Marie Sock has issued a statement regarding her decision to back United Democratic Party in the December presidential election.

Mrs Sock’s statement reads: “I want to thank all of you for standing with me through this journey, supporting and endorsing my candidacy. We have come a long way together, and this is just the beginning.

“A lot has happened to us in the past week, from filling our presidential nomination, disqualification by IEC, and now to make a decision of where to go next to continue the Alliance of Social Democrat’s vision.

“This decision is not based on political interest, but for our national interest. ASD stands for good will ambassadors, good will politicians, we are on a journey to change the dynamics of Gambian politics, inshallah.

“We all must be united in one common goal.  We must continue to engage all political leaders and parties, civil societies, government agencies, private sectors and all Gambian citizens to reunite and work together for the betterment of our motherland.

“We started this journey because we wanted to change the political system of this nation, and i have come to a decision that the United Democratic Party is one of the party that aligns with our road map of development.

“Today the 10th of November 2021, our planning committee has concluded on behalf of Alliance of Social Democrats to join alliance with UDP to further promote our joint organization principles and policies.

“His Excellency Honourable Ousainou Darboe and I has reached and concluded in agreement to join forces together and uplift and rebrand the great party to climb the greater heights.

“I encourage all the Marie Sock ambassadors, ASD members and all Gambians all over the world to stand with me in this new direction. We are going to use this opportunity to change the phase of politics in the Gambia. Join us to make the difference. Thank you.”

MC Cham Jnr has insisted GDC’s political power cannot be matched by any party and said the party is on its way to State House.

Addressing GDC supporters in an audio which he shared with The Fatu Network, Cham Jnr said: “Any who wishes to endorse GDC will find that our door is open. But we will not give anyone money for you to endorse GDC.

“The money we would give you it’s better we buy t-shirts and give it to our supporters for campaign. The partnership we have right now with APRC, no one has it.

“Our power cannot be rivalled by that of any party. So I want GDC supporters to believe in themselves and know we are going to State House.”

By Reuters

Guinea will begin vaccinating children aged 12-17 against COVID-19 with a consignment of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines on Wednesday, the health ministry said.

Most African countries have been reliant on the COVAX vaccine sharing initiative for doses, and have inoculated only a small fraction of their populations.

Guinea received a quantity of the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines in late October and early November, the National Agency for Health Security said in a statement. It did not say how many doses were received or from where.

The country previously received 194,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine from the global COVAX initiative and supplemented that with vaccines purchased and donated from China.

Guinea has administered at least 2,276,474 doses of COVID-19 vaccine so far, enough to have fully vaccinated about 9% of its population, according to government data compiled by Reuters.

The death toll in Guinea from the pandemic stands at 387, and there have been 30,709 cases, according to government figures.

Momodou Bah 1 has endorsed President Adama Barrow for the December presidential election.

The former aspirant presidential candidate met President Barrow in Kerewan where he officially endorsed him.

More follows…

Marie Sock has finally endorsed UDP for next month’s presidential election.

Reports on Tuesday said Mrs Sock had flipped to UDP but the politician told The Fatu Network talks were still ongoing.

A decision has now been reached for her to back UDP for the upcoming poll.

More follows…

President Adama Barrow has asked citizens in Upper Nuimi to be mindful of one of the boxes of next month’s presidential election.

The president addressed citizens in Fass Omar Saho on Tuesday as the curtain got raised on his campaign.

The president said: “This is a very important election that one has to be very diligent. I know you people know me. And this is why I tell you don’t call me Barrow Manasi but Barrow Nata Dokuwolela.

“There will be many boxes in this election but you should be careful of one box: that’s the box where all insult emanate. Tribalism also comes from that box. It’s also the box where they want to be president by any means necessary.

“So everyone should be mindful of that box. Our box too is there but our box is the peace box, a box that knows only work.”

By: Christian Conteh

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported that the Global Progress Against Measles is threatened because of the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic.

The institutions say the world has reported the largest increase in unvaccinated children in 20 years leaving critical gaps in disease surveillance, thus increasing the risk of measles outbreaks and ultimately putting lives at risk.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant disruptions to immunization services and changes in health-seeking behaviours in many parts of the world. While the measures used to mitigate COVID-19 – masking, handwashing, distancing – also reduce the spread of the measles virus, countries and global health partners must prioritize finding and vaccinating children against measles to reduce the risk of explosive outbreaks and preventable deaths from this disease.

Measles is one of the world’s most contagious human viruses but is almost entirely preventable through vaccination.  In the last 20 years, the measles vaccine is estimated to have averted more than 30 million deaths globally. Estimated deaths from measles dropped from around 1,070,000 in 2000 to 60,700 in 2020.  The estimated number of measles cases in 2020 was 7.5 million globally.  Measles transmission within communities is not only a clear indicator of poor measles vaccination coverage, but also a known marker, or ‘tracer,’ that vital health services are not reaching populations most at risk.

