A former member of The Gambia’s notorious paramilitary unit, Michael Sang Correa, has been convicted by a United States Federal court on multiple charges of torture committed during the regime of former President Yahya Jammeh.
The 46-year-old, who was part of a military death squad known as the “Junglers,” was found guilty of conspiring to commit torture against perceived political opponents. The conviction was secured under a rarely invoked US law permitting prosecution for acts of torture carried out abroad.
Correa, who had been residing in Denver, Colorado since 2016, was initially detained in 2019 for overstaying his visa and later charged in 2020 with the torture of at least six individuals in The Gambia. Evidence presented during the week-long trial revealed that victims had been subjected to electrocution, beatings, stabbings, and asphyxiation, often at the hands of Correa and his co-conspirators. According to prosecutors, those tortured included high-ranking members of Jammeh’s inner circle who had fallen out of favour. Despite claims by Correa’s defence that he was a low-ranking soldier following orders, the jury found his participation in the crimes to be integral.
This case marks the first time a non-US citizen has been convicted in a US federal court for torture committed outside American borders. The Department of Justice emphasised that Correa’s attempt to escape accountability by relocating to the US had failed. Each of the six counts carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. Human rights advocates, including Sirra Ndow of the Alliance of Victim-Led Organisations in The Gambia, hailed the verdict as a landmark moment for international justice, reinforcing that those responsible for grave abuses cannot avoid prosecution, regardless of where the crimes were committed.