Following an in-country assessment, a UN-appointed expert noted that while The Gambia had moved to address extrajudicial killings and put measures in place to guard against future violations, affected families were still waiting for those pledges to translate into accountability, answers about what happened, and reparations.
Morris Tidball-Binz, who holds the UN Special Rapporteur mandate covering extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, welcomed the advances recorded and urged the international community to sustain its backing. Translating inquiries and reform measures into durable guarantees for the right to life — in a way that honours the work of Gambians who pursued accountability — was described by Tidball-Binz as the pressing priority.
Tidball-Binz spoke to the contributions of both the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission — the body operating under the TRRC name — and those survivors and family members whose persistence had sustained its work throughout. Findings released by the commission pointed to a pattern of unlawful killings and other grave abuses carried out over a period spanning July 1994 through January 2017, conduct that investigators categorised as rising to the level of crimes against humanity.
A 2014 inspection carried out under the same mandate he now holds had put some of those cases on record. Determining what took place is one step in a broader process that, according to advocates for affected families, would also need to encompass redress, reparations, and measures to prevent future violations.
Of the commission's 265 recommendations — spanning security sector reform, prosecutions through ordinary courts, and a broader transitional justice framework — all but two received formal approval from the Government. Nomination of a Special Prosecutor took effect in April 2026, active inquiries are now under way, and coordinated engagement with the Economic Community of West African States — known as ECOWAS — has moved the country closer to establishing a dedicated Special Tribunal for The Gambia.
According to Tidball-Binz, both the pursuit of accountability and the prevention of further violations would stand as fitting tributes to the commission's efforts and cement what it leaves behind.
Forensic capacity gaps within Gambian institutions — spanning the recovery of human remains, victim identification, and cause-of-death determination — mean that outside support will be needed to advance the work. Tidball-Binz noted that the prosecutorial inquiries now under way depend on trained forensic personnel, functioning laboratory infrastructure, specialised equipment, and dependable documentation systems for locating and identifying the dead.
Drawing on a background that spans human rights investigations and humanitarian work, the forensic doctor urged that ongoing support be directed toward forensic archaeology, anthropology, pathology, genetics, and the disciplines closely connected to them. Funding allocated through that commitment would flow toward the Special Prosecutor's office and the broader network of agencies tasked with examining deaths deemed suspicious or unnatural.
Sustained investment in The Gambia's forensic infrastructure, Tidball-Binz noted, could position the country as a hub for training and technical assistance across the wider region.
During his visit, Tidball-Binz noted that the Government had extended its cooperation across multiple fronts, among them unimpeded entry to detention sites and locations tied to ongoing investigations. Technical guidance and support remained part of his responsibilities throughout the duration of his appointment.
Passage of the Criminal Offences Act 2025 brought capital punishment to an end under domestic law, a shift that drew approval from the expert. Retaining that provision within the constitutional text means abolition remains incomplete, with courts having handed down death sentences for offences committed before the ban took effect — a pattern that continued as recently as June 2026.
Calls for amending the constitution and clearing pending death sentences formed part of his push toward full abolition, a commitment The Gambia had formalised by acceding to the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2018.
Among the measures shaping the security sector, a Code of Conduct governing how police may apply force was put into place in 2020. Fatalities linked to the use of disproportionate force from 2017 onward — among them three people shot dead at Faraba Banta in 2018 — point to an ongoing gap in mechanisms designed to hold perpetrators to account.
Tidball-Binz called for inquiries into potentially unlawful deaths to be both independent and thorough, conducted in line with the Minnesota Protocol — the framework recognised internationally as the benchmark for such investigations.
The toll of lives lost among people crossing by sea or overland — numbering in the hundreds — was raised by Tidball-Binz alongside other pressing concerns. Acknowledging the National Task Force on Missing Migrants for its role in bringing down migrant deaths and disappearances, he urged lawmakers to adopt the Immigration Bill 2026 — a piece of legislation he characterised as necessary both for ensuring deceased migrants are identified with dignity and for extending adequate support to the families of those who go missing.
Outside support, he noted, remains a prerequisite for both those accountability-focused endeavours and the country's broader drive to translate its pledges into tangible justice and durable protection.