According to the report, “While reported measles cases have fallen compared to previous years, progress toward measles elimination continues to decline and the risk of outbreaks is mounting. During 2020, more than 22 million infants missed their first dose of measles vaccine – 3 million more than in 2019, marking the largest increase in two decades and creating dangerous conditions for outbreaks to occur.  Compared with the previous year, reported measles cases decreased by more than 80 percent in 2020.”

However, it reports that measles surveillance deteriorated with the lowest number of specimens sent for laboratory testing in over a decade. Weak measles monitoring, testing and reporting for measles jeopardize countries’ ability to prevent outbreaks of this highly infectious disease. Major measles outbreaks were reported in 26 countries and accounted for 84 percent of all reported cases in 2020.

Kevin Cain is MD and CDC’s Global Immunization Director, he said, “Large numbers of unvaccinated children, outbreaks of measles, and disease detection and diagnostics diverted to support COVID-19 responses are factors that increase the likelihood of measles-related deaths and serious complications in children.”

Adding that, “We must act now to strengthen disease surveillance systems and close immunity gaps, before travel and trade return to pre-pandemic levels, to prevent deadly measles outbreaks and mitigate the risk of other vaccine-preventable diseases.”

“While reported measles cases dropped in 2020, evidence suggests we are likely seeing the calm before the storm as the risk of outbreaks continues to grow around the world. It’s critical that countries vaccinate as quickly as possible against COVID-19, but this requires new resources so that it does not come at the cost of essential immunization programs.

Routine immunization must be protected and strengthened; otherwise, we risk trading one deadly disease for another,” said Dr Kate O’Brien, Director of WHO’s Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals.

Marie Sock has not yet join United Democratic Party, according to people familiar with the issue.

Mrs Sock joining UDP emerged online on Tuesday prompting some UDP supporters congratulating her.

The Fatu Network has however gathered through people who are familiar with the issue that she has not joined any party yet as talks are still ongoing.

A police officer has died after getting knocked down by a reckless driver, police have confirmed.

Police spokesman Lamin Njie told The Fatu Network: “We can confirm the accident which occurred around Denton Bridge in which Police Sgt 2745 Omar manneh,  posted at Denton bridge was been knocked down by a reckless-driver while on active duty.

“He was rushed to EFSTH Banjul where he was pronounced dead. The driver is currently under custody helping police accident investigations.”

Mai Fatty visited the Independent Electoral Commission on Tuesday amid what he called a legal battle over the rejection of his nomination.

Mr Fatty visited the IEC on Saturday night after the IEC rejected his nomination for want of signatures. He accused the IEC of playing a ping-pong game on him after he could not meet any of the officials at the IEC on that night.

He was at the IEC again on Tuesday amid Election House’s latest move to dismiss the appeals of all six candidates who protested their rejection.

The Fatu Network understands some of the candidates are now planning to go to the Supreme Court.

The Independent Electoral Commission has rejected the appeals of six candidates who exercised their right of appeal following the rejection of their nomination over the weekend.

They are Gambia Moral Congress’s Mai Fatty, CA’s Dr Ismaila Ceesay, GAP’s Alieu Sowe, ANRD’s Lamin Bojang, Papa Faal and Alhaji Mamadi Kurang.

IEC spokesman Pa Makan Khan told The Fatu Network their appeals were dismissed for lack of merit.

The Fatu Network understands some of the leaders have threatened to head to the Supreme Court.

Early life and politics

Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh is a former teacher at Gambia High School. He is the National Unity Party (NUP)’s Secretary-General and Standard-bearer for the 4 December 2021 presidential election. Jammeh was the Director-General of The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) for over 9 years.

Career and politics

From 2012 to early 2021, he was Director-General of The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Also served as Head of the Banjul Accord Group Secretariat, an ICAO Sub-Regional Grouping of ECOWAS CAA’s for the same period.

Jammeh was Deputy Director-General of The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) from 2003 to 2012. He also doubled as Project Manager for Banjul International Airport Improvement Project from 2009 to 2012

From 2000 to 2003, Jammeh was Corporate Planning Manager at The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority. Between 1992 and 1998, he was Assistant Personnel Officer/Personnel Officer/ Senior Assistant Secretary, Personnel Management Office at Central Government.

Jammeh was also a teacher from 1989 to 1990 at Gambia High School (Now Gambia Senior Secondary School)

Education/Training

Abdoulie Ebrima Jammeh holds a Masters of Science (MSc) in Development Management, Post Graduate Diploma (PGD) Information Systems Management) Glasgow Caledonian University, UK. 1994 (Information Technology Management) Institute of Systems Science, National University of Singapore. He completed his GCE A’ Levels in 1989 at Gambia High School.

