In his first press conference since taking over as leader, Barrow said he would soon be overhauling government institutions to make the administration more effective.

“The rule of the law, that will be the order of the day,” said Barrow, adding that The Gambia, where Muslims constitute 90% of the population, would no longer be an “Islamic republic”. The word “Islamic” was added to the country’s name in 2015.

Calling on the nation to unite, the 51-year-old former businessman promised to develop the country by implementing a series of democratic reforms.

“The field will be level for everybody, and in total reconciliation, if people reconcile, that will unite everybody, and we want to hold that line… My government will look at all areas and there will be a complete overhaul of the system,” said the new leader.

A political crisis gripped The Gambia after Barrow’s predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, the autocratic leader who ruled the African nation for 22 years, refused to step down despite losing the polls in December 2016. Jammeh faces a series of human rights abuse allegations forcing him to go into exile as soon as Barrow took oath from neighbouring Senegal.

Barrow swore by a free media under his rule. He said the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) would soon be reformed and renamed.

Barrow said he would not hesitate to seek other nations’ assistance if needed. He said: “In the army, if we need technical aid, we will contact countries that are willing to help us.”

–

Source: IB Times

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President Barrow’s plane touched down at Banjul airport where jubilant crowds waited to welcome him. After landing, he tweeted: “I’m finally home #Gambia.” Mr Barrow, who has been in neighbouring Senegal, won elections in December. However a handover was stalled when Mr Jammeh, Gambia’s president of 22 years, refused to step aside.

He left for exile at the weekend after mediation by regional leaders and the threat of military intervention.

Mr Barrow, dressed in white robes and a cap, stepped off the plane in Banjul as heavily armed troops from Senegal and Nigeria stood by. Overhead, a fighter jet from the West African force guaranteeing the new president’s security performed fly-pasts.

“I am a happy man today,” Mr Barrow told a reporter from the Associated Press in the crush at the airport, adding: “I think the bad part is finished now.”

The president said his priority was to appoint his cabinet and “then get the ball rolling”.

The BBC’s Umaru Fofana in Banjul said that thousands of people had tried to force their way into the airport to see Mr Barrow return and they burst into celebration as soon as his plane touched down.

President Barrow was driven from the airport in a convoy of cars and waved to the crowds who lined the route.

Supporter Ibrahima Gaye said Mr Barrow would be different from Mr Jammeh “in all aspects”.

“We have been living under dictatorship for 22 years. You can go home at night and sleep without worrying you will be arrested before daybreak,” he said.

President Barrow is staying at his own home while a security assessment is carried out at the official residence, State House.

Mr Barrow was sworn in as president at the Gambian embassy in Senegal a week ago, but a public inauguration on home soil is planned soon, aides say. Several thousand West African soldiers remain in The Gambia amid reports that rogue pro-Jammeh elements are embedded in the country’s security forces. The West African force had threatened to drive Mr Jammeh from office if he did not agree to go.

The new president has asked for the force to remain in The Gambia for six months.

His spokesman Halifa Sallah said an inauguration was being planned for the national stadium in Banjul. “It will be an occasion to show strength. Everyone will be invited. The president will address his people,” he told Senegalese radio.

Mr Jammeh, who was a 29-year-old army lieutenant when he came to power in a 1994 coup, had refused to accept the results of the December election. After his departure, reports emerged that more than $11m (£8.8m) had disappeared from The Gambia’s state coffers.

However a presidential adviser said the police had been asked to investigate and would determine if anything was missing.

Mr Jammeh has not commented on the allegations. In other developments, parliament has cancelled the state of emergency declared by Mr Jammeh last week. It also revoked legislation that would have extended its life for a further 90 days.

Member of the Fula ethnic group, born in 1965 – the year of Gambian independence Reportedly worked as a security guard in the UK in the early 2000s while studying there

Returned home in 2006 to set up property business

Supports English Premier League football team Arsenal

Nominated as the candidate for coalition of seven opposition parties, promising greater respect for human rights

A devout Muslim who is reportedly married with two wives and five children

The UN envoy for West Africa, Mohamed ibn Chambas, has said the UN will help guarantee security in The Gambia.

