The Gambia’s outgoing President who is refusing to relinguish power due to fears of witch-hunt targeting him and his henchmen has found himself trapped in State House in Banjul. Yahya Jammeh’s constitutional mandate expires on January 18th but he is not ready to hand over power, despite running out of options. He would not comply with President-elect Adama Barrow’s winning coalition on smooth transfer of power. Yahya Jammeh’s defiance to remain in power has resulted to heightened insecurity. Consequently, majority of residents in the Greater Banjul Area left their homes, fearing the eruption of war involving Jammeh’s forces and the ECOMOC. Jammeh will soon be declared a rebel commander. While he has succeeded in instilling fear and insecurity in the country, Yahya Jammeh too is not enjoying peace either. He is battling pains of losing power, isolation and possible military attack. Jammeh is not happy with the huge national and international attention President-elect Adama Barrow has been getting. Barrow’s invitation to the Extraordinary summit of heads of state in Mali has added Jammeh’s fury.
Our State House sources described Mr. Jammeh as confused hostage. “He has been held hostage in State House by none but fear, pressure and confusion,” our source said. “President Jammeh is a virtual hostage who skips meals. He is losing weight at an alarming rate. Jammeh is also disturbed about what to do with his henchmen who are worried about being abandoned by their by leader. All Jammeh has been doing is to smoke cigarette and drink one of the most expensive alcohol (Jack Daniel). He looks withdrawn.”
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