In addition, Mr. Jammeh took specialized courses in Aviation Safety Management for Directors General of Civil Aviation at the Singapore Aviation Academy; Total Quality Management & Project Management at the Royal Institute of Public Administration (RIPA) UK; Strategic Planning at the Island and Small States Institute, University of Malta; Aviation Security Management at the International Air Transport Association Training & Development Centre in Montreal, Canada and Several other professional development courses.

Early life and education

Mama Kandeh was born on 12 July 1965. He was a national assembly member and a member of the Pan-African Parliament representing The Gambia.

He once attended Crab Island School in Banjul, and Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) in Jeshwang, Serrekunda, Kanifing.

Political career

He is the founding leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) political party which he formed in the summer of 2016. He ran as a candidate in the Gambian presidential election of 2016 and came third with 17.1% of the votes.

He was formerly a member of the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), the then ruling party under former President Yahya Jammeh 22-year rule.

Mama Kandeh is one of six candidates being validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 4 December 2021 presidential election.

Early life, education and career  

Essa M. Faal was born on 3rd July 1965. He is a Gambian international lawyer who has served as a defence counsel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and a senior partner at Faal and Co. Essa Faal led the prosecution in the Darfur investigations and as a lead defence counsel for several other cases. In 2018, he was appointed as chief prosecutor at the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).

Faal holds an LLB from Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, and an LLM in legislative drafting and public law from the University of the West Indies.

He began his legal career as a state counsel at The Gambia’s Ministry of Justice in 1994, serving as counsel to the Commission of Inquiry into the Financial Activities of Public Corporations. At the end of 1997, Faal was appointed as first secretary and later counsel for legal affairs at The Gambia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN), based in New York, United States.

In 2000, Faal was appointed as a judicial affairs officer by the UN and was deployed at the UN Transitional Administration in East Timor. In this capacity, he contributed to the re-establishment of the justice system in the country. In 2002, he was made Acting Deputy General Prosecutor for Serious Crimes and later was promoted to Chief of Prosecutions.

In 2005, Faal joined the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) in Rome, Italy. He was responsible for designing and directing the implementation of justice sector reform programmes in developing countries. 2006 saw him appointed by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to lead the investigations into the Darfur genocide in which 300,000 had allegedly been killed. The investigation led to the indictment of several senior members of the Sudanese government for genocide and crimes against humanity. Faal was later appointed to the position of senior trial lawyer and lead prosecuting counsel for the Darfur cases.

Between 2011 and 2016, Faal served as co-lead defence counsel for several cases in the ICC, relating to Kenya, Liberia, Libya, and the Philippines. Individuals he has defended include Mohammed Hussein Ali, Kenya’s President William Ruto, his deputy Uhuru Kenyatta, and Francis Muthaura. He has also served as counsel for Liberia’s former President Charles Taylor, who he has represented pro bono, and Lybia’s former President  Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.

Essa M. Faal is one of six candidates being validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 4 December 2021 presidential election.

Early life and politics

Halifa Sallah was born in 1953 in Serekunda, The Gambia. He was educated in the United States, graduating with a degree in sociology. He returned to the Gambia in 1977 and worked as a social worker in the Social Welfare Department. He is a Gambian politician who currently serves as a member of the National Assembly representing Serekunda, and the secretary-general of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS). He served as a spokesman and advisor to President Adama Barrow during the 2016 presidential election campaign until March 2017.

Sallah co-founded PDOIS in 1986 and was elected as its secretary-general in 1987. He has been a major contributor to Foroyaa, the party’s newspaper. He contested elections for the House of Representatives in 1987 and 1992 respectively and was a critic of Yahya Jammeh’s regime. He stood unsuccessfully for the National Assembly in 1997 but was elected in 2002, serving until 2007. During that time, he also served as Minority Leader.

Sallah has served in the Pan-African Parliament, and was the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD)’s candidate for president in the 2006 presidential election, coming third with 6% of the vote.

After returning from the United States in the late 1970s, Sallah became involved with the People’s Movement for Independence against Neo-Colonialism and Capitalism (PMINCC). It is also believed that he was one of the editors of The Voice of the Future newspaper. Along with other PMINCC members, he was arrested in October 1983 and went on trial in 1984 for his involvement in distributing The Voice. He was acquitted but lost his job as a result of the trial.

