Saturday, March 15, 2025
Home Blog Page 696

11 serving Gambian ambassadors tell Jammeh to hand over power, congratulate Barrow

In an unprecedented move, eleven (11) serving Gambian ambassadors to various countries around the world have issued a joint appeal on their boss disgraced outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to hand over power at the end of his term.

The Gambian diplomats overseas strongly appealed to Mr Jammeh to accept the choice of The Gambian people and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the President-Elect, Mr. Adama Barrow.

They also congratulated President-elect Adama Barrow for the victory in the December 1st Presidential Elections which has been described as transparent, free, fair and credible by both local and international election observers.

The ambassadors are H.E Mr. Dembo M. Badgie in Beijing; H.E Mr. Momodou Badgie in Ankara; H.E Mrs. Elizabeth Ya Eli Harding in London; H.E Dr. Mamadou Tangara in New York; H.E Momodou Aki Bayo in Moscow; H.E Mrs. Teneng Mba Jaiteh in Brussels; H.E Mr. Momodou Pa Njie in Dakar; H.E Mr. Lang Yabou in Madrid; H.E Mr. Masanneh N. Kinteh in Havana; H.E. Mr. Abdou Jarju in Bissau and H.E. Mr. Mass AxiGai in Addis Ababa.

Their letter reads;
We the Ambassadors of The Gambia representing our Nation overseas, extend our thanks and appreciation to Your Excellency, The Government and People of The Gambia for the smooth and peaceful conclusion of the December 1st Presidential Elections which you described as transparent, free and fair. Both local and international election observers also certified the whole process as credible.

Yourstatesmanly and televised acceptance of the election results in favour of the Coalition candidate on December 2nd, was acclaimed and applauded throughout the world. The fact that you further congratulated Mr. Barrow on his victory and assured him of your support and guidance was testimony to the fact that you care for the progressive development of The Gambia in a peaceful and orderly transition. Many of us have received commendations on your behalf in our various jurisdictions from individuals and institutions citing your action as the dawn of a new era in African politics and democracy.

Your Excellency, we were taken aback by your pronouncement on National Television on December 9th, rejecting the results. This new position of Your Excellency has the potential of undermining the peace and stability that The Gambia is renowned for.

Your Excellency, in the light of the foregoing, we the Ambassadors of The Gambia, strongly appeal for you to accept the choice of The Gambian people and facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the President-Elect, Mr. Adama Barrow.

Meanwhile we applaud the efforts of the international community especially the UN, AU and ECOWAS mission headed by Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in their quest to bring about a peaceful resolution of the current political impasse in our motherland, The Gambia.

In conclusion Your Excellency, we once again implore you to consider our plea which is aimed at achieving the greater good for our beloved country, The Gambia.

Please accept Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration and esteem.

Meanwhile, the Gambian diplomats also congratulated President-elect Barrow on the victory saying the Gambian people have spoken, and the victory is a manifestation of their trust and confidence that everyone must acknowledge and accept as “vox populi, vox Dei” (the voice of the people is the voice of God).

The congratulatory message read:
It is with honour that we the Ambassadors of The Gambia representing our country overseas, extend our congratulations and best wishes to Your Excellency, following your victory in the December 1st Presidential Elections which has been described as transparent, free, fair and credible by both local and international election observers.

Your Excellency, the Gambian people have spoken, and your victory is a manifestation of their trust and confidence that we must all acknowledge and accept as “vox populi, vox Dei” (the voice of the people is the voice of God).

To the International Community, the peaceful and democratic elections, which is the precursor to your Presidency, has been received with euphoria and hope for political and economic partnerships. As patriotic servants of The Gambia, it is our pledge and desire to contribute our quota to the expansion and consolidation of meaningful international dialogue and cooperation for the benefit of The Gambia.

In addition, we seize this opportunity to assure Your Excellency and the Coalition of our support and collaboration.

We pray to Allah the Almighty to grant Your Excellency and team the guidance and wisdom to fulfill the duties and responsibilities bestowed on you by your election to the highest office in the land. May Almighty Allah continue to grant Your Excellency and the Gambian Nation continuous good health, long life, peace, greater protection, prosperity and success.

Please accept Your Excellency, the assurances of our highest consideration and fraternal esteem.

Samsudeen Sarr got it all wrong

The Gambian Deputy Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Retired Colonel Samsudeen Sarr got it all wrong when he expressed support for President Jammeh’s attempt to annul the results of the December 1, 2016 Presidential election that ushered in the electoral victory of President elect Adama Barrow. Mr. Sarr’s reasoning are irrational and misplaced suggestions that questions his role at the UN and ethical competence as a public servant committed to upholding the common goodness.

As a diplomat at the UN, one would expect RTD Colonel Sarr to take a forefront of efforts by the international community to promote peace and stability in the Gambia. On the contrary, the RTD Colonel took a controversial lead in supporting President Jammeh’s predatory role of illegal arrests, torture imprisonment of prominent opposition executives, and the attempt to compromise the legitimate aspirations of citizens.

First, Mr.Sarr’ s outright support for the heavy handed clamp down of peaceful opposition protesters in the Gambia, leading to the unjustified sentencing of United Democratic Party (UDP) Executives marked a turning point in the RTD colonels moral character, moral judgement and moral imagination as a public servant. He failed to draw the fine lines between justice and abuse of legislative and executive authority. This was the first missed step explaining why the RTD Colonel got it all wrong.

Second, Mr. Sarr’ s support for President Jammeh’s attempt to annul the results of the last Presidential election that ushered in the electoral victory of President Elect Barrow casted a shadow of darkness on his legacy as a world citizen and UN Ambassador. Mr. Sarr deliberately and irresponsibly ignored the fact that President Yaya Jammeh has no constitutional authority to annul national election results. The retired Colonel Got it all wrong.

By making such calls, Mr. Sarr blatantly manifested his support for compromising the Sovereignty of the Gambian nation. Since sovereignty lies in the people all attempts to compromise the aspirations of citizens tantamount to treason. Elections are constitutionally guaranteed sovereign domains, the outcome of which constitute the national interest, consent and legitimate mandate to rule.

Arguably, since sovereignty lies in the people, any attempt to compromise the aspirations of citizens expressed through constitutionally guaranteed sovereign domains could constitute an act of treason. The RTD Colonel got it all wrong.
A UN diplomat should be a beacon of UN ideals of peace, stability and development entrenched in people centered governance. And Mr. Sarr’s views on current Gambian affairs are in conflict with such ideals and the overall UN Security Council position on The Gambia. That is why the RTD Colonel got it all wrong.

