US returns millions to Gambia from former president’s assets
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The United States returned $2.5 million to the Gambia after selling a property formerly owned by Yahya Jammeh, the country’s previous president.
The agreement for the return took place on September 18, 2026, between Gambian Finance Minister Seedy Keita and Robert Anderson, the chargé d'affaires at the US Embassy in Banjul. The funds will go toward a reparations fund for victims of human rights violations that occurred during Jammeh’s 22 years in power.
US authorities seized the property, located in Potomac, Maryland, in 2022, and no one contested the confiscation. The US government believes Jammeh acquired the property in 2010 using funds obtained through corruption. Following his arrival in power in 2017, Gambian President Adama Barrow established the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to investigate human rights abuses from 1994 to 2017. The TRRC recommended prosecuting Jammeh and compensating 1,009 victims. Jammeh has lived in exile in Equatorial Guinea since January 2017.
This restitution demonstrates a shared commitment from Washington and Banjul to fight financial crime and corruption, and to ensure recovered funds benefit victims of the former regime.