Sallah contested the Serekunda East constituency in the 1987 and 1992 elections for the House of Representatives, but only won around 10% of the vote. Following Yahya Jammeh‘s coup in 1994, Sallah and other PDOIS leaders adopted a principled stance in response, with Sallah and Jatta both turning down offers to join the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council. Both men were detained in August 1994 for publishing an edition of Foroyya despite the ban on political activities. They were put on trial, found guilty, and fined, but resumed publication in November 1994 as a non-partisan newspaper.

Sallah again unsuccessfully contested the Serekunda East constituency in the 1997 election but was elected to the new constituency of Serekunda Central in the 2002 parliamentary election. As the United Democratic Party (UDP) had boycotted the election, the PDOIS, with two seats, emerged as the largest opposition party, and Sallah became the Minority Leader in the National Assembly. He also served as a member of the Pan-African Parliament in this period. In June 2005, he was expelled from the National Assembly along with three other opposition MPs on the grounds of dual party membership. NADD, an opposition alliance that the PDOIS had joined earlier that year, had been registered as a political party, and the Supreme Court of the Gambia ruled that holding dual membership was against the Gambian Constitution. Some criticised the ruling, claiming that it was a move to silence parliamentary opposition as there was nothing in the Constitution that regulated political parties. On 29 September, a by-election was held in Serrekunda Central, in which Sallah was re-elected by a “huge” margin.

On 15 November 2005, he was arrested along with two other opposition leaders on the grounds of subversion, accused of having collaborated with the President of Senegal. The charges, however, were dropped following the intervention of Olusegun Obasanjo, then-President of Nigeria. Sallah was NADD’s candidate in the 2006 presidential election, where he came third and won 5.98% of the vote. During the election, the US Embassy described Sallah as “known and respected throughout the country and abroad for his constant admonishment of President Jammeh’s government for its failure to adhere to the country’s constitution and the principles of democracy.” They also wrote: “A win by Halifa Sallah would almost certainly usher in a new era in Gambian government and politics. Sallah’s ideas are consistent with democratic principles and we would expect a Sallah administration to be a reliable friend of the US.

He lost his seat in the National Assembly in the 2007 parliamentary election to Sainey Jaiteh, a member of the ruling APRC. While not mentioning Sallah by name, Yahya Jammeh made a coded reference to him and Hamat Bah when he expressed his satisfaction at the defeat of “the two empty barrels in the National Assembly”. Sallah blamed the opposition’s poor performance in the election on a split in its ranks and said that he intended to retire from politics and concentrate on writing. On 8 March 2009, Sallah was arrested and taken to the central prison, Mile II. The Jammeh regime accused him of spying. However, the charges were dropped against him on 25 March “in the interest of peace and justice”. Sallah was also reportedly detained in June 2009, when he went to visit a group of imprisoned journalists at the National Intelligence Agency. He was held overnight before being released on bail. Before the 2011 Gambian presidential election, Sallah released a statement saying he would not be a candidate because “the office of President or Vice President is not of value to [him]”.

In February 2016, it was announced that Sallah would be PDOIS’s candidate in the 2016 Gambian presidential election. He later became the spokesperson for Coalition 2016, and following Jammeh’s defeat by Adama Barrow in the election, declared that Jammeh would be treated like a “rebel leader” if he did not relinquish control by 19 January 2017, when his term ended. Sallah remained the coalition spokesperson following Barrow’s election. It was rumoured that Sallah was being considered for Vice-President by Barrow, but Barrow changed his mind following a meeting with Ousainou Darboe and other UDP members. Sallah subsequently declined the offer of a cabinet position. On 17 February 2017, Sallah was appointed as Special Advisor to the President on Governance (but he never take the role). SMBC News commented that his “appointment will bring absolute, total, complete confidence of the Barrow administration.”

On 24 February 2017, Sallah announced that he would be contesting the 2017 parliamentary election to the National Assembly. Upon submitting his nomination to the Independent Electoral Commission, he said that it would be the duty of the incoming NAMs to build up the National Assembly as an oversight institution. Sallah also resigned from his executive role as an advisor. He stood in the constituency of Serekunda and was duly elected. In August, Sallah called for a debate with Ousainou Darboe, the leader of the United Democratic Party (UDP), over the credibility of Coalition 2016’s memorandum of understanding stating that Barrow would only serve for three years, instead of a full five years.

In October 2017, Sallah said that the Barrow government was “reminiscent of the APRC government days” as “nothing seems to have improved the living standard of ordinary Gambians.” The Office of the President issued a statement in response stating that “Comparing this government to the former dictatorial regime is a distortion of facts.” Sallah visited Ohio University for three days in February 2018. On 8 March, Sallah met with the Cuban Ambassador to The Gambia, Lázaro Herrera, in his home. On 16 March, during a heated exchange over a proposed loan from China, Sallah was removed from the National Assembly on the orders of Speaker Mariam Jack-Denton.