–

Source: BBC

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In a public announcement via his Facebook page, the President said he was scheduled to arrive in the country at 1600GMT.

Mr Barrow, who won the December 1 election held in the country fled to the Senegal over security concerns following the refusal of the country’s former leader, Yahya Jammeh not to step down.

Jammeh after conceding defeat and congratulating Barrow, withdrew his comments and said he had discovered some irregularities in the electoral process hence filed a motion to challenge the election results.

He subsequently declared a 90-day state of emergency in the country, backed by Parliament.

The decision forced ECOWAS troops, with the backing of the UN Security Council to invade the country while some ECOWAS heads of states negotiated with Jammeh to step down.

Although Jammeh eventually agreed to step down and left the Gambia on Sunday, January 22, 2017, Mr Barrow was forced to take oath of office at the Gambia embassy in Senegal on Thursday, January 19, 2017 in the presence of representatives of the African Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), United Nations (UN) and Members of the diplomatic corps.

‘Millions looted from state coffers’
Exiled Gambian ruler Yahya Jammeh stole millions of dollars in his final weeks in power, plundering the state coffers and shipping out luxury vehicles by cargo plane, a special adviser for the new president said Sunday.

“The Gambia is in financial distress. The coffers are virtually empty. That is a state of fact,” Fatty said. “It has been confirmed by technicians in the ministry of finance and the Central Bank of the Gambia.”

‘Barrow nominates Vice President’
Meanwhile, President Adama Barrow has appointed Fatoumata Tambajang as vice-president, Halifa Sallah his spokesman disclosed on Monday.

Tambajang once served as minister of health under former President Yahya Jammeh.

She is a prominent pro-democracy activist and was a driving force behind forming a coalition of opposition parties that rallied behind Barrow during the December 1 presidential election.

–
By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Guinea’s President Alpha Conde and Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz arrived in the Gambian capital Banjul on Friday for last-ditch talks with Jammeh, witnesses said. It was not clear whether Jammeh intended to step down.

A regional military force that crossed the border in support of his democratically elected successor, Adama Barrow, was awaiting orders on Friday. MarcelAlain de Souza, chair of the west African union Ecowas, said troops would force Jammeh out if he refused to leave the country.

The west African troops entered the Gambia on Thursday night, hours after Barrow was forced to hold his inauguration as president in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. De Souza said the west African force, which includes tanks, has so far met no resistance.

Source: Reuters

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Senegal gave him a midnight GMT deadline to quit and Nigeria has sent an air force unit to Senegal in support of the possible intervention.

Wednesday was meant to be his last day in office but parliament has granted him three more months in the post.

It effectively stops successor Adama Barrow being sworn in on Thursday.

His shock victory in the 1 December election plunged The Gambia into crisis.

West African countries are seeking UN backing to intervene militarily to eject Mr Jammeh, who has ruled The Gambia since taking power in a bloodless coup in 1994.

Meanwhile, thousands of UK and Dutch tourists are being evacuated from the tiny West African state, which is popular with European holidaymakers because of its beaches.

Why is Senegal taking the lead?

Ecowas, the Economic Community of West African States, has mandated Senegal, which almost surrounds The Gambia, to spearhead military intervention, but only as a last resort and with the backing of the UN Security Council.

The Gambia’s entire armed forces is made up of only about 2,500 troops, making it difficult to see how they can defeat a regional force if it moves in, says BBC Africa Monitoring security correspondent Tomi Oladipo.

Mr Jammeh has declared a 90-day state of emergency, saying “any acts of disobedience to the laws of The Gambia, incitement of violence and acts intended to disturb public order and peace” were banned.

Security forces, he said, had been instructed to “maintain absolute peace, law and order”.

