By Omar Bah
Reed Brody, the top American human rights lawyer has cautioned that US president Donald Trump’s freezing of all programmes depending on US funding will affect The Gambia’s plans to prosecute Yahya Jammeh.
Trump issued an executive order to freeze all programmes around the world that depend on US funding for 90 days. The order, he said will allow for a review of US foreign assistance to determine if they align with his foreign policy agenda.
In 2023, the US provided U$36 million in aid to The Gambia covering healthcare, education, infrastructure development, democratic governance and transitional justice.
Responding to Trump’s announcement in a Standard exclusive, Reed said the US aid freeze is “a devastating blow” to The Gambia’s development and that Jammeh should “thank Trump for making it more challenging to set up the Special Tribunal”.
“I am deeply worried about the consequences of the US aid freeze for The Gambia. The abrupt halt in assistance threatens to disrupt ongoing projects and stall crucial progress. As someone who has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with Gambian civil society and victims of former president Jammeh’s brutal regime, I am particularly concerned about what this means for transitional justice efforts — an achievement Gambians are justifiably proud of,” he added.
Reed said the US was set to be a leading donor to the Ecowas Hybrid Court designed to prosecute those responsible for the worst abuses of Jammeh’s regime, and to the Special Prosecutor’s office.
“It was always going to be difficult to finance the court, but it will be even harder now. The State Department’s Office of Global Criminal Justice, under Beth Van Schaack, had already allocated funding to civil society organisations supporting the court. Now, organisations like the Centre for Justice and Accountability have paused work due to the aid freeze, and many Gambian groups are facing the same crisis,” he stated.
However, he said organisations are seeking alternative funding, engaging the diaspora, and fighting for policy reversals through advocacy and diplomacy.
“They must also build local resilience, invest in self-sustaining projects, and strengthen partnerships to keep critical services running. The fight for justice, democracy, and human dignity is far from over.”
Resistance
He said congressional democrats are pushing legislative measures to restore funding.
“Advocacy groups, faith-based organisations, and NGOs are mobilising public pressure to reverse the cuts. Even evangelical leaders have urged Trump to reconsider, emphasising the humanitarian and strategic importance of aid. This growing movement reflects a broad political, legal, and grassroots effort to protect US global engagement,” he noted.
