Gambia to pay victims of Yahya Jammeh's rule from proceeds of his seized US mansion

The Gambia will use funds received from the US from the forfeiture of long-time ruler Yahya Jammeh's property to pay victims of his rule, authorities have said. The Gambia's Reparations Commission said it received $2.5m (£1.86m) from the sale of a mansion in Maryland owned by former leader of the West African nation. The US had in 2022 secured the right to sell the property on grounds that it was acquired through "criminal proceeds and misappropriated Gambian public funds". Jammeh ruled The Gambia for more than 20 years after taking over in a coup in 1994 - a time marked by allegations of human rights abuses forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.