Gambia to use money from sale of ex-dictator's US mansion to compensate victims of his rule

The Gambia says it will use $2.5 million from the sale of the former president's mansion in the United States to pay reparations to victims of his rule. In September, the U.S. Justice Department said it would return proceeds from the sale of a Washington property owned by former dictator Yahya Jammeh to the Gambia. The ex-president is accused of presiding over the murder of political opponents, disappearances, rape and torture during his 22-year rule, which ended in 2017. The Commission of Inquiry estimated that about 250 people were killed by his forces in the former British colony. He's also accused of siphoning millions of dollars in state funds for his personal use. The Gambia's Reparation Commission, set up to compensate victims of abuses committed during his rule, confirmed the money's been received. It says it's committed to ensuring that the funds are managed responsibly, transparently and accountably with due regard to the rights and needs of victims and survivors. Jami currently lives in Equatorial Guinea.