III 

Calendar No. 339 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 456 

Expressing support for a free, fair, and peaceful December 4, 2021, election 

in The Gambia. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 18, 2021 

Mr. DURBIN (for himself, Mr. RISCH, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. COONS, Mr. ROUNDS, 

Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. CARDIN, and Mr. RUBIO) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

APRIL 6, 2022 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for a free, fair, and peaceful December 

4, 2021, election in The Gambia. 

Whereas, in 1965, The Gambia became independent from 

Great Britain; 

Whereas, in 1970, The Gambia became a republic following 

a public referendum, and Dawda Jawara was elected 

president and subsequently reelected an additional five 

times; 


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•SRES 456 RS 

Whereas, from 1970 to 1994, The Gambia was one of Africa’s longest running democracies and home to the continent’s human rights body, the African Commission on 

Human and People’s Rights; 

Whereas, in 1994, President Jawara was forcibly removed 

from office in a coup by the Armed Forces Provisional 

Ruling Council (AFPRC), led by Lieutenant Yahya 

Jammeh; 

Whereas, after two years of direct AFPRC rule that was 

heavily criticized by the international community, a 

flawed constitutional reform process occurred and The 

Gambia scheduled a new presidential election; 

Whereas, in the lead up to the September 1996 presidential 

election, the Jammeh military government outlawed the 

country’s main opposition parties, restricted media freedom, prohibited meetings between rival candidates and 

foreign diplomats, and used soldiers to attack opposition 

rallies; 

Whereas Jammeh won the 1996 presidential election in a 

process widely regarded as flawed by international observers; 

Whereas President Jammeh won reelection in 2001, 2006, 

and 2011 in electoral processes marred by political repression, intimidation, and technical flaws; 

Whereas Jammeh’s presidency saw targeted violence and 

widespread gross human rights violations, particularly 

against members of the media, including the murder of 

editor Deyda Hydara and the disappearance of journalist 

Ebrima Manneh; 

Whereas President Jammeh personally ordered the kidnapping and torture of individuals he accused of ‘‘witchVerDate Sep 11 2014 02:12 Apr 07, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR456.RS SR456

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•SRES 456 RS 

craft’’ and threatened others over their sexual orientation; 

Whereas thousands of Gambians fled into exile out of concern 

for their safety, becoming refugees in Africa at large and 

elsewhere; 

Whereas the Jammeh government’s human rights record was 

widely criticized by regional and international human 

rights groups, as well as the United States, European 

Union, and members of the United States Senate; 

Whereas, in December 2016, opposition grand coalition candidate Adama Barrow, who campaigned on the promise 

of electoral and constitutional reform, won an upset election victory against President Jammeh; 

Whereas, immediately after the 2016 election, Jammeh publicly accepted the defeat, but then later rejected the results and refused to depart the presidency; 

Whereas Jammeh’s refusal to accept defeat was widely condemned, with the African Union refusing to recognize 

him as president and the Economic Community of West 

African States deploying an international intervention 

force to The Gambia; 

Whereas, on January 19, 2017, Barrow was sworn in as 

president at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal; 

Whereas, on January 20, 2017, Jammeh and his family departed The Gambia, reportedly stealing more than 

$1,000,000,000 from state coffers, eventually to appear 

in Equatorial Guinea, where he remains in political exile 

with impunity; 

Whereas President Barrow initially agreed to limit his term 

to a three-year transition ending on January 19, 2020, 


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•SRES 456 RS 

but later stated his intent to serve the full five-year constitutional term; 

Whereas the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations 

Commission (TRRC) was established by an act of the 

Gambian Parliament to examine abuses committed during the Jammeh era and make recommendations as to 

whom to hold accountable; 

Whereas more than 370 victims and former government officials testified at widely viewed TRRC hearings that documented widespread human rights abuses; 

Whereas the TRRC’s anticipated September 2021 final report submission to President Barrow was delayed; and 

Whereas The Gambia will hold the first post-Jammeh era 

presidential election on December 4, 2021, which will include six presidential candidates: Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas, in 1965, The Gambia became independent from Great 

Britain; 

Whereas, in 1970, The Gambia became a republic following a 

public referendum, and Dawda Jawara was elected president and subsequently reelected an additional five times; 

Whereas, from 1970 to 1994, The Gambia was one of Africa’s 

longest running democracies and home to the continent’s 

human rights body, the African Commission on Human 

and People’s Rights; 

Whereas, in 1994, President Jawara was forcibly removed from 

office in a coup by the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling 

Council (AFPRC), led by Lieutenant Yahya Jammeh; 

Whereas, after two years of direct AFPRC rule that was heavily criticized by the international community, a flawed 


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•SRES 456 RS 

constitutional reform process occurred and The Gambia 

scheduled a new presidential election; 

Whereas, in the lead up to the September 1996 presidential 

election, the Jammeh military government outlawed the 

country’s main opposition parties, restricted media freedom, prohibited meetings between rival candidates and foreign diplomats, and used soldiers to attack opposition rallies; 

Whereas Jammeh won the 1996 presidential election in a process widely regarded as flawed by international observers; 

Whereas President Jammeh won reelection in 2001, 2006, and 

2011 in electoral processes marred by political repression, 

intimidation, and technical flaws; 

