Two of the three women charged in the female circumcision death of Baby Sarjo Conteh were granted bail by the Bundung High Court on Wednesday.
Hawa Conteh and Oumie Sawaneh were released on bail by Justice I. Janneh, who presided over the case; the first accused, Fatou Camara, is still being held.
In connection with the September 8, 2025, incident in Wellingara, where Baby Sarjo allegedly passed away after the treatment, the three women are facing several accusations. The allegations include violations of the Women’s (Amendment) Act (2015), which forbids female circumcision, and conspiracy to commit a felony under Section 341 of the Criminal Offences Act (2025), according to the state’s bill of indictment.
According to the allegations, Camara carried out the procedure, Conteh supplied the tools, and Sawaneh neglected to notify the authorities despite knowing that the circumcision would occur. Each of the three women entered a not guilty plea.
State Counsel attempted to remand all three defendants to Mile 2 Central Prison during the hearing. Since it was Camara’s first appearance, attorney LS Camara did not object to the motion on her behalf, stating that bail will be taken into consideration at a later time. Conteh and Sawaneh’s attorney, Fa Kebba Darboe, successfully argued for bail, pointing out that both women had previously been granted bail at the magistrate’s court and that the charges in the High Court were still subject to bail.
Each accused person was granted 50,000 dalasis bail by Justice Janneh, who also required a Gambian surety to provide identification and proof of residency in addition to an affidavit of means. Additionally, the sureties are in charge of making sure the accused shows up for all court appearances.
A number of witnesses, including police officers who took cautionary statements and medical personnel who received the baby and performed the post-mortem, are anticipated to be called by the prosecution.
The case has been adjourned until December 10 in order to hold additional hearings.