Ambassador Sarr should redeem himself and be a part of progressive voices of change. The Gambia has decided and there is no turning back. Perhaps the RTD Colonel should carefully digest the ECOWAS communique to understand the inevitable dawn of the Third Gambian Republic. RTD Colonel Sarr Got it all Wrong.

By Professor Binneh Minteh

Outgoing First Lady Zineb Jammeh shuns US State Dep’t

Gambia’s outgoing First Lady Madam Zinab Yahya Jammeh is reportedly avoiding a meeting with US State Department, The Fatu Network has gathered from sources close to the ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to sources, the US State Department has been trying to have a meeting with Madam Jammeh to ask her to reason her husband, outgoing President Yahya Jammeh but it is confirmed that she is avoiding the US officials.

“She does not take calls and has not yet invited the Department of State (DOS) to come and sit with her as requested on many times” a Foreign Ministry source said, adding, she just refers the US officials to the Gambian ambassador, Sheikh Omar Faye who has in the latter recalled.

You may recall that outgoing First Lady Jammeh and her children flew out of The Gambia to the US after her husband outgoing President Yahya Jammeh was defeated in the historical presidential elections.

Meanwhile, sources have it that Madam Jammeh is considering returning back to The Gambia on either Wednesday, December 21st or Thursday, December 22nd.

She has been accorded a very uncomfortable stay at their US$3.5 Million Potomac home as Gambians in the United States have been staging massive protest at the home to denounce her husband’s regime and calling on him to hand over power peacefully.

Yahya Jammeh recalls Gambia’s US ambassador Sheikh Omar Faye

Sheikh Omar Faye, Gambia’s ambassador to the United States of America has been recalled for home service by Outgoing President Yahya Jammeh.

This is no surprise to many as you may recalled that on December 13th, Ambassador Faye, a Gambian serving diplomat openly called on outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to handover power peacefully to President-elect Adama Barrow after rejecting the election results that he had already conceded defeat.

In a letter dated December 19th, 2016 confirming his recall, Ambassador Faye said “I would like to inform my friends, colleagues and all Gambians that I have been recalled for home services. I will handover in line with Foreign Service Regulations (FSR). At the same time, I hope and pray HE President Yahya Jammeh will likewise handover to President Elect Adama Barrow and respect the will of the people of The Gambia and the Constitution”.

Ambassador Faye who has already change his social media profile status’ to ‘Former Ambassador’, thanked outgoing President Jammeh for the opportunity he had given him to serve the country in the United States of America. He also thanked Gambians who have supported, prayed and helped him in his official duties.

He used the opportunity to remind all Gambian officials, civil servants and military personnel that they are serving the people of The Gambia and MUST protect its security, peace and prosperity.

According to Ambassador Faye, as a former military officer, he was taught loyalty to country FIRST and expressed hope that the armed and security forces will uphold the Will of The Gambian people made on December 1st, 2016. He said the current Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Lieutenant General Ousman Barjie, the Deputy-Chief of Defense Staff General Yankuba Drammeh and several active and retired officers who served with him both in Yundum and Kudang camps can bear witness to the patriotism of our forces.

“We should all work together to ensure that the peace our beloved country is known for is not compromised. The Gambian people, its history and above all God, the Almighty will judge us. Let us all side with justice and the will of our people” he said in the letter.

He then expressed hope that the Gambia Armed and Security Forces will do the right thing by standing with the people of The Gambia, maintain peace and prevent any usurpation of power saying they owe that to the people of The Gambia, to history and to God, the Almighty.

Ambassador Faye then expressed confident that on January 19th, 2017, God willing, Mr Adama Barrow will become the third President of the Republic of The Gambia and we all should rally behind him for the benefit of our beloved country. “We should all forget personal ambitions and strive towards maintaining the peace and social cohesion of our beloved country” he urged.

By Alhagie Jobe

Gambia election: UN High Commissioner Zeid warning on human rights violations

0

The increased military presence deployed across The Gambia since President Yayha Jammeh rejected the election result risks heightening the current climate of intimidation and harassment in the country, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein has warned.

“This is deeply worrying, given the record of human rights violations in The Gambia, including excessive use of force against demonstrators, arbitrary detention and deaths in custody, as well as allegations of torture and ill-treatment of detainees,” Zeid said.

“We remind the Gambian authorities that people should be able to exercise their rights to peaceful assembly, association and freedom of expression. The security forces must exercise restraint in the use of force and uphold international human rights standards,” Zeid said. “All those responsible for human rights violations must be held accountable,” he added.

President Jammeh, who has been in power for more than 22 years, initially accepted that Adama Barrow had won. However, on 9 December, Mr. Jammeh rejected the results published by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and called for fresh elections. On 13 December, his APRC party filed a petition challenging the results with the Supreme Court.
“There is currently no sitting Supreme Court in The Gambia and the way President Jammeh appointed and dismissed judges has undermined the independence and credibility of the judiciary,” Zeid noted.

“I urge the president and all political parties to respect the result of the elections, the democratic process and the rule of law,” the High Commissioner stressed.
The High Commissioner also called on Mr Jammeh to respect the independent status of the IEC, whose premises were taken over by the army on Tuesday and officials ordered to leave.
“All parties should conduct themselves in a manner that contributes to a peaceful atmosphere during this crucial period and, in particular, avoid using inflammatory language. We urge all sides to reaffirm their commitment to democracy and to work to ensure that there is a peaceful handover of the presidency by 18 January in line with the freely expressed desire and will of the Gambian people,” the High Commissioner stated.
Source: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

GENEVA (16 December 2016)

Gambia’s Jammeh to be ‘rebel leader’ if clings to power

0

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh will effectively become a “rebel leader” if he fails to leave office at the end of his mandate in January, the nation’s government-in-waiting said Sunday.

Halifa Sallah, a spokesman for the opposition coalition that spurred president-elect Adama Barrow to victory over Jammeh in a December 1 poll, said the longtime leader had no constitutional mandate to remain in office beyond January.

“Any president who loses constitutional legitimacy becomes a rebel,” Sallah said.

“Anybody who is a military officer or civil servant who refuses to be under another constitutional authority obviously would also become a rebel,” he added.
The Gambia’s top brass have flip-flopped over whether they will remain loyal to Jammeh, drawing warnings from the international community.

