The Gambia’s new government has accused supporters of the former president, Yahya Jammeh, of welcoming foreign rebels into their homes in an attempt to destabilise the country.



Residents of Foni, the Gambian region where Jammeh had a vast farm and allegedly “bunkers and treasure”, have been hosting members of a rebel group that for three decades have been fighting for the secession of their region from Senegal.

Giving them a safe haven in the Gambia threatens to upset relations with Senegal, which surrounds the tiny west African country on three sides, and was instrumental in ejecting a recalcitrant Jammeh after he lost the presidential election for the first time in his 22 years in power.

On his first visit to Foni since taking power a year ago, President Adama Barrow and his ministers criticised local leaders for allowing members of the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC) into their communities.

“Village and district chiefs are my representatives and are duty-bound to carry out my orders, and ensure that there is peace in their places,” Barrow said. “We are having this meeting because there is a failure in the execution of that task.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest President Adama Barrow rides through crowds of supporters after arriving at Banjul airport in Gambia in January. Photograph: Jerome Delay/AP

The lands minister, Lamin Dibba, added: “This meeting should not have been held. We know that there are people entering the country from Casamance being hosted here in Foni and they are here to create trouble. This must stop.”

Jammeh, who it is alleged had opponents arrested, tortured and murdered, initially accepted the result of the December 2016 election in an extraordinary concessionary call to Barrow televised on state media.

But he later changed his mind, claiming there had been irregularities in the vote and refused to concede. A tense standoff followed, in which regional presidents arrived, negotiated, and departed disappointed, eventually sending troops to Gambia’s borders.

Jammeh finally left, taking with him a fleet of luxury cars and a planeful of senior aides. His destination was Equatorial Guinea, where the longtime President Obiang welcomed him and where to the best of public knowledge he has remained ever since.

Likening his predecessor to a “big snake” as the latter’s loyal chiefs fidgeted under a marquee, Barrow said: “If you see the tracks of a big snake, you might be scared,” he said. “But what about the man who was dragging the snake?”

Barrow might have managed to drag Jammeh from power, but the west African country was left near-bankrupt and, dependent on a regional military force to maintain the peace, it is struggling to deal with a number of security threats. These include violent clashes between his supporters and those of the ruling coalition, and the recent return of two of Jammeh’s most trusted aides from their Equatorial Guinea hideout.

In a security lapse, the two Junglers – members of a notorious squad that is said to have tortured and killed on Jammeh’s orders – flew freely into the country, and were only found and arrested the next day. The military has held them without charge along with 12 other Junglers, despite this being illegal after 72 hours.

“The government is caught in a very difficult situation,” said Ba Tambadou, Gambia’s minister of justice, pointing out the “grave danger” these people posed to the public. “We don’t want to perhaps create a Guantánamo Bay. (But) we are dealing with a very fragile political situation.”

A year after Jammeh was persuaded to leave, his image still adorns the T-shirts and printed cloth worn by loyalists of his party, the APRC, which has struggled to find a replacement for the strongman who said he would rule for “a billion years if Allah wished it”.

Support for him is nowhere more alive than in Foni, where the division he sowed between his ethnic group, the Jolas, and the majority Mandinkas – whom he threatened to bury “nine feet deep” – has often broken out into violence.

“Every Mandinka in this community was attacked. We fear for our lives here,” said Isatou Ceesay, a single mother who described how, one night, unidentified men had broken into her house, vandalised her belongings and wrecked part of her roof.

Other women in Foni said there had been reprisals against them for supporting Barrow’s coalition.

“I can’t leave my village because of my political affiliation,” said Amie Jajue. “I’ve been warned by a lot of people not to go to Casamance, I can’t go and visit my relatives there like I used to. People told the rebels I was an Ecomig spy.”

Ecomig, the regional force responsible for keeping the peace in the Gambia, is due to withdraw in May but its mandate is likely to be extended. The Gambian army is in no position to take over as it is still full of Jammeh-era officers and has yet to be won over to Barrow’s side, according to Gambian observers – though last month, an academic who pointed this out was briefly arrested.

“Some of us think the (Ecomig) troops should go, but not everyone,” said Sarjo Jallow, the chief of Sare Madi village. “They’re here to keep the peace. Anyone against peacekeepers wants trouble.”

But the rifts created during Jammeh’s two decades in power will take a while to heal.

Leaving the foreign troops in charge, speeding off in his convoy with presidential flags flapping, Barrow left his ultimatums to sink in. Watching him go, Jallow remarked: “Many people don’t want to accept change.” </s> BANJUL (Reuters) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after refusing to hand power to opposition leader Adama Barrow, who won an election last month.

