The United States has lauded the decision which led to the establishment of a special Tribunal for The Gambia.
The Economic Community of West African States and the Government of The Gambia recently announced the landmark resolution by ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to establish a Special Tribunal for The Gambia.
According to official statement, the Gambian Special Tribunal will investigate and prosecute gross human rights violations and international crimes committed between July 1994 and January 2017, during the regime of Dictator Yahya Jammeh.
A dispatch from the U.S Department of State views that Gambia has shown admirable courage in facing its past and committing to a democratic future.
“We commend the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its leadership and commitment to human rights and justice. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners in The Gambia and ECOWAS to ensure justice and accountability for victims and help build lasting peace in West Africa,” says the release.
The special tribunal will prosecute crimes committed during Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship rule in the Gambia.
The now exiled ruler, stayed in power for 23 years between 1994 and 2017.
The legal facility targets at least 70 individuals, including Jammeh himself, who remains in exile in Equatorial Guinea. The charges include atrocities such as the execution of over 240 people.
On the other hand, the Gambian President Adama Barrow, in a statement from the Ministry of Justice, described the decision as being historic, adding that it marks the first time ECOWAS has established a tribunal to address serious crimes within a member state.
The Gambia tribunal is made up of Gambian officials and legal experts from across the West African sub-region.
A special prosecutor who is to be appointed in the coming months shall have the power to bring cases before Gambian courts as necessary.
The tribunal’s mandate stems from the findings of Gambia’s Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission (TRRC), launched in 2018 to investigate abuses under Jammeh’s 22-year regime.
The commission documented severe human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances, torture, rape, arbitrary imprisonment, and fraudulent medical treatments for AIDS patients. These testimonies prompted Gambian authorities to pursue legal action against 70 officials linked to the regime.
Jammeh, who fled to Equatorial Guinea after his 2016 electoral defeat, remains the key figure in these proceedings. The tribunal’s regional status adds significant weight to its efforts, reflecting the collective will of ECOWAS to hold perpetrators accountable.