Gambia directs proceeds from ex-leader’s US mansion sale to reparations fund

The Gambia Reparations Commission announced that it has received slightly more than $2.5 million from the forced sale of a mansion once owned by former President Yahya Jammeh in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC. The money was transferred directly into the Reparations Fund account at the Central Bank of The Gambia and is earmarked exclusively for compensating victims of the human-rights abuses committed during Jammeh’s 22-year rule, which ended after his 2016 electoral defeat.

The commission stressed transparent and accountable management of the funds, while President Adama Barrow said his administration will act on any auditor recommendations regarding distribution. Jammeh, now residing in Equatorial Guinea, faces accusations of murder, disappearances, rape and torture, with an inquiry estimating 240-250 victims killed by his forces. The US Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture claim in 2020, asserting the property was purchased with proceeds of corruption, and a court ordered its forfeiture in 2022. The department announced in September that the proceeds would be returned to The Gambia.