 Personal life  

Sallah was involved in a car accident while touring the country in March 2016 and “suffered cuts to his face”, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

Halifa Sallah is one of six candidates being validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 4 December 2021 presidential election.

Early life and education

Ousainou Darboe was born in 1948. He is the son of Numukunda Darboe, who served as a member of parliament for Lower Falluda West, and as communications secretary for Pierre Sarr N’Jie‘s United Party.

Darboe attended Bansang Primary School and then proceeded to Banjul, where he studied at Saint Augustine High School and Gambia High School. Darboe was a recipient of a Commonwealth scholarship to study law at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. He later studied for a master’s degree in law from the University of Ottawa, Canada.

Legal career

Darboe was called to the Federal Bar of Nigeria in 1973 and returned to the Gambia in May 1973 to take up a role as a state prosecutor. He was called to the Gambian Bar in November 1973, becoming the first Gambian lawyer from the Mandinka ethnic group. He then worked at the Attorney General’s Chambers, firstly as a state counsel, then as acting registrar-general, and then as a legal draftsman, before resigning in 1980 in protests against the government’s use of draconian legislation to suppress opposition.

Darboe then entered private practice, working as a human rights barrister. He founded Basansang Chambers in 1980. He was later joined as a senior partner by Neneh M.C. Cham and Lamin Darboe. Darboe is credited with having saved the lives of over 200 Gambians from the death penalty. Following the failed 1981 coup against Dawda Jawara‘s government, Darboe successfully defended many involved, including Pap Cheyassin Secka and Sheriff Mustapha Dibba who were both tried for treason. Darboe also represented the majority of those detained under ‘Emergency Powers’ following the coup.

He has worked as a legal advisor to many major Gambian companies and organisations, including Gamtel, Continent Bank (which dissolved in 2003), Gambia Public Transport Corporation, and the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation. He also continued to provide advice and representation on a pro bono basis. He served the Gambia Bar Association for several years as its vice president and was also a member of the National Advisory Committee on the selection of judges to the International Court of Justice.

Political career

1994 in the Gambia saw a military coup, propelling Yahya Jammeh into the role of head of state. In August 1996, Darboe founded the United Democratic Party based on “democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law”, and became its first leader. He first ran for president in the 1996 presidential election, where he came second to Jammeh, winning 35.84% of the vote to Jammeh’s 55.77%. However, the election was widely criticised by observers for its flaws.

In June 2000, while on the campaign trail for the 2001 election, his convoy was ambushed by supporters of the Jammeh regime. One attacker, Alieu Njie, was killed in the process. Darboe and 20 others were arrested and held in Basse police station before being transferred to the high court in Banjul and being granted bail.

He ran again in the 2001 election, representing a three-way coalition of the UDP, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and the Gambian People’s Party (GPP). He again finished second behind Jammeh, winning 32.59% of the vote. In 2005, the UDP joined with four other opposition parties to form the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), in preparation for elections in late 2006 and early 2007. The alliance, however, disintegrated after the UDP and the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) withdrew in early 2006.

By the time the presidential election was held in September 2006, Darboe’s UDP had formed another coalition with the NRP and the Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP) called the ‘Alliance for Regime Change’. In the election, Darboe’s running mate was Hamat Bah. A United States diplomatic cable describing the election candidates called Darboe the “perennial candidate”. It speculated by his opponent that Darboe seemed “to be relying on tribal loyalties to secure victory at the polls”, and also noted that “it is not clear whether he would be a reliable ally for the U.S.”. Jammeh won the election with 67.33% of the vote followed by Darboe, who won 26.69%. A third candidate representing the remaining NADD parties, Halifa Sallah, finished a distant third with 5.98% of the vote. Darboe rejected the official results of the election, saying that the election was not free and fair and that there was widespread voter intimidation.

Darboe was arrested in April 2016 for participating in protests demanding the body (dead or alive) of his party’s Youth Leader, Ebrima Solo Sandeng, who was arrested by the state security agents, tortured and eventually died in custody, a day after his arrest. Darboe remained in jail, during the period leading up to the December 2016 presidential election, and in his absence, Adama Barrow, a businessman without political experience, was designated as the party’s presidential candidate( with Darboe’s endorsement). In a shock result, Barrow, as the joint opposition candidate leading Coalition 2016, defeated Jammeh in the election. A few days after the election, Darboe was among 19 members of the opposition released from prison.

Minister of Foreign Affairs

On 1 February 2017, Darboe was sworn in as Barrow’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. The next day, he met with foreign diplomats accredited to the Gambia to “strengthen bilateral relations between the Gambia and the world”. The same week as his swearing-in, it was confirmed that €33 million in foreign aid from the European Union that had been frozen under Jammeh’s regime would be released to the Gambia.

