Former Gambian President Yahya Jammeh finally left Banjul with his wife on Saturday, flying aboard the plane of President Alpha Conde of Guinea. Jammeh had announced on state television that he would step down, saying that he believes it is “not necessary that a single drop of blood be shed”…
President Adama Barrow has been sworn in as the new leader of The Gambia, after taking his oath of office at the Gambian embassy in neighboring Senegal. Barrow’s inauguration was attended by African heads of state and diplomats gathered in Dakar, where the new president had remained this week for…
Outgoing president Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency in The Gambia on Tuesday, ahead of what was supposed to be his last day in office. The declaration warns all residents of the nation against any violence or disobedience to the state, and fully empowers the Gambian military to maintain…
Talks on Friday with outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh again failed to persuade him to step down amid the country’s political crisis, and RFI reports that president-elect Adama Barrow left Banjul to attend the France Africa Summit in Mali. The two-day summit continues amid tight security today in Bamako, with…
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari will lead a delegation of regional heads of state planning, for the second time in a month, to meet with President Yahya Jammeh in Banjul. The ECOWAS leaders originally planned to meet with Jammeh on Wednesday in another attempt to negotiate a peaceful transition of power,…
The head of Gambia’s electoral commission has fled the country because of threats to his safety, after certifying December 1 election results that showed President Yahya Jammeh in defeat. Alieu Momarr Njai left the country on Friday for neighboring Senegal, Reuters reports. Jammeh initially accepted the results and congratulated the Gambian opposition…
Outgoing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh delivered a New Year’s Eve message that accuses the West African nations of ECOWAS of issuing “a declaration of war” against him and his country, in their insistence that Jammeh must honor the December 1 election results and be removed from office. In his video address,…
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, on one of the last days of his tenure, called Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow on Thursday to congratulate him on his victory and assure Barrow that the UN supports the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in its commitments to him. Ban has not…
The Gambia’s ambassador to the United States said Monday that he is concerned for his safety if he returns to the country, but won’t be deterred from insisting that embattled President Yahya Jammeh step down. “I cannot tell you, I wish I knew,” said Sheikh Omar Faye when asked what…
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, in a rambling conversation on state television late Tuesday, explained his reversal on the December 1 election results that gave the victory to opposition coalition candidate Adama Barrow, blaming a range of electoral procedure factors while dismissing attempts by other leaders to mediate the process. Jammeh…
In The Gambia, the political crisis caused by President Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to accept results of the December 1 elections continued Tuesday, but none of the day’s developments appeared to bring the West African nation any closer to a resolution. A delegation of regional heads of state, including Nigerian President…
The president of The Gambia, who was defeated last week in elections that gave a clear victory to opposition coaliton candidate Adama Barrow, announced on state television Friday that he has decided not to accept the results. In a reversal that many analysts saw coming – and yet was stunning nonetheless…
On Friday morning, former Gambian diplomat Sidi Sanneh wrote that preparations were underway in Banjul to celebrate coalition presidential candidate Adama Barrow’s historic victory over President Yahya Jammeh. That moment of jubilation is one that many of The Gambia’s 2 million citizens thought they’d never see. It was equally powerful…
As the darkness inched towards Thursday’s dawn in Banjul, uneasy Gambians prepared to head to the polls in critical elections – the most important in years – to determine if President Yayha Jammeh remains as leader of a country he’s controlled since 1994. Yet before a single marble was dropped,…
President Jacob Zuma announced Monday his plans to attend the funeral for former Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana, South African media reports. Zuma also has directed flags across South Africa to be flown at half staff beginning Tuesday as ceremonies honoring Castro’s life begin. The death of Castro, the 90-year-old…