Army Spokesperson Major Lamin K. Sanyang says the four hitmen, members of a group called 'Jungler' were freed on Saturday morning by the Military Police at the Fajara Barracks. They will still be serving members of the Gambia Armed Forces but have been sent on administrative leave as part of the recommendation from the justice ministry.

The release of three men who were part of an unofficial paramilitary unit the 'Junglers' and who admitted to dozens of assassinations on former president Yahya Jammeh's orders, has sparked public outrage.

Ismaila Jammeh, the brother of former president Yahya Jammeh, has admitted participating in the torture of citizens and in the killing of Almamo Manneh, an erstwhile state guard commander.

An army officer has said he was part of a group of men who murdered Gambian editor Deyda Hydara in 2004 on the orders of then-President Yahya Jammeh, AFP reports. Hydara was the managing editor and co-owner of the independent newspaper The Point, and a correspondent for AFP and Reporters Without Borders.

The exiled former leader has been accused of raping at least three women at the height of his power, but pursuing legal consequences against Jammeh is likely to prove very difficult, if not impossible. One reason for this is that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission does not have the power to prosecute, while the government would have to extradite him from Equatorial Guinea, to face trial.