The Gambian government has warned former president Yahya Jammeh that he will face arrest and prosecution for alleged human rights abuses if he returns from exile next November.
The warning follows a recent audio message in which Jammeh told supporters gathered in his home village of Kanilai that he planned to return to The Gambia in November 2025 to lead his faction of the former ruling party.
Jammeh has lived in exile in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017, after a tense political standoff triggered by his refusal to accept defeat in the 2016 election.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, authorities in Banjul said Jammeh would be “subject to arrest, detention, and prosecution” for crimes allegedly committed during his 22-year rule, including murder, torture, enforced disappearances, and sexual violence – violations documented by the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).
While acknowledging that Jammeh, like all citizens, has the constitutional right to return home, the government stressed that this right “does not exempt him from accountability for serious crimes established by credible evidence.”
Officials reiterated their commitment to implementing the TRRC’s recommendations and upholding justice for victims, saying the government’s White Paper reflects a “sustained commitment to accountability, justice, and non-recurrence.”
