Gambia to use seized mansion funds for reparations

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 21 Oct, 09:58 · Archive

The Gambia will use $2.5m from the sale of its former president's seized US mansion to pay victims of his rule.

The Gambia's Reparations Commission has received $2.5m from the sale of a mansion in the Washington, DC suburb of Potomac, Maryland, that belonged to former president Yahya Jammeh. The US Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint in 2020, alleging the property was bought with proceeds of corruption and misappropriated Gambian public funds. A court ordered its forfeiture in 2022, and the US Justice Department announced in September that it would return the funds to The Gambia.

Jammeh ruled The Gambia for more than 20 years after taking power in a coup in 1994. His rule was marked by allegations of human rights abuses, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. A commission of inquiry estimated that between 240 and 250 victims were killed by his forces.

Jammeh lost the 2016 election to current President Adama Barrow. He initially accepted defeat but then rejected the results. He was forced from office in 2017 amid regional and international pressure, including the threat of military intervention by West African nations, and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea. The Reparations Commission said it was committed to managing the funds responsibly, transparently and accountably, with due regard to the rights and needs of victims and survivors.

How it is being reported

• Gambia to pay victims of Yahya Jammeh's rule from proceeds of his seized US mansionThe Gambia has confirmed receiving $2.5m from the sale of the house in Maryland.BBC World · 21 Oct, 09:31
• The Gambia to pay reparations to ex-dictator’s victims from sale of US mansionThe Gambia confirmed it received $2.5m from the sale of a US mansion belonging to former president Jammeh.Al Jazeera · 20 Oct, 23:51

In this story: The Gambia · Yahya Jammeh · Adama Barrow · United States · Equatorial Guinea · Gambia Reparations Commission · US Justice Department

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