The ECOWAS led talks to end the current political crisis in The Gambia has reportedly failed again as outgoing President Yahya Jammeh still remain defiant and refusing to hand over power to President-elect Adama Barrow who won the December presidential polls.
An ECOWAS mediation mission led by Nigerian President Muhammadou Buhari including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama where in the Gambia on Friday for the second time to broker a deal to end the political crisis.
The delegation upon arrival in The Gambia, first met outgoing President Yahya Jammeh at the State House. Nothing official was announced after the meeting but leaked information confirmed that Mr Jammeh remained defiant and insisting that he will not step down as the election results petition is now at the Supreme Court and should be respected.
The Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle last week announced that the Supreme Court cannot sit over the petition until May as there are no judges to preside over the petition. Yet still, Mr Jammeh remains defiant and with no hope on the petition and his term expiring on January 19th, 2017, Mr Jammeh ordered his Attorney Edward Gomez to filed an interlocutory Injunction at the Supreme Court to stop President-elect Barrow from been sworn-in, clearing showing his defiance not to hand over power.
Manwhile after meeting with the ECOWAS team, Coalition spokesperson Halifa Sallah told journalist that the mediation is still not conclusive but expressed beliefed that efforts will continue to resolve the crisis.
“The ECOWAS mediation is still not conclusive and the coalition beliefs that ECOWAS efforts will continue, since they have been able to meet both sides.The destiny of the Gambia is in the hands of Gambians. No president could claimed to be credible who will rule a country of dead bodies and destroy properties.The crisis has not been solved by today’s talks” Sallah said.
President Buhari who is the chief mediator could not meet President-elect Barrow because after meeting Jammeh, he left for Mali to participate in the 27th Africa-France Partnership, Peace and Emergence summit. He assigned his Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama to represent him while Liberian President Sirleaf and Ghana’s Mahama completed the mission in meeting President-elect Barrow.
Meanwhile, it is also confirmed that the ECOWAS delegation is travelling tonight with President-elect Barrow to Bamako, Mali, where he is expected to discuss face-to-face with other ECOWAS Heads of States at the ongoing 27th Africa-France Partnership, Peace and Emergence summit convened by French President Francois Hollande. The Summit is aimed at strengthening cooperation between France and African countries in the areas of peace and security, economic partnership and development.