West African presidents, meanwhile, called on Gambian security forces to act in the national interest and “protect lives and property” in a statement issued after talks among the regional ECOWAS bloc on Saturday.

Sallah read an address to the nation on Barrow’s behalf that made clear the president-elect intended to take power in January once Jammeh’s five-year mandate expired See more…

Gambians call to ‘Stay At Home Day’ on Tuesday

All Gambians have a responsibility to defend our Constitution and the rule of law and to protect and nurture a culture of peace and stability in the country.

Since December 9, all Gambian groups in the civil society and private sector as well as citizens inside the Government and in our communities as well as the international community have spoken out in clear, direct and unequivocal language to tell Outgoing Pres. Yahya Jammeh to step down and respect the verdict of the People of the Gambia.

Hence it is urgent that citizens do not stand by and allow this country to slide into a violent conflict. None would be victims and losers in that case other than ourselves and our children and future.

All Gambians, in the public, private and civil society sectors must therefore stand for the Gambia by staying at home to peacefully send a clear message to Yahya Jammeh that We the People demand that he steps down in the interest of the Gambia. We want peace and democracy.

By Madi Jobarteh

President elect Barrow OKs ECOWAS decision on Gambia’s political impasse

Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has welcomed and approved the sub-regional bloc – The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decision calling on outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to ensure peaceful transition and transfer power by January 19, 2016 when his term ends.

In a statement issued on Sunday and read on his behalf by Hon Halifa Sallah at a press conference, President-elect Barrow highlighted the number of local and international endorsement gained day by day. He said his position as President Elect and that of Coalition 2016 is clear stating that Section 63 Subsection 2 of the Constitution orders that I assume Office on the day the term of Office of Outgoing President Jammeh expires.

“Today, I wish to take this opportunity to inform the nation that the Constitutional legitimacy of my status as an Incoming President has been endorsed at home and abroad. At home, Civil Society groups in large numbers are endorsing the results of the Elections and are calling on the incumbent not to obstruct the smooth transfer of Executive power” Barrow said in the statement read by Halifa Sallah.

He added: “Prior to this landmark initiative by the Heads of State of ECOWAS, I did receive endorsement from the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General to West Africa and the Sahel, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Chair of The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, Senegal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mankeur Ndiaye, US State Department, West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF). The list keeps on increasing to confirm the external legitimacy of my status as President Elect”.

President-elect Barrow highlighted on the high profile ECOWAS and UN-led fact finding mission to the country last week and the decision of the sub-regional bloc at the Abuja Summit by calling on incumbent Yahya Jammeh to respect the will of the people and handover power peacefully.

“They are now calling on outgoing president Yahya Jammeh to accept the results and refrain from any action likely to compromise the transition and peaceful transfer of power to me as president-elect. They concurred with the coalition’s position that i should be sworn in on the day the term of the outgoing president expires in conformity with the Gambian constitution and promised to grace the occasion in their numbers,” he said. Meanwhile, president-elect Barrow called on outgoing president to accept his status in good faith and facilitate a smooth transfer power.
The sub-regional bloc has assigned Presidents Buhari and Mahama of Nigeria and Ghana to serve as mediators in pursuance of peace and reconciliation in the country.

Statement by President-elect Barrow after ECOWAS Summit decision on Gambia’s political crisis

Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has called on outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to accept his status in good faith and facilitate a smooth transfer of power in the the spirit of national reconciliation.

In a statement issued on Sunday following the decision from the ECOWAS Summit on the political situation in The Gambia and calling on incumbent Yahya Jammeh to handover power peacefully, President-elect Barrow said his call is in line with the national interest which he (Jammeh) had sworn to uphold and defend under the Constitution.

Below is the full press statement read by Hon. Halifa Sallah on behalf of President-elect Barrow on Sunday during a press conference.

A Government is recognized by states and peoples in Africa today because of Constitutional legitimacy. The Constitution of the Gambia states that the Authority to govern in the Gambia must be derived from the votes cast by the Gambian people. On the 1st December 2016 the Sovereign Gambian people had their say.

On 2nd December 2016 the IEC gave its verdict. All the contestants agreed that I am the chosen President of the Republic of the Gambia.

The decision of the incumbent to change his earlier decision to accept the results and ensure smooth and peaceful hand over of Executive power came by surprise. His Decision to reject the results has given rise to national and international reaction against his change of heart.

My position as President Elect and that of Coalition 2016 is clear. Section 63 Subsection 2 of the Constitution orders that I assume Office on the day the term of Office of Outgoing President Jammeh expires. He assumed office on 19th January 2012. His term expires in January 2017, after serving Five years, as provided by the Constitution.

We therefore hold that outgoing President Jammeh is the lawful President of The Gambia until his term expires in January 2017. On the day his term expires my term, as the lawful President of The Gambia, begins. This is the law of the land.

My status as Incoming President has unquestionable Constitutional legitimacy. I am therefore preparing to assume office after Outgoing President Jammeh’s term expires in January and the team for the inauguration is at work. This is what I told the Gambian people in particular and the International Community at large.

Today, I wish to take this opportunity to inform the Nation that the Constitutional legitimacy of my status as an Incoming President has been endorsed at home and abroad.

At home, Civil Society groups in large numbers are endorsing the results of the Elections and are calling on the incumbent not to obstruct the smooth transfer of Executive power.

They are the Gambia Bar Association, Medical and Dental Association of The Gambia (MDAG), Gambia Labour Congress, Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA), Initiative for the Promotion of Democracy and Good-Governance (IPDG), Gambia National Trade Union Congress, Gambia Press Union, University of The Gambia Faculty And Staff Association (UTGFSA), Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), National Youth Council, National Youth Parliament, Gambia Association of Public Health Officers (GAPHO), Civil Society Coalition (CSO) on Elections – The Gambia, The Association of Non-Governmental Organisations (TANGO), Female Lawyers Association Gambia (FLAG), Musicians’ Union of the Gambia, Gambia Association of Music Producers And Promoters, African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies (ADHRS), National Association of Gambia Nurses and Midwives (NAGNM) and Think Young Women. The list continues to grow by the day to confirm the resolution of Gambians in ensuring that the Democratic process and outcome are not derailed by undemocratic means.

These initiatives have confirmed the internal legitimacy of my Incoming Presidency. Those who do their national duty do not want to be thanked but I must commend them for defending the Constitution and the Sovereignty of the people.

