On December 1 2016, Gambian President Yahya
Jammeh refused to concede power to the newly elected President Adama Barrow. Jammeh
originally accepted defeat, but later decided he did not accept the election
results and called for a new election. The US state department called Jammeh’s
actions, “a reprehensible and
unacceptable breach of faith with the people of the Gambia and an egregious
attempt to undermine a credible election process and remain in power
illegitimately.”
The authoritarian ruler of Gambia has been accused
of imprisoning, torturing, and murdering his political opponents, over his 22
year reign. Over the past month, military, political, and human rights groups
from around western Africa and other parts of the world have been negotiating and
putting pressure on Jammeh to try and get him to step down.
After a
month of negotiations, Jammeh finally decided to give up his position and
concede power to President Barrow. As part of the agreement reached, Jammeh was
exiled from the country. He was flown out of Gambia on Saturday January 21 2017.
He is now living in temporary exile in Equatorial Guinea. Many Gambian citizens
were not satisfied with the agreement reached because they wanted to see him
face prosecution for his actions, which include allegations of human rights
violations. Under the current agreement Jammeh will not face any charges for
crimes committed under his regime in Gambia and can enter back into the country
at a time of his choosing. He will likely not be prosecuted on an international
level because Equatorial Guinea is not
part of the International Criminal Court. However, newly elected President Barrow
plans to create a commission to investigate the allegations against Jammeh.
Jammeh did not make the transition of power easy
for his successor. He stole the equivalent of 11 million US dollars from the countries
funds. He had various luxury items and vehicles that he purchased with the stolen
money shipped out of the country on cargo planes. The items were shipped to
Banjul Airport. When Barrow received confirmation of the stolen money and
shipment of goods, he contacted officials at the Banjul Airport and demanded
that all Jammeh’s shipments be seized. The country’s coffers are virtually
empty leaving Gambia in a financially unstable state. New President Barrow will
be faced with the challenge of rebuilding the country’s funds.
Concerns for his
safety prevented Barrow from being in Gambia since the election.
After Barrow was
rightfully elected, he was forced to wait at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal
until Jammeh relinquished power and Barrow could assume his rightful position
as President. Barrow plans to return to his home country and begin his role as president
when the state of security in Gambia is more stable.
Yahya Jammeh
Although the
situation is not desirable, Jammeh’s exile is being celebrated as a fall of authoritarianism
and a victory for democracy by many African citizens. Authoritarian rule has
been an increasing issue in Africa and this situation gave many hope for the
future of democracy in Africa.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/jammeh-arrives-banjul-airport-stepping-170121210246506.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-24383225
Works cited:
Burke, J. (2017, January 22). Exiled former president
Yahya Jammeh 'stole $11.4m' from the Gambia. Retrieved January 23, 2017, from
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jan/23/exiled-former-president-yahya-jammeh-stole-gambia
Jazeera, A. (2017, January
23). The Gambia: Ex-ruler Yahya Jammeh 'plundered coffers' Retrieved January
23, 2017, from
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/gambia-ruler-yahya-jammeh-plundered-coffers-170123033901430.htm
