A Gambian man, Michael Sang Correa, has been sentenced to more than 67 years in prison following his conviction by a US jury for his involvement in the torture of numerous individuals in Gambia in 2006.

The sentence was handed down by Senior Judge Christine Arguello for the District of Colorado after Correa was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit torture and five counts of torture.

This case represents the first criminal prosecution related to the feared armed group known as 'the Junglers,' which operated during former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh's rule.

Correa, 46, was arrested in 2020 under a law that prohibits anyone in the US from committing torture abroad.

Jammeh, who seized power in 1994 and ruled until losing an election in 2016, has denied allegations of torture during his presidency.

The Junglers were a secretive offshoot of the Gambian army responsible for carrying out brutalities, particularly after a failed coup attempt in 2006.

Rights groups and former victims have described being taken to a torture chamber where they faced electric shocks, beatings, and acid burns.

This case marks a significant development in holding Jammeh's regime accountable for its human rights abuses.