Could there be a refugee crisis?

At least 26,000 Gambians, mostly women and children, had crossed into Senegal by Monday evening amid fears that violence could erupt, the UN refugee agency said, citing Senegalese government figures.

“The flow has increased sharply since then,” regional spokeswoman Helene Caux was quoted by Reuters as saying.

ravel firm Thomas Cook said it would fly back to the UK, over the next 48 hours, 985 customers from package holidays after the Foreign Office advised “against all but essential travel to The Gambia due to ongoing political uncertainty and potential military intervention following the presidential elections”.

About 1,600 Dutch citizens are also being flown home after similar advice from their government.

Tourism has become the fastest-growing sector of The Gambia’s economy, and the country, which has a population of about two million, was marketed to holidaymakers as “the smiling coast of West Africa”.

But many of its citizens are poor and complain of political repression. Some, including the goalkeeper of the national women’s football team, have drowned in the Mediterranean trying to reach Europe in the hope of a better life.

Why is Mr Jammeh refusing to leave office?

The Gambia regularly held elections, which he won until last year.

Mr Jammeh has said there were irregularities in the election process, including the turning away of some of his supporters from polling stations, and errors made by the electoral commission.

The commission accepted that some of the results it initially published contained errors, but said Mr Barrow had still won.

Mr Jammeh has said he will stay in office until new elections are held.

Retaining power would also ensure he was not prosecuted in The Gambia for alleged abuses committed during his rule.

The US state department urged Mr Jammeh to peacefully transfer power to Mr Barrow on Thursday.

“Doing so would allow him to leave office with his head held high and to protect The Gambian people from potential chaos,” spokesman John Kirby said.

–

Source: BBC

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Regional leaders have been trying to persuade Mr Jammeh to hand over power to Adama Barrow, who defeated him in December’s elections.

The move comes after Nigeria deployed a warship to further pressure Mr Jammeh.

Regional bloc Ecowas has prepared a force but maintains that military intervention would be a last resort.

The exact terms of the state of emergency remain unknown, as no details were provided with the announcement.

Mr Barrow is meant to be inaugurated as the new president on Thursday.

–

Source: BBC

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The move was requested by West African leaders after a Mali summit, APS said.

President Yahya Jammeh, who initially admitted election defeat, says he will not step down until May, when the supreme court can hear his challenge.

Regional bloc Ecowas wants the UN to approve military action if Mr Barrow’s inauguration on Thursday is blocked.

On Saturday leaders repeated their calls for Mr Jammeh to go voluntarily at an Africa-France summit in Bamako.

Mali’s president Ibrahim Keita called for “proverbial African wisdom” to prevail to avert a bloodbath and there are growing fears that the uncertainty could cause a refugee exodus.

Thousands of Gambians, mostly women and children, have already crossed the border into neighbouring Senegal and further afield to Guinea-Bissau, where they do not require a visa, officials say.

Mr Barrow, who beat Mr Jammeh in last month’s election, was at the Bamako summit and was referred to as the president.

Last week Nigeria’s president flew to the Gambian capital Banjul to try to broker a deal but Mr Jammeh would not relinquish power.

Mr Jammeh’s attempt to overturn the election result has been delayed because of a shortage of judges but his legal team has asked for an injunction to block Mr Barrow’s inauguration.

The African Union has said it will no longer recognise Mr Jammeh’s rule after his term ends.

The 51-year-old leader seized power in the country in 1994 and has been accused of human rights abuses, although he has held regular elections.

–

Source: BBC

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Nigeria’s president flew to Banjul to try to broker a deal but Mr Jammeh would not relinquish power.

Mr Barrow is now heading to Mali, where he will meet West African leaders attending a summit there.

The former estate agent wants to resolve the transitional deadlock so he can be sworn in next week.

President Jammeh’s term ends on Thursday.

The African Union has said it will no longer recognise Mr Jammeh’s rule beyond this point.