State television said the emergency would prevent a power vacuum while the supreme court rules on Jammeh's petition challenging the election result.

That suggests Jammeh will stay in power beyond Thursday, when Barrow was due to be sworn in as president.

Regional leaders have threatened to intervene militarily if Jammeh does not step down and on Tuesday a senior Nigerian army source said Nigeria and other West African states were preparing a military force.

"I...hereby declare a state of public emergency throughout the Islamic Republic of Gambia," Jammeh's declaration said.

The state of emergency banned "acts of disobedience" and "acts intended to disturb public order".

Jammeh took power in a coup in 1994 as only the second president since Gambia's independence in 1965 and his government gained a reputation for torturing and killing perceived opponents, rights groups say. In 2015, he declared that the country was an Islamic Republic.

Pro-democracy activists across Africa welcomed his defeat and his refusal to step down has provoked an internal crisis as well as a test of mettle for regional leaders.

Gambia's top judge on Monday declined to rule on Jammeh's election petition and in a political blow to the president, the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, trade and the environment have resigned, according to ministry sources.

The Nigerian source said that defense chiefs of staff of West African countries met on Monday to discuss strategies to remove Jammeh.

"Some West African countries will be contributing troops, including Nigeria, for the operation," said the source, adding that the United Nations and African Union had offered support to regional body ECOWAS for the plan.

State television said on Monday Finance Minister Abdou Kolley was being replaced by Benjamin Roberts, the Minister of Tourism. Finance ministry sources said on Tuesday Roberts had also resigned.

Ministry sources said other government figures, including Foreign Minister Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, had left the government and the country. The mayor of the capital Banjul has also resigned, according to sources at the city council.

Hundreds of Gambians have fled into Senegal, Gambia's only neighbor, fearing for their safety because of the turmoil, and Senegalese authorities have increased security. Barrow is also in Senegal, his aides say.

"We are scared. There are soldiers with guns all the time," said Awa Sanneh, 25, from Birkama in Gambia, who was leaving with two children and 24 other family members.

One of the smallest countries in Africa, Gambia is reliant on tourism and one main crop, peanuts, to fuel its economy. </s> The Gambia's president, Adama Barrow, has named senior politician Fatoumata Tambajang as deputy leader, as regional troops continued security sweeps to prepare for his return to the country from neighbouring Senegal.

The announcement of Tambajang's appointment will be followed by the unveiling of the rest of Barrow's cabinet later on Tuesday, according to presidential spokesperson Halifa Sallah.

Tambajang, a former minister and United Nations Development Programme staffer, was the architect of an opposition coalition that helped Barrow defeat longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh in a December 1 presidential election.

She made headlines last month when she told The Guardian newspaper that Jammeh, who came to power in a 1994 coup, would be prosecuted for alleged crimes committed by his regime.

Following her comments, Jammeh, who had initially conceded defeat, announced he no longer recognised the result, triggering a protracted political crisis which ended when he flew into exile late on Saturday.

READ MORE: The Gambia - Ex-ruler Jammeh 'plundered coffers'

Barrow, who fled to Senegal earlier this month for security reasons, was sworn in as president on January 19 at The Gambia's embassy in Dakar.

His return date has not yet been fixed, and the appointment of his cabinet is aimed at filling a void created by his absence.

The armed forces have pledged loyalty to him, though troops from West African regional bloc ECOWAS, which entered the country last week to pressure Jammeh to step down, continued clearing the presidential compound in advance of Barrow's arrival.

They also took over a Republican Guard barracks training centre in Bakau, just outside the capital, Banjul.

On Sunday, a Barrow aide accused Jammeh of plundering millions of dollars from the state coffers in his final weeks in power before flying to Equatorial Guinea.

"Over two weeks, over 500 million dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn" by Jammeh, Mai Fatty said in Dakar. "As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress."

Jammeh also took luxury cars he piled onto a Chadian cargo plane, Fatty said.

'Torture, killings'

In addition to the accusations surrounding Jammeh's wealth, sections of the security services under the ex-ruler personal control have been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention during his rule, rights groups say.

A truth and reconciliation committee is Barrow's "preferred method" of dealing with grievances against the previous government, according to his spokesman, but many Gambians take the harder line of his new vice president.

Critics have also raised concerns over a statement issued by the UN, regional bloc ECOWAS and the African Union that seemed to offer Jammeh comfortable guarantees in return for his exit.