Externally, the ECOWAS Heads of State deployed a High-level Mission of Heads of State to The Gambia on 13th December 2016 to review the political situation with all stakeholders. The delegation comprised Her Excellency Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Chairperson of the Authority, H.E. Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria, H.E. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of Sierra Leone, and H.E. John Dramani Mahama, President of Ghana. They are now calling on Outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to accept the results of the polls and refrain from any action likely to compromise the transition and peaceful transfer of power to me as President-elect.

They are also calling for my safety and protection to be guaranteed as requested by The Coalition. They also concurred with the Coalition‘s position that I should be sworn in on the day the term of office of the Outgoing President expires in conformity with the Gambian Constitution and promised to grace the occasion in their numbers.

In pursuance of peace and reconciliation, they selected a duo to mediate. His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander in Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will serve as the Mediator in the Gambia and His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana, shall serve as Co-Chair. They also requested for AU and the UN endorsement of all decisions made and invited their collaboration to implement them.

Prior to this landmark initiative by the Heads of State of ECOWAS, I did receive endorsement from the President of the ECOWAS Commission, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General to West Africa and the Sahel, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Chair of The ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, Senegal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mankeur Ndiaye, US State Department, West African Civil Society Forum (WACSOF). The list keeps on increasing to confirm the external legitimacy of my status as President Elect.

In the spirit of National reconciliation, I still wish to call on Outgoing President Jammeh to accept his status in good faith and facilitate a smooth transfer of power.

This is what is in line with the National interest which he has sworn to uphold and defend under the Constitution. In the letter and spirit of our National Anthem, Gambians want to live in unity, freedom and peace each day. For their sake let the doors be open to ensure a peaceful transfer of Executive power.

Thank you.

Supreme Islamic Council meets President-elect Barrow

Executive of the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council (GSIC) on Sunday met Gambia’s president-elect Adama Barrow to show solidarity and support as the Gambia is currently under a political transitional nightmare.
The Supreme Islamic Council is the religious body recognized by Yahya Jammeh’s government to lead in religious affairs in the country.

Speaking at the meeting, Alhaji Muhammed Lamin Touray, the President of Supreme Islamic Council congratulated the president-elect and coalition team on their victory in the December 1st Presidential election. He said: “Three days after the election, we had an emergency meeting to called to congratulate you and assured you and your team of our support,” SIC President said.

Imam Touray spoke at length on the history of the council, its role and relation with the government since it was established in 1992 saying the council was formed by Gambians from all regions of the country. He prayed for the new government and reminded President-elect Barrow to always remember that “leadership is ordained by Allah. He gives to whoever He will”.

Imam Ratib Alhaji Cherno Alieu Mass Kah also congratulated President-elect Barrow and called on him to be the president for all Gambians. He prayed for peace, stability and progress in the country.

For his part, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe commended the country’s religious leaders for their good stand. “I believe you will guide us when we strayed from the path,” Darboe told the scholars.

Receiving the delegation, President-elect Barrow thanked the Muslim elders for the gesture. He asked them to pray for peace, stability and progress in the country. He told them to guide to do what is right adding he is ready to work with them for the interest of the nation. “My doors are always open,” Barrow said.

President-elect Barrow told the delegation that he knew almost all of them as he worked with them before citing in particular the Imam Ratib of Banjul Alhaji Cherno Alieu Mass Kah whom he said taught him at Muslim High School.

Meanwhile, the meeting was attended by the country’s scholars among them Alhaji Banding Drammeh, Imam Ebrima Jarjue Imam Sankung Touray and Alhaji Alieu Mboge among others.

ECOWAS done with Gambia situation, says Yahya Jammeh must go

0

Leaders of the sub-regional bloc, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have promised to enforce fully the results of The Gambia’s December 1st Presidential election won by the opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow but rejected by the country’s longtime coup leader Yahya Jammeh.

The West African leaders made the declaration at the end of its 50th Ordinary Summit held in the Nigerian capital, Abuja on Saturday.

The summit was convened few days after a fact finding mission of heavyweight quartet of West African leaders travelled to The Gambia to persuade Mr Jammeh to accept the will of the people and leave after 22 years. The delegation led by ECOWAS chair and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, included Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone’s Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana’s outgoing President John Mahama as well as the UN Africa envoy Mohamad Ibn Chambas.

The Gambia voted on December 1st in a historic election in which longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh was defeated by an oppoisition coalition led by Adama Barrow. After the results where declared, Mr Jammeh conceded defeat and congratulated President-elect Adama Barrow but a week after, made a U-turn and rejected the election results in totality blaming the electoral body of certain irregularities leading to his defeat and further announced that the results are ‘null and void.’ He called for fresh election in the country to be supervised by what he called ‘a God fearing electoral body”.

The announcements on state television threw Gambia’s future into doubt and ignited the political impasse as President-elect Adama Barrow rubbished Mr Jammeh’s claimed and urged him to ensure a smooth transition and hand over power.

The international community – the UN Security Council, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, the United States, European Union and others also condemned Mr Jammeh over his actions and repeatedly asked him to handover power peacefully.

Meanwhile, at Saturday’s Economic Community of West African States summit attended by 11 presidents with President Jammeh absent, leaders agreed “to take all necessary actions to enforce the results” of the Gambian election.  They called for Jammeh to accept the results and refrain from compromising a peaceful handover of power.

The leaders further pledged to “guarantee the safety and protection of the president-elect,” who has said he fears for his life.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the West African leaders agreed to uphold the result of 1st December 2016 election in the Republic of The Gambia; guarantee the safety and protection of the President-elect Mr. Adama Barrow and announced that all Head of States will attend the inauguration of the President-elect Adama Barrow who must be sworn in on 19th January 2017 in conformity with the Gambian constitution.

“We call on the government and the coalition parties to show restraint in order to preserve national unity, to respect the will of the Gambian people as expressed by the Presidential election results of 1st December 2016” the Summit communiqué noted.

The Summit also named a mediation committee headed by Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari with his deputy Ghana President John Dramani Mahama, who conceded defeat in an election a few days after Gambia’s.

“His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President and Commander in chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will serve as the Mediator in the Gambia and His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana as the Co-chair. The mediation process shall be conducted on the basis of terms agreed by the Authority of Heads of State and Government. We requests the endorsement of the AU and the UN on all decisions taken on the matter of The Gambia and also requests their support for the mediation efforts of ECOWAS including the provision of technical assistance where required The Authority shall take all necessary actions to enforce the results of 1st December 2016 elections” the Summit noted in the Communique.

