Gambia to compensate Jammeh victims with $2.5m from mansion sale

The Gambia said on Tuesday it will use $2.5 million dollars from the sale of the former president’s mansion in the United States to pay reparations to victims of his rule.

In September, the US Justice Department said it would return proceeds from the sale of a Washington property owned by former dictator Yahya Jammeh to The Gambia.

It said the ex-president and his wife had bought the property in the posh suburb of Potomac using "criminal proceeds and misappropriated Gambian public funds".

Jammeh is accused of presiding over the murder of political opponents, disappearances, rape, and torture during his 22-year rule, which ended in 2017.

A commission of inquiry estimated that between 240 and 250 people were killed by his forces in the former British colony.

He is also accused of syphoning off millions of dollars in state funds for his personal use.

The Gambia’s Reparations Commission, set up to compensate victims of abuses committed during his rule, confirmed the money has been received and would only be used for the payment of reparations.

In a statement, it described the return of the money as "an important step" toward the compensation payments promised in a 2023 law.

"The Commission is committed to ensuring that the funds are managed responsibly, transparently and accountably, with due regard to the rights and needs of victims and survivors," it said.

Jammeh currently lives in Equatorial Guinea after he was forced out of power under pressure from The Gambia's neighbours following his 2016 election loss to current President Adama Barrow.