The statement said "no legislative measures" would be taken that against Jammeh or his family, noting that he could return when he pleased and that property "lawfully" belonging to him would not be seized. </s> Banjul. Gambian President Adama Barrow’s team announced Monday his vice-president would be a woman who has vowed to prosecute former leader Yahya Jammeh and take back assets she says were stolen from the nation.

The alleged plunder of some £11 million by Jammeh as he clung on to power in recent weeks has left the tiny African country in financial difficulty, a Barrow aide said. Barrow, who was sworn in as the new head of state on January 19 at his country’s embassy in neighbouring Senegal, has put off his return over fears for his safety.

As the nation waits, Barrow’s second-in-command was named as Fatoumata Jallow-Tambajang, who became a controversial figure after telling The Guardian newspaper Jammeh would be prosecuted for crimes committed by his regime.

Jammeh initially conceded defeat after the December 1 election, but the mercurial strongman announced he no longer recognised the result after Jallow-Tambajang’s comments, and after the election commission issued revised results which made Barrow’s win narrower, although still clear.

The timing of her appointment comes after an aide to Barrow has accused Jammeh of raiding state coffers during his final days in power.

“Over two weeks, over 500 million dalasi ($11 million) were withdrawn” by Jammeh, Mai Fatty said on Sunday in Dakar. “As we take over, the government of The Gambia is in financial distress.”

A development expert who previously worked of the United Nations, Jallow-Tambajang is often described as the woman who persuaded The Gambia’s divided opposition parties to club together and field a single candidate -- Barrow.

She has also argued that a national commission for asset recovery should be established to take back land and goods Jammeh is accused of seizing for his own gain. Under the threat of a regional military intervention, Jammeh chose exile in Equatorial Guinea, which is not party to the International Criminal Court, and left The Gambia on Saturday.

That means he cannot be extradited in the event he is charged with crimes against humanity or other serious offences.

A truth and reconciliation committee is Barrow’s “preferred method” of dealing with grievances against the regime, his spokesman has said, but many Gambians take the harder line of his new vice-president. Sections of the security services were under Jammeh’s personal control and are responsible for extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention, rights groups say. (AFP) </s> Gambia's defeated leader Yahya Jammeh will step down and leave the country, Mauritania's president said early Saturday, while Gambia's new president declared that "the rule of fear" in the tiny West African nation had ended.

Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz spoke with reporters at the airport shortly before boarding his flight home, calling the news a victory for Gambia. He had been part of last-ditch talks to try to persuade Jammeh to cede power to Adama Barrow, who won election last month, while a regional force was poised to move in if negotiations failed.

A State House official close to the situation said Jammeh would leave within three days, possibly on Saturday with Guinean President Alpha Conde, who was spending the night in Gambia's capital, Banjul. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not permitted to speak about the situation to press.

Jammeh has refused to accept his loss to Barrow, who was inaugurated Thursday at Gambia's embassy in neighboring Senegal because of concerns for his safety. It was not clear when Barrow would return to Gambia.

Jammeh, who first seized power in a 1994 coup, has been holed up in his official residence in Banjul, and was becoming increasingly isolated as his security forces abandoned him and he dissolved his Cabinet.

Defense forces chief Ousmane Badjie told The Associated Press that Gambia's security services now support Barrow and would not oppose the regional force that was ready to move against Jammeh if he refused to step down.

"You cannot push us to war for an issue we can solve politically," Badjie said. "We don't see any reason to fight."

The force, including tanks, rolled into Gambia without facing any resistance, said Marcel Alain de Souza, chairman of the West African regional bloc, ECOWAS. At least 20 military vehicles were seen Friday at the border town of Karang.

The force included troops from Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo and Mali, and they moved in after Barrow's inauguration and a unanimous vote by the U.N. Security Council to support the regional efforts.

Fearing violence, about 45,000 people have fled Gambia for Senegal, according to the Senegalese government and the U.N. refugee agency.

Jammeh earlier had agreed to step down but demanded amnesty for any crimes he may have committed during his 22 years in power and wanted to stay in Gambia, in his home village of Kanilai, de Souza said Friday.

Those demands were not acceptable to ECOWAS, he added. The Mauritanian and Guinean leaders then held hours of talks with Jammeh to work out a deal.

Some of Gambia's diplomatic missions began switching their allegiance, while some African nations announced they no longer recognized Jammeh.

"We embrace and support the new president Adama Barrow," said Almamy Kassama, an official at the Gambian mission to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, in an email.

