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By Mohammed Jallow
The recent arrest of former Jungler Sanna Manjang represents a monumental moment in the history of transitional justice and national security in The Gambia. It is a development that carries intense emotional weight for victims and survivors of the atrocities committed under the former regime of President Yahya Jammeh. It also carries profound national security implications in the current political climate marked by divisive rhetoric, calculated misinformation and dangerous attempts by certain actors to inject fear and instability into the hearts and minds of citizens. It is therefore necessary to speak with candor, with intellectual honesty and with patriotic responsibility to the Ministry of Defence, the Office of the President and every arm of the Gambian Government entrusted with the sacred constitutional duty to protect the Republic.
The arrest of Sanna Manjang is not merely a legal event. It is a test of political will. It is a moment demanding serious foresight and maturity. This individual is not an ordinary suspect. He is a man whose name has become synonymous with terror among families who lost loved ones under the most brutal circumstances. He was publicly identified in witness testimonies at the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission as one of the most feared operatives of the Junglers a state sponsored death squad that executed unlawful killings enforced disappearances torture and targeted assassinations. His return to Gambian jurisdiction therefore carries the power to reopen wounds the nation has been struggling to heal for years.
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In the current political atmosphere where polarisation and opportunism have become tools for manipulation the state cannot afford complacency. The voices that are deliberately attempting to romanticize and glorify the atrocities of the past must be confronted with the full strength of truth and constitutional authority. Any attempt by individuals or groups to exploit this arrest to destabilize the peace of the nation must be treated as a national security threat. The stability of The Gambia cannot be compromised a second time. The sacrifices made since 2016 to restore democracy must be protected.
Therefore it is imperative that the Government through the Office of the President and the Ministry of Defence rise to the challenge of leadership. The Head of State must recognize the sensitivity and the national weight of this moment. His silence should not create a vacuum where conspiracy and speculation thrive. The President must provide a clear strong and unambiguous national address reaffirming the commitment of the Government to peace justice and the rule of law. The population must hear directly that the state is in full control that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are fully mobilized and that the safety of every person living within the jurisdiction of The Gambia is guaranteed without exception.
This is also the moment for the Head of the State Intelligence Service Mr Sowe the National Security Adviser Mr Baboucarr Jeng and the Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Mamat Cham to demonstrate strategic alertness. The nation expects the highest level of analytical thinking rapid assessment of risks and proactive containment of any emerging threats. This is a period demanding intelligence beyond routine observation. It requires scenario forecasting counter ideological intervention and collaboration across jurisdictions.
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Across West Africa and the African continent the consequences of negligence are visible. Nations that underestimated internal destabilization forces have watched their stability collapse. Mali Burkina Faso and Niger have suffered coups driven by insecurity mistrust and weak state responsiveness. Guinea and Sierra Leone continue to struggle with security volatility. Senegal experienced violent unrest rooted in political tensions. Even stable states have faced insurgent threats as seen in Ghana and Ivory Coast. These examples should not be ignored. The Gambia is small. It does not possess the geographic size economic strength or military force to withstand destabilising shock. National security must therefore be anticipatory not reactive. Prevention is the only sustainable strategy.
The reappearance of individuals associated with past atrocities must trigger heightened national defense posture. The security sector must act in unity guided by professionalism rather than political or ethnic loyalty. The National Security Council must convene immediately and serve as the central coordinating voice for strategy stability and intelligence sharing. There must be active cooperation with Ecowas security bodies and neighboring countries especially Senegal and Guinea Bissau to ensure that The Gambia is not infiltrated manipulated or used as a proxy battleground for hidden agendas.
Furthermore, the Government must integrate the recommendations of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission without hesitation. Transitional justice without implementation is merely symbolic rhetoric. Victims have waited long enough. Many continue to live with the scars of torture the trauma of unexplained disappearances the pain of burial without closure and the permanent void of lost family members. Justice must not bend to political pressure. Justice must not be selective. Justice must not be delayed until it becomes meaningless.
The state must use this moment to reassure victims that their suffering has not been forgotten. National unity cannot be built on silence or compromise. It must be built on accountability fairness and truth. The arrest of Sanna Manjang should be the beginning of a new chapter marked by firm action and institutional courage. The Government must not allow propaganda forces to rewrite history or manipulate public opinion through fear intimidation or tribal narratives. The Gambia must rise above the politics of division and instead build a collective understanding that national security is a shared responsibility that transcends party loyalty religion ethnicity or region.
The arrest of an individual whose name symbolises some of the darkest moments in our national timeline must strengthen national resolve not weaken it. It must inspire unity not division. It must energize the security architecture to act decisively with intelligence precision and neutrality. The safety and comfort of the Gambian people must always remain the highest priority of the state.
The President must speak. Not with emotion but with clarity and authority. He must assure the citizens that no individual regardless of status will ever again hold the nation hostage through fear. He must reinforce that the sovereignty of The Gambia is inviolable. And he must declare that accountability is the only path to reconciliation. The Government must show readiness to defend the peace that Gambians fought for with ballots voices and courage. The military must demonstrate loyalty to the nation and constitution. The intelligence community must adapt to changing threats. And the population must support unity over chaos.
Let this moment be remembered as the turning point where truth triumphed over fear where justice defeated impunity and where leadership stood firm against destabilization. The world is watching. The region is watching. The victims are watching. The future generations are watching. The Gambia must not fail.