Whereas Jammeh’s presidency saw targeted violence and widespread gross human rights violations, particularly against 

members of the media, including the murder of editor 

Deyda Hydara and the disappearance of journalist 

Ebrima Manneh; 

Whereas President Jammeh personally ordered the kidnapping 

and torture of individuals he accused of ‘‘witchcraft’’ and 

threatened others over their sexual orientation; 

Whereas thousands of Gambians fled into exile out of concern 

for their safety, becoming refugees in Africa at large and 

elsewhere; 

Whereas the Jammeh government’s human rights record was 

widely criticized by regional and international human 

rights groups, as well as the United States, European 

Union, and members of the United States Senate; 

Whereas, in December 2016, opposition grand coalition candidate Adama Barrow, who campaigned on the promise of 


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•SRES 456 RS 

electoral and constitutional reform, won an upset election 

victory against President Jammeh; 

Whereas, immediately after the 2016 election, Jammeh publicly 

accepted the defeat, but then later rejected the results and 

refused to depart the presidency; 

Whereas Jammeh’s refusal to accept defeat was widely condemned, with the African Union refusing to recognize him 

as president and the Economic Community of West African States deploying an international intervention force to 

The Gambia; 

Whereas, on January 19, 2017, Barrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian Embassy in Senegal; 

Whereas, on January 20, 2017, Jammeh and his family departed The Gambia, reportedly stealing more than 

$1,000,000,000 from state coffers, eventually to appear in 

Equatorial Guinea, where he remains in political exile 

with impunity; 

Whereas President Barrow initially agreed to limit his term 

to a three-year transition ending on January 19, 2020, 

but later stated his intent to serve the full five-year constitutional term and run for reelection; 

Whereas the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations 

Commission (TRRC) was established by an act of the 

Gambian Parliament to examine abuses committed during 

the Jammeh era and make recommendations as to whom 

to hold accountable; 

Whereas more than 370 victims and former government officials testified at widely viewed TRRC hearings that documented widespread human rights abuses; 

Whereas, on November 25, 2021, the TRRC submitted its final 

report to President Barrow detailing the death of more 


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•SRES 456 RS 

than 240 people, torture, rape, and disappearances under 

the Jammeh regime; 

Whereas, on December 4, 2021, The Gambia held the first postJammeh era presidential election, which included six presidential candidates; 

Whereas the December 4, 2021, election occurred peacefully, 

with high voter turnout and under the observation of a significant number of domestic and international monitors; 

Whereas, on December 5, 2021, The Gambia’s Independent 

Electoral Commission (IEC) announced results showing 

that President Barrow had won reelection: 

Whereas, on December 5, 2021, domestic election observers and 

other stakeholders released a joint statement noting that 

‘‘the elections were conducted generally in an atmosphere 

of transparency and fairness as observed by domestic and 

international observers’’ and reminded candidates of the 

Code of Conduct for Peaceful Elections provision to ‘‘accept the results of the election as announced by the Chairperson of the IEC’’; 

Whereas, on December 5, 2021, former President of Sierra 

Leone Ernest Bai Koroma, who led an election observation 

mission from the Economic Community of West African 

States (ECOWAS), appealed to all the Gambian candidates ‘‘to accept the outcome of the election in good 

faith’’; 

Whereas, on December 24, 2021, the Gambia Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Commission published its findings 

that former President Jammeh was responsible for more 

than 20 years of killings, torture, and rape and recommended that those responsible be prosecuted, saying,‘‘To 

forgive and forget with impunity the violations and 


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abuses. . .would not only undermine reconciliation but 

would also constitute a massive and egregious cover-up of 

the crimes committed.’’; 

Whereas, on December 28, 2021, the Gambia Supreme Court 

dismissed a challenge to the election results; and 

Whereas, on January 18, 2022, the Independent Electoral 

Commission announced that National Assembly elections 

will be held on April 9, 2022: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) congratulates the Gambian people on the 

3 successful 2016 presidential election; 

4 (2) supports the courageous and necessary work 

5 of the Truth, Reconciliation, and Reparations Com6 mission to bring accountability, healing, and rec7 onciliation to the nation; 

8 (3) calls on all parties and presidential can9 didates to participate in a free, fair, credible, and 

10 peaceful December 4, 2021, presidential election in 

11 The Gambia; and 

12 (4) expresses the support of the American peo13 ple in The Gambia’s continued and noteworthy 

14 democratic path forward. 

15 That the Senate— 

16 (1) congratulates the Gambian people on the suc17 cessful 2016 and 2021 presidential elections; 

18 (2) supports the courageous and necessary work 

19 and recommendations of the Truth, Reconciliation, 


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1 and Reparations Commission to bring accountability, 

2 healing, and reconciliation to the nation, and calls on 

3 the government to follow through with appropriate ac4 tions with regards to justice, accountability, and rep5 arations for victims; 

6 (3) calls on all parties and voters to again peace7 fully participate in the upcoming April legislative 

8 election and to peacefully follow all legal processes 

9 with regards to the results; and 

10 (4) expresses the support of the American people 

11 in The Gambia’s continued and noteworthy demo12 cratic path forward. 


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Calendar No. 339 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 456 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing support for a free, fair, and peaceful 

December 4, 2021, election in The Gambia. 

APRIL 6, 2022 

Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the 

preamble 


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