In late 2017, Darboe courted controversy when he demanded that the president of Togo, Faure Gnassingbé, resign due to massive anti-government protests. He withdrew the statement a few days later.

 Vice President

In a cabinet reshuffle in June 2018, Darboe was promoted to the position of Vice President and Minister of Presidential Affairs, replacing Fatoumata Tambajang, who had held the position since November 2017. Darboe’s tenure as Vice President was fraught with reports of constant disagreement with President Adama Barrow. This would ultimately lead to his removal as Vice President in a cabinet reshuffle of 15 March 2019, which also saw the removal of Amadou Sanneh and Lamin N. Dibba, both ministers belonging to the UDP.

Personal life

Darboe is married to two wives and several children. His eldest daughter, Mariama, is a graduate of Tulane University in the United States. He is a sports enthusiast and served as vice president of the Gambian National Olympic and Sports Committee for several years, as well as chairman of the Gambia Wrestling Federation.

Though he has never won an election in The Gambia, Darboe is said to be a crowd-puller. He is contesting for the presidency under the United Democratic Party (UDP).

Ousainou Darboe is one of six candidates being validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 4 December 2021 presidential election.

As part of the on-going efforts coupled with continuous security assessment of the country, Ousman Sowe, the director general of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) has stated that the country remains calm as he begins a national security tour.

He thus urged Gambians to be tolerant, restraint and be accommodative.

“The country remains calm but we encourage Gambians to interact, be tolerant; be responsible and be measurable. Gambians are always known to be tolerant and always do engagement and social networking. I believe if Gambians come together and see the country first and see the forthcoming election as just an event, then we will be able to pass through and should deescalate the tension,” he said

DG Sowe, who was speaking to journalists yesterday at the Banjul Ferry terminal as he began a nationwide national security tour, said: “There’s no need for us to have tension in this country. December 4th will come and pass and we will remain in the country as Gambians. As we begin our countrywide tour, we will also be talking to communities and we will be having radio talk shows to all the FM across the country with a view to preach peace and also spread our security messages and calls for security consciousness in this period.”

The country’s spy chief will also be interacting with regional governors, community members and different stakeholders during his nationwide tour. The tour will also avail him the opportunity to have face to face discourse with Gambians on the need to maintain peace in the country. Sowe will also be opening new regional commands across the country as part of their commitment in bringing security to the door steps of every Gambian.

Generally, he said, the country’s security situation is calm and there’s no cause for undue alarm. “There should be no cause for alarm. However, the security will continue to be vigilant. Election is a security event. However, I can tell you that the security of the country is calm and The Gambia is ready to have a peaceful election in an environment of restraint, measurelessness and tolerance among others. I believe that will help the security environment.”

He added: “We are embarking on this tour for the fact that it has been an annual activity that we have been carrying out over the last four years as part of reforms and restructuring of the service.”

“I want to thank the Gambians people for the support they have been rendering to the service over the past four to five years. It has been a very eventful year. In the process, the service has consciously dedicated itself and committed itself to reforming and restructuring the service. As part of that, we had a conscious roll out programmes throughout the country of which annually we go around and access the state of national security, access the state of our relation with the communities whom we are committed to serve,” he posited.

Security, DG Sowe went on, is everybody’s business. “We might have national responsibility or accountability but security is everybody’s business and that’s our approach to it. We involve almost everyone with a view to take security as their own. If each and every one of us takes security as our responsibility, then the country will continue to witness rapid socio-economic development.”

He further added: “We might have the security concept at the office; however, the people in the field also matter. We have the National Security Belt Initiative which is aimed among others to repeal our deployment across the country especially at the borders. Therefore, meeting Gambians across the country who are really the recipients of security itself and hearing from them is quite important. We are going through a period that’s unprecedented. We are going to have an election in less than a month, thus it is important that we assess the country’s security situation,” he emphasised.

“We want to thank the public for their continued support of the service. Everyone has witnessed where the SIS came from and where we are today. We are committed to the reforms, restructuring and the repositioning of the service to the best interest of the public. I also want to take this opportunity to call on the public to make security their business. Security matters to all of us. All of us need security and I think what we are seeing in the country with all the proliferation of political activities, really this is also a testimony to the security environment we have.”

Early Life, Education and Career

President Adama Barrow was born on 15 February 1965 in Mankamang Kunda, a small village near Basse Santa Su, three days before The Gambia achieved independence from the United Kingdom. He is the son of Mamudu Barrow and Kaddijatou Jallow.

He attended Koba Kunda Primary School, and later Crab Island Secondary School in Banjul. He then received a scholarship to study at the Muslim High School. After leaving school, he worked for Alhagie Musa Njie & Sons, a Gambian energy company where he became a sales manager.

