Ictj Says Gambia's Justice Process Must Now Deliver for Victims

The International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ) has said the Gambian people, particularly victims, deserve justice, healing, and lasting peace.

According to the ICTJ, The Gambia stands at a make-or-break moment in its pursuit of justice for the atrocities committed during Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year dictatorship.

“It would be a regrettable failure if the process put in place to deliver justice does not receive the broad support it needs in the next stages,” it added.

The Gambia has since appointed British barrister Martin Hackett as the country’s first special prosecutor for human rights abuses committed under Jammeh’s rule.

“Together, these milestones represent the most concrete steps yet toward turning the findings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) into real accountability. But the question now is whether the political will, institutional discipline, and financial backing exist to see it through,” it stated.

The ICTJ, which has monitored the country’s transitional justice process closely, warned that without sustained support both domestic and international — The Gambia risks betraying the victims who have carried this process on their backs for nearly a decade.

When Gambians ousted Jammeh in 2017 and forced him into exile, the new government launched what became one of the most innovative transitional justice processes the African continent has seen. The TRRC, which submitted its final report in 2021, recommended reparations for victims, prosecutions for dozens of individuals linked to serious violations, and restorative justice measures.

A post-TRRC unit was established to coordinate implementation, and the National Human Rights Commission was designated as the monitoring body.

According to the ICTJ, The Gambia has accomplished something remarkable.

“It documented violations, laid the groundwork for criminal accountability, and built a process marked by genuine public ownership, diaspora engagement, and strategic use of technology. Among countries that have undertaken national transitional justice processes, it remains one of the few to have made substantial progress in implementing a truth commission’s recommendations.”

However, the sharp reduction in international aid that began in January 2025, compounded by a global shift in development priorities, poses what the ICTJ calls “a serious threat” to the process’s survival.

The Gambia remains largely dependent on foreign funding to sustain its transitional justice infrastructure.

An ICTJ monitoring exercise conducted in early 2026 found clear signs of exhaustion among victims and survivors — emotional, cognitive, and physical fatigue rooted in years of waiting, a widening gap between expectations and outcomes, and eroding trust in in institutions.

“Their frustration is not just understandable. It is a warning sign. Delayed justice deepens trauma, corrodes public trust, and feeds the perception that political leaders have little appetite for accountability.”

According to ICTJ, for years, victims have been the engine of this national process.

“They have testified, advocated, and endured. To abandon the effort now whether through neglect, underfunding, or political drift would be to renege on a promise made to them and to all Gambians seeking reconciliation and lasting peace.”

The ICTJ argued that state actors, civil society, international justice leaders, and donors all face a choice of redoubling their commitment or watch a landmark process falter.

“The Gambia has come too far to let that happen.”