By Buba Gagigo
Michael Sang Correa, a former member of ex-Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s notorious paramilitary unit known as the “Junglers,” has been sentenced to 67½ years in prison by a U.S. federal court in Denver.
Correa, 46, was convicted in April on all six counts of torture, including conspiracy to commit torture and direct involvement in the abuse of several victims. Each count carried a maximum penalty of 20 years, leaving him exposed to a possible 120-year sentence.
The ruling marks a milestone in international justice efforts to address crimes committed under Jammeh’s 22-year rule. Correa becomes the fourth senior official from that era to be prosecuted and convicted for atrocities linked to the former regime.
Jammeh, who has lived in exile in Equatorial Guinea since being ousted in 2017, presided over a government widely condemned for human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention. The Junglers, operating directly under his command, were central to executing many of those crimes.
Correa’s sentencing is seen as a significant step toward accountability and a measure of long-awaited justice for victims of Jammeh’s authoritarian regime.