The West African leaders also called on the Gambian defence and security forces to perform their role in a nationalistic manner and protect lives and property. They also encouraged all stakeholders, within and outside The Gambia, to exercise restraint, respect the rule of law and ensure the peaceful transfer of power.

Meanwhile, ECOWAS President Marcel de Souza earlier this week said if diplomacy fails, a military intervention and “draconian measures” must be considered for Gambia.

Jammeh is now using the excuse of errors in the vote tally, ignoring the country’s Independent Electoral Commission, which said the winner remains Barrow, who won with a revised count of 227,708 votes to Jammeh’s 208,487. His ruling APRC party has filed a court challenge against the results, a constitutional move complicated by the fact that Gambia’s Supreme Court does not have a quorum.

Last week, Mr Jammeh sent military officers to take over the electoral commission’s office.

By Alhagie Jobe

UTG Staff Association condemns Jammeh’s rejection of election results

The University of The Gambia Faculty and Staff Association (UTGFSA) has expressed its absolute condemnation of outgoing President Jammeh’s rejection of the legitimate will of the sovereign people of The Gambia.

In a press release signed and read by Malang Fanneh, UTGFSA Secretary General, yesterday at the UTG Faculty of Law complex, the association said they believe that power belongs to the people of The Gambia who have expressed their will through a free, fair and credible election.

Therefore, he added, any attempt to overturn and derail the expressed will of Gambians will tantamount to jeopardizing the peace, security and welfare of Gambians.

The association called on the outgoing president to unconditionally reverse his current position and peacefully hand over power to President-Elect Adama Barrow.

“On the 1st December 2016, the Gambian people went to the polls to decide the destiny of their country for the next five years. On the 2nd December 2016, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) announced the election results and declared Adama Barrow of the Independent Coalition as the duly elected President of our dear motherland,” the association recalled.

“All the contesting candidates accepted the outcome of the elections. The outgoing President called to congratulate President-Elect Barrow and publicly conceded defeat,” they added.

The whole country and international community applauded outgoing President Jammeh for respecting the decision of the Gambian people and the will of Almighty Allah, SG Fanneh stated, adding that barely a week later, 9th December 2016, outgoing President Jammeh decided to change his mind and totally rejected the outcome of the results and even called for fresh elections.

Strong call on Yahya Jammeh to handover power at Dakar post-election solidarity march

0

By Alhagie Jobe

 

Human Rights Organisations and Civil Society Associations based in Dakar, Senegal, on Saturday made a loud call on outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh to respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia and lead a peaceful transition process.

bes

The post-election solidarity march at Place De Obelisque in Dakar organized by Article 19 West Africa, Amnesty International, RADDHO and ISDH coincided with the West African leaders’ Summit in Abuja, Nigeria in which Gambia’s current political crisis dominates the agenda.

 

The crisis is ignited by outgoing President Yahya Jammeh who ruled the country for the past 22 years and was defeated on December 1st by an opposition Coalition led by President-elect Adama Barrow. Initially, Mr Jammeh conceded defeat and congratulated President-elect Adama Barrow but a week after, he made U-turn and rejected the election results in totality blaming the electoral body of certain irregularities leading to his defeat and further announced that the results are ‘null and void.’

 

“President Yahya Jammeh rejected the election results and the fact that he stated that he would tolerate no demonstration, can cause instability and could lead to a crackdown” the Dakar-based Human Rights Organisations and Civil Society Associations said in a joint statement at the Dakar solidarity march.

15590236_1149157818516663_487969213979984901_n

Mr Jammeh further called for fresh election in the country to be supervised by what he called ‘a God fearing electoral body” but the Human Rights Organisations and Civil Society Associations called on him to respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia and as well lead a peaceful and orderly transition process.

 

Meanwhile, the announcements on state television, threw Gambia’s future into doubt as President-elect Adama Barrow rubbished Mr Jammeh’s claimed and urged him to ensure a smooth transition and hand over power.

 

Despite international condemnations from the UN Security Council, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the African Union, the United States, European Union and others asking him to handover power, Mr Jammeh’s APRC party went ahead to file a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the result that he has already declared null and void.

 

The petition was file same day when heavyweight quartet of West African leaders were holding talks with Mr Jammeh to persuade him to accept the will of the people and leave after 22 years. The delegation led by ECOWAS chair and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, also included Nigeria’s Muhammadu Buhari, Sierra Leone’s Ernest Bai Koroma and Ghana’s outgoing President John Mahama as well as the UN Africa envoy Mohamad Ibn Chambas.

 

“We call on the outgoing President to respect the injunction of the Joint Statement of the ECOWAS and the AU on the situation in Gambia and the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance. We also remind the relevant provisions of Article 23 (4) of the Charter of the AU on Democracy and Governance” the Dakar-based Human Rights Organisations and Civil Society Associations said in the joint statement.

 

The Dakar-based Human Rights Organisations and Civil Society Associations also invited Gambian defense and security forces to remain neutral and to work for the safety of the elected president and that of all Gambian citizens.

 

Meanwhile, several people spoke at the event among them Fatou Jagne-Senhgore, directress of Article 19 West Africa, Seydi Gassama of Amnesty International, Moustapha Diakhate, Majority leader of Senegal National Assembly, Dr Sedat Jobe, Gambia’s former Foreign Minister and diplomat and other Gambians living in exile in Senegal as well as Senegalese nationals who attended to show solidarity and support.

‘Military intervention to unseat Gambia’s Jammeh should be the last resort’

0

Senegalese President Macky Sall has stated that a military intervention to unseat Gambia’s outgoing President Yahya Jammeh will be a last resort.

He said during an interview broadcast on French state television on Friday that dialogue is a possible route to convince Jammeh to “listen to reason”.

“The use of force can only be an ultimate step when diplomacy has completely failed. I do not think it is reasonable for President Jammeh and his allies to engage in a showdown,” President Sall said.

The use of force can only be an ultimate step when diplomacy has completely failed. I do not think it is reasonable for President Jammeh and his allies to engage in a showdown.

He called for compromises to offer justice in the spirit of peace.

“There were certainly crimes. But if we engage in a showdown, it is clear that the consequences will be much more dramatic,” Sall advised and added that “If it is necessary to dialogue and find a way out for Jammeh to be protected, why not. I am for dialogue and allow him to leave quietly”.

