00:00A former commander of the Gambia's notorious Junglers paramilitary unit has appeared before a military court in Banjoo facing charges
00:10of desertion.
00:11Sena Manjang, a lieutenant colonel who allegedly headed the Death Squad under former dictator Yaya Jame, is accused of abandoning
00:21the armed forces in January of 2017.
00:24When Yame fled the country after losing power, Manjang had also faced four murder charges, including the killing of a
00:32veteran AFP journalist.
00:34Those charges were withdrawn in July as prosecutors work out how to call witnesses, many of whom are themselves alleged
00:41former Junglers.
00:43The murder charges could be referred.
00:46Manjang was arrested in neighbouring Senegal in November and returned to the Gambia a month later.
00:52The Junglers operated outside the regular army and have long been accused of killings, torture and other abuses under Germany's
01:0122-year rule.
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