In the early 2000s, he moved to London where he studied for qualifications in real estate. Concurrently, he worked as a security guard at a local store to finance his studies. He later described these experiences as formative as he worked several hours daily.

President Barrow returned to The Gambia and in 2006, he established Majum Real Estate, and from 2006 to 2016 was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company.

On 12 June 2019 [three years into his presidency], he received The Great Builder Super Prize award which is The Africa Road Builders Babacar Ndiaye Trophy. This was for his leadership in building the Senegambia Bridge.

He started his political career with the National Reconciliation Party (NRP) headed by his current Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hamat Bah together with the current Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) leader, Mamma Kandeh. However, in 2007, he parted ways with the NRP and joined the UDP when Bah advised him not to contest against their former colleague Mamma Kandeh who had cross-carpeted to the ruling APRC.

2016 Gambian Presidential Election

On 30 October 2016, Barrow was chosen by a coalition of seven opposition parties as their endorsed candidate for the 2016 Gambian presidential election. Prior to becoming a candidate for the presidency, Barrow had not previously held any elected office, but he had been the treasurer of the United Democratic Party (UDP). He resigned from the UDP on 3 November to contest the election as an independent, with the full backing of the coalition, dubbed Coalition 2016.

During the campaign, he promised to return the Gambia to its membership of the Commonwealth of Nations and the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court. He also promised to reform security forces, pledging to increase professionalism and separate them from politics.

In the election, Barrow won with 43.34% of the vote, defeating the 22-year- serving President Yahya Jammeh (who received 39.6%) and third-party candidate Mama Kandeh (who received 17.1%).

Presidential Transition and Inauguration

Initially, the then President Yahya Jammeh indicated that a smooth handover of power would take place but later, in a television broadcast, he declared that he rejected the result of the election. This was met with both national and international outcry.

The UN Security Council called on Jammeh to respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia and the African Union declared Jammeh’s statement “null and void”. Jammeh’s refusal to step down was criticised by the United States, neighbouring Senegal, ECOWAS, and others.

Fearing for his safety, Adama Barrow left the Gambia to Senegal while urging Jammeh to step down. Jammeh appealed his loss in the election to the Supreme Court. When the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court declared that the court would not be able to consider the case for at least four months, Jammeh declared a state of an emergency preventing Barrow from being sworn in as president.

Barrow was then sworn in as President of The Gambia at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, Senegal, on 19 January 2017. On the same day, military forces from Senegal, Nigeria and Ghana entered the Gambia in an ECOWAS military intervention involving land, sea, and air forces to compel Jammeh to leave. The military forces of the Gambia did not oppose the intervention, which only met with isolated minor clashes near Jammeh’s hometown of Kanilai. ECOWAS halted the incursion after only a few hours and gave Jammeh his last chance to step down. On 21 January, Jammeh left the Gambia for an ECOWAS-arranged exile, paving the way for the transition of power.

On 26 January, Barrow returned to The Gambia, while about 2,500 ECOWAS troops remained there to stabilise the country.^[30] Barrow asked for the ECOWAS troops to stay for six months. A crowd in the hundreds were waiting at Banjul International Airport to welcome him home. Barrow was also greeted by military officials and members of the coalition government.

On 18 February 2017 Barrow took the oath of office a second time, within the Gambia, at an inauguration ceremony held at Independence Stadium in Bakau outside the capital Banjul.

Human Rights and Other Reforms

On 28 January 2017, Barrow announced that the official long-form name of the Gambia would be reverted from Islamic Republic of The Gambia to Republic of The Gambia, reverting a change made by Jammeh in 2015. He also said that he would ensure freedom of the press in the country. On 14 February, Gambia began the process of returning to its membership of the Commonwealth of Nations.

In his inaugural address on 18 February 2017, Barrow announced that he had ordered the release of all persons detained without trial under the repressive regime of Yahya Jammeh. A total of 171 prisoners held in Gambia’s infamous Mile 2 Prison were set free.

Barrow pledged to have the Gambia end human rights violations and cancelled the pending withdrawal of the Gambia from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. On 23 March, the then Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou announced that a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) would offer reparations to victims of former President Yahya Jammeh’s government.

Barrow dismissed General Ousman Badjie, the Chief of the Defence Staff, along with 10 other senior officers in February 2017. Badjie was replaced by the former chief of staff Masaneh Kinteh. David Colley, the director of the prison system was also dismissed and arrested along with 9 men suspected of being members of the “Junglers”, an alleged death squad under Yahya Jammeh.

