Banjul, Gambia | Xinhua | Alieu Momar Njie, chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) of The Gambia, declared on Sunday that Adama Barrow, the leader of the National People’s Party (NPP), as the winner of the presidential election held on Saturday. Barrow amassed 457,519 votes, around 53 percent of …
Read More »ANALYSIS: New Gambia’s slow road to reform – rebuilding after the dictator
James Courtright | AFRICAN ARGUMENTS | How do you dismantle over two decades of repressive and corrupt governance in order to build a fresh democratic system? That’s the challenge currently facing The Gambia. Since Yahya Jammeh lost the 2016 elections and finally relinquished power under regional pressure in January 2017, …
Read More »Gambia revokes diplomatic passports of ex-leader Jammeh and family
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | The Gambia has revoked the diplomatic passports of ex-leader Yahya Jammeh and his associates, the foreign ministry said Thursday, as the new government pursues former regime figures it believes embezzled state funds. Jammeh plundered an estimated $50 million before leaving for exile in Equatorial Guinea …
Read More »Adama Barrow: how do you solve a problem like The Gambia?
Adama Barrow: how do you solve a problem like The Gambia? Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Six months ago, businessman and political novice Adama Barrow took power in Africa’s smallest mainland country after delivering a stunning defeat against ex-leader Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled brutally for 22 years. When Barrow …
Read More »Gambia elects MPs for post-Jammeh era
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | Polls closed on Thursday evening in The Gambia with voters expected to usher in a new generation of lawmakers to scrutinise a raft of reforms promised by President Adama Barrow, in the first election since longtime leader Yahya Jammeh left power. Turnout was low when …
Read More »Gambia celebrates Barrow’s inauguration
Bakau, Gambia | AFP | Thousands celebrated Saturday as new Gambian President Adama Barrow retook his oath of office, a month after he was sworn in across the border in neighbouring Senegal during a tense power struggle. February 18 is also the anniversary of The Gambia’s independence from Britain, but …
Read More »Jammeh leaves state coffers empty
Following months of crisis, Gambia’s ruler of 22 years Yahya Jammeh finally left the country on the night of Jan.21. He had earlier refused to concede defeat in a Dec.01 election but eventually relinquished power after members of the West African bloc ECOWAS launched a military operation on him shortly …
Read More »President Barrow lands in Gambia
Banjul, Gambia | AFP | President Adama Barrow arrived in The Gambia on Thursday to a jubilant welcome marking the beginning of the west African nation’s first democratic transfer of power, AFP journalists said. Dressed in flowing white robes and cap, Barrow stepped off the plane, with heavily-armed troops from …
Read More »‘All clear now’ for Gambia leader Barrow to return home
Dakar, Senegal | AFP | The Gambia’s new president will return to the capital on Thursday, aides said, ending a prolonged political crisis sparked by disputed elections that forced him to flee to neighbouring Senegal. The announcement capped days of anxious waiting in the tiny former British colony that was …
Read More »ANALYSIS: Hard work ahead for new Gambian president
Soma, Gambia | AFP | They breathed a sigh of relief when strongman Yahya Jammeh finally left The Gambia. But supporters of the new president, Adama Barrow, say he has a lot to do to get the country — one of Africa’s poorest — on its feet. “At the end …
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