“I hope that President Jammeh will hear reason,” he concluded.

A joint African Union and Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission made up of four presidents failed to convince Jammeh to surrender power.

ECOWAS is holding its summit in Abuja on Saturday and Gambia is on the agenda.

Deyda Hydara – 12 years on! Tell us the truth!

Outgoing President Yahya Jammeh met religious leaders yesterday December 15 and urged them to go and talk to Gambians about peace and forgiveness because he wants peace and forgiveness. Seriously?

Well today is the 12th anniversary since the assassination of Deyda Hydara, a top Gambia veteran journalist who together with Pap Saine founded the Point Newspaper on 16th December 1991 coinciding with his wife’s birthday. Since 1994, Deyda played a fundamental role in ensuring that freedom of expression is upheld as guaranteed in our constitution. He fought for democracy and exposed the corruption in the AFPRC cum APRC regime.

He played his role effectively and efficiently as required by the constitution under Section 207 that the role of the media is to hold the government to account on behalf of the people. In his columns, ‘The Bite’ as well as ‘Good Morning Mr. President’ he was clear and direct in pointing out the shortcomings of the government and offering suggestions directly to the president. He spoke on each and every national issue to ensure that the respect for human rights and the rule of law are protected. He was a champion of free press and democracy.

Here is what he said was his role. Young journalists, please take note.

“Journalism is a profession with its rules and one cannot be a journalist and flout its basic principles. What’s more, the fundamental law of this land guarantees that we make sure that government is accountable to the people for things it does in their name. Here again we didn’t draft the Constitution, which got inspiration from the covenants and other international laid down rules about freedom of expression. Meaning that even if the Constitution failed to empower us to do so we could rely on these instruments that The Gambia as a nation ratified.”

On 16th December 2004, while driving some of his members of staff home after having a birthday party for The Point newspaper in their office, a group of killers assaulted them behind the PIU headquarters. He was shot dead instantly while some of his staff sustained injuries. Following intense local and international pressure, the government reluctantly launched an investigation and on 29th April 2005 the NIA produced its so-called confidential report on the murder of Deyda Hydara.

This is one of the most insulting, most falsified, most unprofessional and most criminal report ever produced by an intelligence agency in the history of investigations. In this report, the NIA Director General who was Daba Marenah at the time shamelessly wasted public resources by blaming Deyda for his own death. They claimed that Deyda had offended several people, groups and institutions in his columns. They went to the ludicrous height of maligning Deyda’s reputation by saying that he was even dating a woman which led to her divorce and the lady’s children and former husband were furious with him.

Without shame, the NIA said Deyda was rude, promiscuous, erratic and irresponsible. All in all, the NIA said the individuals, groups and institutions offended included Yaya Jammeh, Kofi Annan, Baba Jobe, Alphonse Benoist, Wally Muhammed Hakim, a Nigerian businessman, Green Boys, GAMCO, Capt. Bunja Darboe. They claim anyone of these people could have wanted to kill Deyda because of jealousy, settling old scores, vengeance, and some other ridiculous accusations.

Yet since 2005, the NIA did not arrest any person except Mr. Hakim for a brief period. No one has since been charged and the murderers of Deyda continue to live in peace inside the Gambia. But as a supposed professional intelligence agency, the NIA did not speak about the bullet that was removed from Deyda’s body. They did not say what kind of bullet and registration it has. They did not say what type of guns use that type of bullet and if that gun was registered and who is the owner of that gun. Every gun in this country is registered hence any bullet found should be able to lead the intelligence to the owner of the gun.

Therefore if Yahya Jammeh is indeed interested in peace genuinely as he spoke to the religious leaders let him re-open the Deyda Hydara murder investigation right now. In fact he does not need to re-open it because he knows who are the killers and who gave the orders. Let him arrest them and take them to court. Let him go to the family of Deyda Hydara and tell them the truth and seek their forgiveness. Let him go to the national television and tell Gambians how and why Deyda Hydara was killed because he has every information about the murder. This will show that indeed he means well for his people.

It was Shakespeare who said the evil that men do lives after them. But Shakespeare should have said rather the evil that men do lives with them right now.

Gambians, you gave your power to Yaya Jammeh and he became arrogant by attempting to place himself in the same position as God The Almighty. Only the ignorant, immoral and uninformed human being will become so arrogant like that. Yaya Jammeh has no power. Everything he has and everything he was able to do was not because he was powerful. It was because Gambians, you and me gave our power to him. We did the good and bad job for him. Instead of him becoming humbled by that and use that power to do good and serve the owners that power, instead he thought he was more powerful than even Allah Subhana wa t’Allah. When a human being reaches that level of vanity, Allah will show you that you are nothing other than a piece of dust.

Yaya Jammeh, Allah has just started to show you what and who is the true Source and Embodiment and Owner and Giver of power. Get ready.

By Madi Jobarteh

Yahya Jammeh has forced Gambia and much of the world into unwanted debate

This isn’t simply a meaty topic to shrug under the carpet because it’s symbolic of the bind that we are in. The situation Gambia is in today is too complicated for easy allegory. Therefore, writing this piece, I have to hit certain themes repeatedly, and correctly for the esteem readers to capture the whole picture. Now, if you’ve been following the news lately – and by lately, your ears and eyes having been burning — because Gambia is being mentioned everywhere in the world.

The reason is — it seems Yahya Jammeh and his generals are hardwired on an ideology no one understands. Are they letting us know their brains don’t have the space to rehash these simple words “Time’s up” ? With Yahya Jammeh, we know two things about him: There is always an evil intention lurking somewhere in him.

Secondly, the Presidency means more than his life so much that it has outsized his faith. Going by objective standards of reason and fairness, these are the simple facts that define his life. The most glaring example of this is, today, such thinking has become institutionalized in our military — whom are seen holding guns everywhere. And the blame hardly ends with them alone because his enablers in strategic political leadership positions behave the same way too.

Going by what we know, after losing elections, accepting defeat and then a week later refusing to entertain calls to step down, many observers are still trying to figure out what Yahya Jammeh’s game is. That’s because rhetorically and substantively, he seems to be in another world unilaterally sidestepping everyone intentionally. He then tried to bait the Gambians public into a tedious trip of pursuing his own agenda by playing victim card. It failed. Then they pushed through tribalism charges using fake profiles. Once again, it failed because those agents were ousted and their gassy sound bites — is exactly from the dictators well-worn out script. Suddenly! The sheikh professor who sold himself as a man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing, lifted his middle figure to the Gambians metaphorically, to let us know — he can’t leave his comfort zone because his life depends on it .

