The African Union will cease to recognise Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh as the West African nation’s legitimate president as of Jan. 19, the date he is due to hand power to the winner of a December election, the AU’s Peace and Security Council said.
In a statement issued after a meeting in the Ethiopian capital, the council also warned of “serious consequences in the event that his action causes any crisis that could lead to political disorder, humanitarian and human rights disaster, including loss of innocent lives and destruction of properties”.
Meanwhile, the party of Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has said Jammeh would be honoured as a former head of state if he stepped down and suggested he might not face trial for alleged crimes during his 22 years in power.
Jammeh, whose authoritarian rule began after a 1994 coup, lost the Dec. 1 election to Barrow by a slim margin. He initially conceded defeat but a week later contested the results and called for another poll. He now refuses to give up power.
The question of whether Gambia can install Barrow as president is seen as a test case for African democracy in a region accustomed to coups and autocratic rule.
Post a Comment