.
His family lived in Brikama during that period, he said, while his work along the border left him with little time to spend with his daughters.
“My daughters are in court at present. I could not have time for them since they were young up to date because of my busy schedule at the border. I spent less time with them,” he testified.
Asked about former president Yahya Jammeh’s presence in Kanilai, Manjang said the town was Jammeh’s hometown, but the former president resided in Banjul and visited Kanilai whenever he wished.
He also acknowledged that Malick Jatta and Omar Jallow had mentioned his name during the TRRC proceedings, although he said he could not remember the other witnesses who had done so.
Throughout his testimony, Manjang maintained that he had no involvement in the alleged assault or torture of Jasseh and Darboe. After completing his evidence-in-chief and cross-examination, the defence closed its case. The prosecution informed the court that it intended to file a motion of execution before the next hearing. In law, a motion of execution means a formal request asking a judge to enforce a final court decision because the losing party refuses to follow it voluntarily.
Justice S.K. Jobarteh directed the prosecution to serve the defence with the motion on or before 23 October 2026. The case was adjourned to Friday, 6 November 2026, at 9:30 a.m. to hear the motion.