In his televised address ,Yahya Jammeh refused to even take note of the IEC chairman’s historic statement that the elections were conducted fairly and the results wouldn’t chance. Yahya Jammeh continues to talk as if everything should be going swimmingly his own way only, prompting him to take over the IEC building and later his party prepared a petition to challenge the results — knowing fully well their flawed arguments are already dead-before-arrival. The Dictator can keep talking and talking and talking but UN made it clear — no matter how he slice things, his time is up to vacate that seat. He called on the religious leaders on Thursday Dec.16th, but he didn’t particularly like their advice — but want them to continue his propaganda for him. Attempts to find a middle way with him always fall short because he only sees his own interest.

For those of us paying attention, it’s often hard to tell where realism ends with Yahya Jammeh. Nearly every conversation he holds — gives us a clue about his personal vendetta, less about manners and more about showing off his muscle on people. Sadly today, Yahya Jammeh has forced Gambia and much of the world into a debate no one wanted or needed. The problem is Yahya Jammeh is categorical denial. Think of it this way. He placed the presidency more than his life so much that it has outsized his faith. That’s what dictators do. Well, now we have a problem. It’s like someone lost their parents and refused to believe they died. But this is different because he didn’t lose anything. After all, he staged a coup to force himself on us.

Luckily, we have ECOWAS-UN therapy to help him. We hope that the wonder-working power of their words-can get Yahya Jammeh to stop believing his lying eyes and ears. But, as a practical matter, Yahya Jammeh was trying to bully his way out of Gambian but now, he has no good options.

A similar attitude pervades his so-called Generals .The same confusing rhetoric’s holds true with holds true with them. They came for the ride after our victory, dance in the streets with us , and later got bought off with enticements and promotions. Moreover, these are the kind of things that breed suspicion. Many of these people maybe do not understand they are dealing with the world. They are ill prepared on their statements, they don’t understand the nature of the threat they are putting our country and their faces tells it all — – they are afraid of speaking the truth to Yaya Jammeh. Falling back on sanitized euphemisms is the rhetorical equivalent of pixelating Gambian people. This is the same thing Yahya Jammeh is doing. They are forcing us into only bad options and they themselves know the center of their arguments is not holding. The regime lost! What is hard to understand about that.

The world cannot allow Gambia to be held hostage. There’s no doubt that is true because it seems this is what Yahya Jammeh wants. Morally, Yahya Jammeh knows that in our culture people with “Guns” are feared, resented or reviled because that’s not the way most of us where brought up pre-1994 era. The great irony here is will Yahya Jammeh follow the advice of the Gambians and the world to hand over power by Jan 18th. Time will tell.

By Habib Drammeh

Building The New Gambia: Why We Must Save The Gambia!

Beyond life and property, there is another value of a human being or society that must be protected because without it, the potential for the human being or society to lose its worth, dignity and self-esteem is quite high. And when a human being or society loses that value, that human being or society could transform into its worst form and perish. This value is what I call virginity, innocence, purity or sanctity. It is divine.

Just like a man or a woman can be virgin, so also can a society or country. The Gambia, as a society is a virgin whose innocence and purity is being threatened by 22 years of the misrule of Yaya Jammeh. The virginity of a society lies in the compactness of the bonds individuals and communities share. It is about the culture of care and share that exists between them. It is about the respect and the reverence individuals have for themselves and each other, particularly in the relationship that elders and the young share. The innocence of a society is reflected in the humility and honesty of its members and the adherence of the members of that society to the common good and justice. A society’s innocence is peace, trust and confidence in oneself and towards ne another. When a society loses its innocence, it self-destructs.

Until now, the innocence of the Gambia is largely intact despite the severe bruises that the AFPRC/APRC regime has inflicted on it. But the innocence of a society does not last forever. Hence it has to be protected and cherished because when it is destroyed, it fundamental changes the bearings of that society. How does a society lose its virginity?

A society loses its virginity by the manner of its governance and the attitude of its leaders. Leaders produce behaviours and attitudes in people. When the leaders are humble and honest and caring, they will produce a society of good men and women. When a leader is dishonesty, callous and pompous, it will produce men and women of vanity. It will create a culture of shamelessness and disregard of the sacred values and virtues embedded in the culture and religions of that society. Such a society becomes an enemy and a parasite onto itself. It becomes a dog society of man eat man; woman eat woman. This parasitic culture is what the AFPRC/APRC regime has been inflicting on the Gambia.

Failure of Yaya Jammeh to relinquish power would potential force our society into an open armed conflict. One of the leading causes of the destruction of the virginity and innocence of a society is war. In war, human beings engage in acts that outrage the conscience of humanity. This is why you have concepts like war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide as the highest forms of crime a human being can commit. War causes men to rape women. War creates child soldiers and makes them killers of their own mother and father. War makes human beings to mutilate and butcher their fellow human beings. War hardens the hearts of people. War destroys all the sacred virtues and good norms and values of a society and its culture and religions. War transforms a people who share and care and live with each other in respect and love to become enemies and haters of each other. War makes a society eat up itself like how fire consumes paper. War destroys the future.

In our lifetime, we have seen war and its effect on societies in Africa. In Sierra Leone, fellow citizens brutally and mercilessly butchered each other’s limbs and life. In Rwanda, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Congo, Somalia and many other places, we have seen how war has destroyed a society.

We the Gambians, must not allow the little innocence and virginity that is left of our dear country be destroyed by one man who has been hell-bent on the destruction of our society since 22 July 1994. The evidence is abundantly clear. Who would imagine that a small boy like Minister Sheriff Bojang could openly disparage an elder like Dembo (By-force) Bojang even in the context of partisan politics when this man could be older than his own father? Who would imagine a small boy like Seedy Njie of the National Assembly could disrespect an elder like OJ as if this man is not the same age, if not older than his father? Who would imagine that small boys like Pierre Minteh or Babou Gaye Sonko could face elders in the opposition and insult them as if they do not belong to our society and culture? Above all who would imagine that a small boy like Yaya Jammeh could face the nation and say that he will circumcise imams and community elders if they allow any female circumcision in their locality? Who would imagine that a Gambian president could face our people and tell them that women bleach all of their bodies but not their private parts? Our innocence is being damaged!

