BANJUL, The Gambia — A General Court Martial has opened proceedings against former Gambian lieutenant colonel Sanna Manjang over an allegation that he deserted the armed forces in January 2017. The hearing began on 21 September 2026 at Fajara Barracks, according to accounts based on a Gambia Armed Forces statement.
The desertion case is a military proceeding. It does not determine the separate allegations against Manjang in the High Court, and it does not amount to a conviction.
Gambian military prosecutors allege that Manjang left his State Guards Battalion duty post in Banjul around 21 January 2017 and remained absent for nine years with the intention of deserting. The allegation must now be proved before the General Court Martial.
What the military charge says
The Gambia Journal's account of the military announcement says Manjang is charged under the Gambia Armed Forces Act. The alleged offence is desertion contrary to Section 53(1)(a), with the charge brought under the military-law framework cited by the armed forces.
According to the stated particulars, Manjang allegedly left his post at the State Guards Battalion in Banjul on or about 21 January 2017. Prosecutors say the absence continued for nine years and was accompanied by an intention to desert. Both the prolonged absence and the alleged intention are matters for the tribunal to decide from the evidence.
The hearing is taking place at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers' Mess at the Guards Battalion in Fajara. Voice Gambia reported that Colonel Ousman Bah is president of the military panel and Justice Omar Cham is serving as judge advocate. The Director of Public Prosecutions or representatives from his office, assisted by military lawyers, are handling the prosecution.
The military said Manjang has defending officers and may instruct a defending officer or counsel of his choice. It also said the proceedings are open to the public and the media.
Why this case is separate from the High Court trial
The most important legal distinction is that the court martial concerns Manjang's alleged conduct as a military officer. It focuses on whether he deserted the armed forces in 2017.
JUSTICE & CRIME
Sanna Manjang Faces Gambia Court Martial for Desertion
Sep 22, 2026
Sep 22, 2026
5 min read
Published
Updated:
BANJUL, The Gambia — A General Court Martial has opened proceedings against former Gambian lieutenant colonel Sanna Manjang over an allegation that he deserted the armed forces in January 2017. The hearing began on 21 September 2026 at Fajara Barracks, according to accounts based on a Gambia Armed Forces statement.
The desertion case is a military proceeding. It does not determine the separate allegations against Manjang in the High Court, and it does not amount to a conviction.
Gambian military prosecutors allege that Manjang left his State Guards Battalion duty post in Banjul around 21 January 2017 and remained absent for nine years with the intention of deserting. The allegation must now be proved before the General Court Martial.
What the military charge says
The Gambia Journal's account of the military announcement says Manjang is charged under the Gambia Armed Forces Act. The alleged offence is desertion contrary to Section 53(1)(a), with the charge brought under the military-law framework cited by the armed forces.
According to the stated particulars, Manjang allegedly left his post at the State Guards Battalion in Banjul on or about 21 January 2017. Prosecutors say the absence continued for nine years and was accompanied by an intention to desert. Both the prolonged absence and the alleged intention are matters for the tribunal to decide from the evidence.
The hearing is taking place at the Senior Non-Commissioned Officers' Mess at the Guards Battalion in Fajara. Voice Gambia reported that Colonel Ousman Bah is president of the military panel and Justice Omar Cham is serving as judge advocate. The Director of Public Prosecutions or representatives from his office, assisted by military lawyers, are handling the prosecution.
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The military said Manjang has defending officers and may instruct a defending officer or counsel of his choice. It also said the proceedings are open to the public and the media.
Why this case is separate from the High Court trial
The most important legal distinction is that the court martial concerns Manjang's alleged conduct as a military officer. It focuses on whether he deserted the armed forces in 2017.
The civilian case before the High Court concerns allegations linked to events during the rule of former president Yahya Jammeh. In July 2026, prosecutors amended that case. The Point reported from the High Court proceedings that four murder counts were withdrawn and replaced with two counts of assault causing actual bodily harm. Manjang pleaded not guilty to the assault counts.
That amendment did not decide whether Manjang committed the alleged assaults, and it did not turn the military desertion allegation into part of the civilian case. Each proceeding has its own charge, forum and evidentiary questions.
International reports have sometimes summarised the earlier case as a murder prosecution that was dropped. Africanews, citing AP, and Al Jazeera's AFP report both connect the new military hearing to the wider effort to address abuses from the Jammeh period. The precise current position, however, is that the court martial concerns desertion while the amended High Court case concerns assault allegations.
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How Manjang returned to The Gambia
Manjang left The Gambia after Jammeh lost the December 2016 presidential election to Adama Barrow. XTRAfrica's profile of President Adama Barrow explains the political transition that ended Jammeh's rule and placed the country on a difficult path of institutional reform.
Gambian authorities announced Manjang's arrest in Senegal's Casamance region on 29 November 2025. The Alkamba Times reported that the operation involved Gambian and Senegalese security services. He was later returned to The Gambia.
An Associated Press report on his January 2026 High Court appearance said Manjang denied the murder charges then before the court. Those charges were subsequently replaced by the assault counts described above.
The Junglers and the transitional-justice record
Manjang has been publicly identified as a former commander of the Junglers, a unit accused of carrying out killings, disappearances and torture during Jammeh's rule. Those descriptions arise from testimony and findings associated with The Gambia's Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission, as well as later court cases. They should not be presented as convictions against Manjang.
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The commission investigated abuses committed during Jammeh's presidency and recommended prosecutions in a number of cases. Some proceedings involving alleged Jammeh-era crimes have taken place outside The Gambia, while the country has continued developing its own accountability process.
The new court martial is narrower than that history. Its task is to decide the desertion allegation under military law. The prosecution must establish the elements of that charge, and Manjang retains the presumption of innocence.
What happens next
The General Court Martial will hear the prosecution's evidence and any defence challenge to the allegation that Manjang left his post with the intention of deserting. The military panel's rulings, the defence response and any scheduled hearing dates will determine the next stages.
The High Court assault case will continue on a separate track. Reporting on either case should keep the two proceedings distinct, identify allegations as allegations and reserve any conclusion on guilt for the relevant court.
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