The mediation team of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) this evening arrived in the Gambian capital Banjul, ahead of Tuesday’s talks with the outgoing President Yahya Jammeh and leaders of the incoming opposition coalition.
The team that is in Banjul to tame President Jammeh or else face the wrath is headed by the ECOWAS Chair, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia. Other members of the team are Presidents of Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Ghana – Muhammadu Buhari, Ernest Bai Koromah and John Dramane Mahama.
ECOWAS officials’ visit has been exacerbated by Yahya Jammeh’s last Friday statement in which he disputed the December 1st presidential election results. Gambian leader, who had earlier conceded defeat and even congratulated the coalition candidate Adama Barrow, dramatically changed his mind. Jammeh’s u-turn has invited barrage of national and international condemnations.
United States Ambassador to the United Nations said it is significant to include Mahama who had just conceded defeat last week after losing Ghana’s presidential election.
“The delegation that is visiting tomorrow (Tuesday) is extremely significant,” Samantha Power told VOA. She described the situation in the Gambia as “very dangerous. We know that there are some military officers that have sided with President Jammeh since his retreat from his prior recognition that he had lost the election, and that’s a very alarming circumstance.”
Power said everyone at the international community is “singing from the same sheet of music and the song is clear: you have lost the election, President Jammeh, and you must give up power peacefully to your freely elected successor.”
In an earlier statement, President Sirleaf said Jammeh’s reversal of decision was “unacceptable”. She said it has threatened peace in the Gambia and the entire West African sub-region. She wanted Yahya Jammeh to leave power without “preconditions.”
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Nationwide sit at home general strike.
I wish to commend the Gambia Bar Association for the bold move they took to boycott the courts in the Gambia in protest for the planned illegitimate moves by the outgoing president to torpedo the legitimate occupancy of the seat of the office of the president by President Elect Adama Barrow.
Thank you for the patriotic move.
I now wish to encourage the TOTAL workforce of the Gambia Government to also employ a sit at home protest demonstration until Yaya Jammeh hands over power to president Adama Barrow. This move in effect will cripple the functioning of the government machinery and will also avoid street demonstrations that Yaya Jammeh wants Gambians to do for him to have the opportunity to further shed the Gambian blood. Please Gambia let us merrily stay at home until Jammeh gets out of State House. No military or security personnel dare go into people’s homes to force them to go to work. Salaries will be paid to all and sundry without ANY deductions at the end of the month.
Yaya Jammeh with his small band cronies alone cannot run a government without the civil service in office.
Finally I would encourage the Coalition and president elect Adama Barrow to immediately occupy the Kairaba Beach hotel and make it the temporary government headquarters until such time the outgoing government vacates their offices.
I would also very STRONGLY encourage the president elect to quickly and urgently form his interim government. This government can be refined as time goes on.
The world is helping us assume the seat of power; we should also help ourselves and show the world that we mean business.
Thank you for your attention.
@Deyda..There is no need to rush the coalition to names its cabinet.Naming the cabinet publicly might bring in some more troubles, for the members of the new government could be arrested and dissappear without trace.There is not enough security to guard all the coalition members so for now we think they should remain anonymous till the dust settles.Naming the cabinet will put the lives of the coalition members in jeopardy.Thank you
Just look at him in the picture. He is a lunatic. This predicament of the Gambia should be a preoccupation of every sensible citizen and the whole sub-region. Gambia is made history that for the first time in the history of the continent, not just ruthless but a lunatic has indeed become a president of a country which happens to be GAMBIA. Sad! very very sad. Just look at him. If one is a psychiatrist his condition would be the easiest to diagnose just having a look at some of his images. He is so —kin’ mad and unaware of even what is going round him. This is a modern world that he never reflexes on. He and his cronies of camouflaged men are being watch around in the country like on flat sreen Tv, something that will stun the mad man seeing himself and his activities being watched 3000miles away inside a big room somewhere.