BREAKING NEWS – Former Jungler, Bai Lowe, Arrested in Germany

The Chronicle has reliably learnt that Bai Lowe, a former driver for the “Junglers”, a special killer unit under the Gambia’s former dictator, Yahya Jammeh, has been arrested in Germany this Tuesday on suspicion of involvement in the killings of dissidents in the Gambia, German prosecutors said.

In line with German privacy rules, Bai Lowe was arrested in Hannover and his apartment was searched, federal prosecutors said. Bai Lowe is suspected of crimes against humanity, murder and attempted murder.

german prosecutors say that Bai Lowe was a driver for a unit known as the “patrol team,” or “Junglers,” from December 2003 until December 2006. According to Human Rights Watch, the unit — drawn from the State Guards, who played a key role in protecting then-President Yahya Jammeh — was implicated in serious human rights violations including torture, sexual violence, enforced disappearances and killings.

German prosecutors say that Bai Lowe was involved in three “liquidation” operations — the first in December 2003, when he allegedly drove other members of the unit to the shooting of lawyer Ousman Sillah in Bakau. Lawyer Ousman Sillah was wounded but he survived.

A year later, German prosecutors say, members of the unit stopped Deyda Hydara, a dissident journalist’s car in the town of Kanifing with help from Bai Lowe and fatally shot him. And, probably in 2006, he allegedly drove gunmen who killed an opponent of the president near Banjul airport.

German law allows prosecutors to claim universal jurisdiction in crimes against humanity. Last month, they secured the conviction of a former member of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s secret police for his involvement in facilitating the torture of prisoners in his homeland.

In 2014, Bai Lowe was the first “Jungler” to publicly tear the veil covering the Junglers’ assassinations spree under the orders of Yahya Jammeh. He also took part in the December 30th, 2014 foiled coup d’Etat. His son and members of his family got arrested for weeks by the Yahya Jammeh regime before being released under the stiff pressure of Human rights groups and activists.

Jammeh ruled the Gambia for 22 years. He ordered opponents to be tortured, jailed and killed. Jammeh lost a presidential election and went into exile in Equatorial Guinea in 2017 after initially refusing to step down.

With AP