As a child growing up, it is taboo to speak about sex and sexuality openly. Elders, any elderly person is deserving of respect from the young. We had the innocence and purity, which made us the embodiment of humility and respect and self-esteem. It is this innocence that Yaya Jammeh is gradually destroying in the Gambia for the past 22 years. By his numerous festivals and parties of vanity, he has not only inculcated a culture of wastefulness and uselessness into our youth, but he has equally corrupted our elders as imams, chiefs and alkalolu that today most of our imams and chiefs have lost complete reverence and confidence in our society. Who respects the Imam Ratib of Banjul today? Who respects the imams of the Supreme Islamic Council today?

Gambians, this is why we must save the Gambia by standing up and together we demand that Yaya Jammeh steps down. Failure to make him step down means he will force this country into a conflict in which the little left of our innocence and purity as a society will be damaged. We will then have a society of immoral and intensely selfish people who fear no God and have no regard for the good norms and values of our culture. We will become a society of Nyaaka Jom, Malibaliya, Hamadi, Kulubaliya, Rewandeh. A society in which people lack self esteem and do not respect each other. A society of parasites where we have no regard for the common good. A society of selfishness where truth and justice are trampled upon without shame. This is why we must save the Gambia.

Stand up for the Gambia and save her innocence, virginity and purity.

By Madi Jobarteh

Yahya Jammeh’s obsession with power is stretching beyond reason

Let’s jump into it straight without cutting corners. Why would Yaya Jammeh degrade Gambia by humiliating the high level delegation of ECOWAS-UN, consisting of respectful African heads of states? What conceivable advantage is there in choosing the occasion of a high-profile visit to close the doors to the premises of the IEC, and shamefully sending the chairman and his staff home.

To add, an insult to injury, why would he wait until a historic day like this to dispatch one of his top minions, Bala Gaba Jahumpa — to punish for his effrontery in second guessing the elections results by filling a petition on behalf of APRC on an empty supreme court? What could Yahya Jammeh and his dying regime gain from— what is, in effect, their own indictment perfectly for the world to see. Well, I never knew incompetence and stupidity is so contagious. With Yahya Jammeh in charge, this sort of problems should be obvious.

As Gambians, we see it as nothing short of an insult and disrespect to other heads of state, let alone our President Elect’s team. Maybe Yahya Jammeh didn’t understand that this powerful delegation’s was on a mission aimed at soothing his strained relations with Gambians to ensure smooth transfer of power. Harder to fathom was the security heads flip flops in their drive to expunge any trace of supporting the Gambia people’s will and groveling to their foolish master- Dictator Yahya Jammeh.

That’s ridiculous on its face. Chalk it up, if you like, the CDS now turned Juju fashionista, photo shopped a picture of the dictator and place it on his chest to display loyalty to Yahya Jammeh. Can we finally now accept the official explanation of his loyalty and move on? Never mind, Right. Let no one be mistaken Yahya Jammeh will go one way or another. The sooner everyone recognizes this fact, the better. If he wants “suicide pact” to stand in the way world powerful forces, he can choose his own family to ride straight to perdition.

For a moment at least, the ECOWAS-UN fact finding and political dialog delegation ,patiently listened to a dilatational Yahya Jammeh’s a toxic mix of demagoguery , mean-spiritedness and nonsense rhetoric , but their message is clear— ensure a smooth transition of power . Put simply, they blow their whistle on him to bring him back to reality. The rules are the rules. He lost and he got to go. It’s really as simple as that. Denial has been Yahya Jammeh’s greatest ally because everything he says falls somewhere between risible and infuriating. Yahya Jammeh can confuse Gambians with a spider web of ideological and demographic fault lines of the election results, but he wants to negotiate the best deal for himself to live his blissful life peacefully elsewhere. It’s time for Gambians working for this regime to reject Yahya Jammeh and his reckless rhetoric. Public trust about this regime will plunge even deeper as times goes on. They should even go one step further to desert the APRC party and bolt away from this dead regime.

Perhaps by now, reasonable people know that Yahya Jammeh is far from alone in his hypocrisy. Granted, his team of enablers and NIA has been contributing to the confusion by releasing fake news about Presidents elect’s cabinet or creating a fake twitter account in his name and creating fake profiles on Facebook to hurl our tribal slurs. Disgraced dictator Yahya Jammeh also dispatched one of his top minions, Bala Gaba Jahumpa, to file a petition on behalf of APRC on an empty supreme court.

Sadly, this petition was prepared by disgraced former regime Justice minister Edi Gomez. Notwithstanding, he closed the doors to premises of IEC building and his man prevented the IEC chairman and his staff from entering the building. So far what is clear is Yahya Jammeh is testing the patience of Gambians — and exceeding — the limits of his constitutional powers. But it’s a remarkable thing if you take a step back and think about why he gave orders to temporally shut down IEC. Yahya Jammeh’s Obsession With power Is Stretching Beyond Reason.

Seemingly every day, there’s another story of powerful unions condemning the actions of Yahya Jammeh. So it is no wonder that Gambians grow instantly queasy at the thought of Yahya Jammeh wanting to annul the results of the elections by any means possible and further find it abhorrent that he refuses to hand over power to President Elects team. Already, the Gambia Bar Association, Gambia Teachers Union; Gambia press union and the Female Lawyers of Gambia, have all call of the regime to respect the elections verdict or otherwise —they will boycott court cases, exams and so forth. Yahya Jammeh could prevent all this strife by simply leaving the shores of Gambia and handing power to his successor— President Elects team. Such diplomacy would go a long way to reduce — or at least prevent — further polarization and ensure a smooth transfer of power peacefully.

If Yahya Jammeh thinks he is controlling the narrative, he is making the biggest mistake of his life because by 18th of January when reality of new Gambia begins, it might be too late for him to discover where hope and fantasy ends. The IEC chairman has put it very clearly — there is no way he can unearth a bombshell to derail the transition process. The results are clear and valid. Unsubstantiated claims are only coming from Yahya Jammeh and it have not contributed much to the noise he wants to hear. Fortunately, his regime will be history soon. It was encouraging to hear the ECOWAS-UN delegation, advice the President elect and his team to continue working on the transition process. The fool can keep on day dreaming.

By Habib Drammeh

Reset password

Enter your email address and we will send you a link to change your password.

Get started with your account

to save your favourite homes and more

Sign up with email

Get started with your account

to save your favourite homes and more

By clicking the «SIGN UP» button you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Powered by Estatik