The Gambia’s former president, Yahya Jammeh, has been summoned to court for the first time since he was forced out of office more than a year ago as survivors of his controversial HIV treatment programme sued for compensation.
Lawyers for Lamin Ceesay, Ousman Sowe and Fatou Jatta – the only woman in the case – filed a civil suit at the high court in Banjul on Thursday, claiming damages for harm suffered from the treatment.
Jammeh sent shockwaves across the world when he announced that he had a cure for Aids. The treatment involved months of confinement, during which his victims were forced to drink herbal concoctions.
“I believe it is my responsibility to hold Jammeh to account,” said Sowe, a former university lecturer. “I knew that one day the real story would be told.”