In his inaugural speech, Barrow urged Jammeh to step aside and called for Gambia's armed forces to stay in their barracks.

Banjul was peaceful. Senegalese radio station RFM reported 30 Gambian soldiers had crossed into Senegal to fight alongside the regional forces.

"I think the Gambian military would know it's outnumbered," said Maggie Dwyer, an expert on West African armed forces at the University of Edinburgh. "Gambia's military has very little combat experience. This would be a very difficult situation for them."

She estimated it had 2,400 troops at most, plus fewer than 1,000 paramilitary forces.

"My guess is a very small number would actually put their life on the line for Jammeh," though some could stand by him to get the same deal he might receive to avoid prosecution, Dwyer said.

Soldiers at checkpoints in Banjul appeared relaxed, with one telling visitors, "Welcome to the smiling coast."

Late Friday, Barrow addressed members of Gambia's diaspora and urged them to return home and rebuild their lives. "I wish to congratulate all of you and welcome you to the new Gambia," he said. </s> We are not going to involve ourselves militarily. This is a political dispute,” Gambian Chief of Defence Staff Ousman Badjie said

Senegalese troops backed by the other African forces are marching on towards Gambia to enter their territory as President Yahya Jammeh approaches a midnight deadline to stand down or face military action after refusing to leave at the end of his term.

He said that he don’t want his men to involve in any stupid fight as it is a political dispute. If they (Senegalese troops) come marching in, we would lift our hands in surrending gesture. Gambia is facing a critical political turmoil. The President Yahya Jammeh refused to step down even after the end of his term. He refused to accept the decision which came out in the favor of Adama Barrow. He even declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, citing foreign interference in a presidential election he lost to opponent Adama Barrow last month. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption Yahya Jammeh first seized power in a coup in 1994

The Gambia will set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate abuses committed during ex-President Yahya Jammeh's rule, the justice minister has said.

The finances of Mr Jammeh would also be investigated, Abubacarr Tambadou added.

People would be encouraged to confess to crimes, and victims would be offered compensation, he said.

The former regime was accused of widespread torture and enforced disappearances during its 22-year rule.

There were also unconfirmed allegations that more than $11m (£8.8m) went missing from The Gambia's state coffers following Mr Jammeh's departure in January.

He fled to Equatorial Guinea in January after regional troops entered the tiny West African state to force him to accept defeat to property developer Adama Barrow in elections the previous month.

"A Truth and Reconciliation Commission with appropriate reparations for victims will be set up within the next six months and public hearings will be expected to commence by the end of the year," Mr Tambadou said in a statement.

Former intelligence chief Yankuba Badjie was arrested in January, making him the first of Mr Jammeh's security officials to be taken into custody by the new government.

No official reason was given for his arrest.

Five notorious cases for The Gambia's TRC:

Opposition member Solo Sandeng allegedly beaten to death in detention in April 2016

Journalist Alagie Abdoulie Ceesay allegedly forced to drink cooking oil and beaten unconsciousness in detention in July 2015

Ex-army chief of staff Ndure Cham allegedly ordered to dig his grave and shot dead in 2013 for plotting coup

Journalist Ebrima Manneh missing since he left his newsroom on July 2006

Newspaper editor Deyda Hydara shot dead in his car in December 2004

Jammeh's inglorious end

After his election victory, Mr Barrow pledged that his government would not seek vengeance against officials of the former regime, and would instead set up a South Africa-styled Truth and Reconciliation Commission to heal wounds of the past.

In a 2015 report, campaign group Human Rights Watch said Mr Jammeh's regime "frequently committed serious human rights violations, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture against those who voiced opposition".

Torture methods included the "electroshock of body parts, including genitals and dripping melted plastic bags onto the skin", it said.

The regime relied heavily on its intelligence agency to target opponents, and was also accused of running paramilitary hit squads.

It denied the allegation, insisting that it upheld the law. </s> A paramilitary unit controlled by former Gambian president Yahya Jammeh was accused on Wednesday by rights groups of being behind the killings of more than 50 West African migrants in 2005.

Human Rights Watch and TRIAL International said they interviewed 30 former Gambian officials, including 11 officers, and a survivor of the round-up as part of a joint investigation.

The migrants – 44 Ghanaians and several Nigerians, Senegalese, as well as a Togolese — were arrested on a beach in Gambia while trying to reach Europe, suspected of being mercenaries wanting to overthrow Jammeh.

According to a joint statement by the NGOs, they were detained in the capital Banjul and handed over in groups to the “Junglers”, a notorious paramilitary unit, and executed.