On 21 September 2017, a few hours after his maiden speech at the UN General Assembly, Barrow signed a treaty abolishing the death penalty as part of the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He also signed the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, the United Nations Convention on Transparency in Treaty-Based Investor-State Arbitration and the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

National Intelligence Agency Reform

On 28 January 2017, Barrow announced that he would rename and restructure the country’s intelligence agency, the National Intelligence Agency, pointing out its association with the oppressive regime of Yahya Jammeh. He said the NIA was “an institution that has to continue”, but added “the rule of the law, that will be the order of the day”. He said that additional training would be given to NIA operatives.

On 31 January, Barrow announced that the NIA would be called the State Intelligence Services (SIS). The next day, he fired the NIA Director General, Yankuba Badjie, and replaced him with former NIA Deputy Director Musa Dibba. Barrow also stripped the NIA of its law enforcement functions and temporarily occupied all NIA detention centres with police officers. As part of Barrow’s reforms, former head of NIA Yankuba Badjie and director of operations Sheikh Omar Jeng who are accused of human rights violations were arrested on 20 February and were being investigated for potential abuses of power. The ban on gambling enforced by Jammeh was lifted by Barrow in May 2017, in an effort to attract investors and create employment opportunities.

In February 2017, one of Barrow’s first foreign policy actions was to overturn the decision made by Jammeh in October 2016 to leave the International Criminal Court. The process was formalised by a letter sent by the Minister of Foreign Affairs on 10 February, with the government expressing its commitment “to the promotion of human rights”, and to “the principles enshrined in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court”.

On 8 February 2018, Barrow became a Commonwealth head of government, as the Gambia reverted to being a Commonwealth republic, which was the case from April 1970 to October 2013.

Personal Life

President Barrow is a Muslim and says that his faith guides his life and politics. He practices polygamy and has two wives, Fatoumatta Bah and Sarjo Mballow. Both wives are from the Fula ethnic group. He has four children. Habibu Barrow, his eight-year-old son, died after being bitten by a dog on 15 January 2017.

Barrow could not attend his son’s funeral because, following ECOWAS recommendations, he was in Senegal where he had escaped the post-electoral trouble.

He is a fan of the English football club Arsenal. His support for the team started in the early 2000s when he was residing in the United Kingdom.

President Adama Barrow seeks re-election as he is one of six candidates being validated by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) for the 4th December 2021 presidential election.

Leaders of 27 countries include some of those most vulnerable to the health harms caused by climate change as well as some of the world’s biggest carbon emitters have in response to growing evidence of the impact of climate change on people’s health committed to developing resilient and low-carbon health systems in their respective countries.

This commitment was made during COP26, the ongoing UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Scotland. Forty-two of these countries have also committed to transforming their health systems to be more sustainable and low carbon. Twelve have set a target date to reach net-zero carbon emissions on or before 2050.

This is part of the COP26 Health Programme, a partnership between the UK government, the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Climate Champions and health groups, such as Health Care Without Harm.

“The future of health must be built on health systems that are resilient to the impacts of epidemics, pandemics and other emergencies, but also the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather events and the increasing burden of various diseases related to air pollution and our warming planet,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

“Health systems must also be part of the solution, by reducing carbon emissions. We applaud those countries that have committed to building climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, and we hope to see many others following their lead in the near future.”

Countries that have committed to achieving low-carbon, sustainable health systems include Argentina, Fiji, Malawi, Spain, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and 36 others. Countries that have committed to enhancing the climate resilience of their health systems include Bangladesh, Ethiopia, the Maldives, the Netherlands, and 42 others.

“The message from WHO and health professionals around the globe is clear: climate change is a huge health challenge, and we need to act now. I’m pleased to see so many countries prioritising this issue through the COP26 Health Programme and their level of ambition. Strong leadership from the health sector is vital to make sure we protect our populations from the impacts of climate change by enhancing the climate resilience of health systems, and by reducing emissions from the health sector,” said Wendy Morton, Minister for Europe and Americas, in the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The country commitments come off the back of a WHO survey, launched this week, which shows that the majority of countries now include health in their national climate plans to the Paris Agreement, but that plans often still lack detailed health actions or support mechanisms.

“These government commitments exemplify the growing global health movement for climate action. Around the world doctors, nurses, hospitals, health systems and ministries of health are reducing their climate footprint, becoming more resilient and advocating for a just transition that puts health at the centre of a decarbonized civilization,” said Josh Karliner, International Director of Program and Strategy of Health Care Without Harm.

In addition to the national commitments, 54 institutions from 21 countries representing more than 14,000 hospitals and health centres have joined the UNFCCC Race to Zero and committed to achieving net-zero emissions.

A record number of health leaders are participating at the COP26 UN climate conference, and more than 45 million health professionals, representing two-thirds of the world’s health workforce, have signed a letter urging governments to take stronger action, noting that “hospitals, clinics and communities around the world have already been responding to the health harms caused by climate change”