Nigerian leader Muhammadu Buhari had flown to The Gambia’s capital, Banjul, to try to broker a deal, as the region fears the consequences of a non-peaceful transition.

Ecowas, a 15-nation bloc of West African states that organised the delegation, has it said it would consider removing Mr Jammeh using military force if he refuses to step aside.

Mr Barrow is travelling to Mali with the Ecowas delegation for further discussions this weekend.

Mr Jammeh had initially admitted defeat after the December election. But shortly afterwards he called for the result to be annulled.

The 51-year-old leader seized power in the country in 1994 and has been accused of human rights abuses, although he has held regular elections.

A lawyer for Mr Jammeh filed a request with the Supreme Court on Thursday, asking for an injunction to block Mr Barrow’s swearing-in.

The Supreme Court is unable to hear the challenge until May because of a shortage of judges, and Mr Jammeh says he will not step down until then.

There are growing fears that the uncertainty could cause a refugee exodus.

Thousands of Gambians, mostly women and children, have already crossed the border into neighbouring Senegal and further afield to Guinea-Bissau, where they do not require a visa, officials say.

Mr Barrow won 43.3% of the vote in December’s election, compared with Mr Jammeh’s 39.6%. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, got 17.1%.

–

Source: BBC

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Leaders from the Economic Community of West African States or ECOWAS deployed troops to The Gambia on Thursday after Jammeh said he would not accept the results of December’s election, in which he lost to opposition leader Adama Barrow.

In a New Year’s message broadcast on Saturday, Jammeh said the “blatant and one-sided” approach of ECOWAS, “disqualified it from providing mediation services”.

He added, “What we are simply and rightfully asking for is to return to the polls and allow the Gambians to elect who they want to be their president in a free and fair election.”

After more than two decades in power, Jammeh, 51, lost a December 1 election to Barrow, a former real-estate agent.

After initially accepting the result, Jammeh later rejected it, alleging irregularities, and filed a petition to the Supreme Court which is due to be reviewed on January 10.

Barrow has insisted he will take office nine days later, as planned, with ECOWAS leaders set to attend the ceremony.

Earlier this month ECOWAS said it would stage a military intervention, led by neighbouring Senegal, if Jammeh failed to step down and set a deadline of January 19, the day of Barrow’s planned inauguration.

The UN Security Council has called on Jammeh to “fully respect” the election results and ensure Barrow’s safety.

The electoral commission said Barrow obtained 222,708 votes (43.3 percent) compared with Jammeh’s 208,487 (39.6 percent).

Jammeh has questioned the validity of the count after the electoral commission changed some results, even though it insists the outcome was not affected.

–

Source: Aljazeera

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President Jammeh initially conceded to Adama Barrow in last week’s vote but has since refused to accept the end of his 22-year rule.

Mr Barrow said he was sure the military supported him as the country’s new leader.
The UN added that a handover should come without condition or delay.

President Jammeh first seemed to accept the loss but then backtracked and said, on Friday, that he “totally” rejected the result.

In a unanimous statement, the UN’s 15 council members called on him to “respect the choice of the sovereign people of The Gambia”.

The president’s U-turn was condemned by The African Union (AU), who described his statement as “null and void”.

His reluctance to step down has also been criticised by the US and neighbouring Senegal.

A heavy military presence has been reported in the Gambian capital, Banju, but the streets have remained calm.

The BBC’s West Africa correspondent, Thomas Fessy, says the main question now is whether President Jammeh has managed to split the army, retaining a faction ready to back his announcement.

According to the electoral commission, as a result of the vote on 1 December:

Mr Barrow won 222,708 votes (43.34%)

President Jammeh took 208,487 (39.6%)

A third-party candidate, Mama Kandeh, won 89,768 (17.1%)

Mr Barrow, a property developer, is due to take office in late January.

The Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa, with a population of fewer than two million.
In his 22 years in power, Mr Jammeh acquired a reputation as a ruthless leader.

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Source:

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