“The West African migrants weren’t murdered by rogue elements, but by a paramilitary death squad taking orders from President Jammeh,” said Reed Brody, a legal advisor at Human Rights Watch.

“Jammeh’s subordinates then destroyed key evidence to prevent international investigators from learning the truth.”

A joint report by the Economic Community of West African States and the UN, which was not made public, concluded in 2009 that the killings and disappearances were carried out by rogue members within the Gambian security services, with no credible evidence to suggest they were acting on orders from superiors.

“The new evidence makes clear, however, that those responsible for the killings were the Junglers,” HRW and TRIAL said in their statement on Wednesday.

In the statement, Martin Kyere, the only known Ghanaian survivor, told how his group was tied up in the back of a pick-up truck.

“It was then that I thought, ‘We’re going to die,” he said.

But he managed to get free and escape into the forest, and later helped Ghanaian authorities identify many of the victims.

Jammeh, whose 22-year-rule was marked by numerous human rights violations, lost the presidential election in December 2016 to opposition leader Adama Barrow.

He fled the country the following month for Equatorial Guinea, where he finally conceded and handed over power. </s> Four more cabinet ministers in Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s government have defected, a source close to the regime told AFP on Tuesday, as citizens stream out of the country in fear of unrest.

With two days left of his mandate, Jammeh has caused a political crisis by refusing to step aside and allow president-elect Adama Barrow to take power following his December 1 election victory.

Foreign minister Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, finance minister Abdou Kolley, trade minister Abdou Jobe and tourism minister Benjamin Roberts had all resigned, the source said, requesting anonymity for safety reasons.

Roberts was appointed to replace Kolley on Monday, meaning he spent less than 24 hours in the new post, local media said.

The latest resignations came after the high-profile defection last week of information minister Sheriff Bojang, who is now sheltering in neighbouring Senegal.

Meanwhile, citizens packed their bags and streamed out of Banjul by road and ferry for Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Guinea, taking as many possessions as they could carry.

One traveller told AFP that those arriving at 10am would have to wait until the following day to board a ferry at Banjul port to cross the river headed for Senegal, unless they bribed officials, due to huge numbers exiting the city.

The UN’s refugee agency has said several thousand Gambians have crossed the border in the last few weeks to shelter with extended family while they await January 19, when Jammeh is due to hand over power.

Barrow is in Senegal, where he plans to remain until the inauguration on Thursday.

The spectre of a military intervention in The Gambia has arisen in recent days following declarations by the United Nations and African Union that boots on the ground could get the green light without a rapid resolution to the crisis.

Fears of conflict were ramped up in Banjul following the weekend arrest of soldiers suspected of being sympathetic to Barrow, underlining significant disagreement within the armed forces over whom they will support come Thursday.

“Captain Babucarr Bah and some junior officers close to him were arrested on Sunday night at the Fajara barracks by members of the Republican Guards,” a security source told AFP, adding they were still being held at the headquarters of the feared National Intelligence Agency.

Republican guard commanders personally protect Jammeh and are picked for their loyalty.

Bah had told the guards that the army should be loyal to the state and Gambian people, the security source added, when the elite troops came to solicit support for the president just days ago.

Elsewhere Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf hit out at Jammeh for broadcasting a conversation they held by phone on Sunday on Gambian television without her knowledge.

“Unfortunately, being the person that he is, Jammeh recorded and televised their conversation without advising her of his intent to do so,” a statement from the Liberian presidency said.

Sirleaf was then quoted as saying that as of Monday “there is no change in ECOWAS position. The Constitution of The Gambia must be respected.”

The 15-nation Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) has repeatedly called on Jammeh to respect the result of the vote and leave after 22 years in power.

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, Sirleaf and Ghana’s ex-president John Mahama have appealed to Jammeh to step down twice in person, without success, most recently on Friday.

Jammeh has lodged a challenge to the election result with The Gambia’s Supreme Court and last week filed a fresh injunction to prevent the chief justice from swearing Barrow into office.

But on Monday, Chief Justice Emmanuel Fagbenle said he could not hear the new case, dealing a blow to Jammeh’s efforts to halt Thursday’s inauguration.

In Rabat, it was reported that Morocco had offered Jammeh asylum for accepting the election defeat and stepping down “in return for a golden retirement”, but Banjul sources were reluctant to confirm the offer.
The new government of the Gambia accuses ex-President Yahya Jammeh's supporters of assisting and sheltering foreign militants (the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance).