The U.S. Department of Justice is seeking the forfeiture of a Maryland property belonging to former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh worth some US$3.5 million, which he is believed to have acquired through illegal activities during his two decades at the helm of the West African nation. 

For nearly fifteen years, the banner on the front page of one of Gambia’s daily newspapers, The Point, has asked the same question each morning: Who killed Deyda Hydara? 

An answer was finally delivered at a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission session on Monday, when an officer from the Gambia Armed Forces admitted to having belonged to the killing squad that murdered one of Gambia’s most respected journalists on the orders of former president Yahya Jammeh.

Gambia's official inquiry into the corruption of former President Yahya Jammeh found he had looted at least $363 million of public funds during his more than two decades in power.

For more than two decades, Yahya Jammeh ruled over Gambia, a tiny West African country known for tropical beaches and tranquility in a region often rocked by conflict.

Under the rule of ousted dictator Yahya Jammeh, the Gambian government signed an opaque contract with a controversial firm to manage its citizens’ identity documents. The new rulers promise a new way of doing things, but they’re sticking to the deal.

Adama Barrow, President of The Gambia since January 2017. Credit: Marvanda