UK’s Johnson hails new Gambia leader

BRITISH Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has visited Gambia, where he hailed the arrival of a new government and the African country’s bid to rejoin the Commonwealth group of former British colonies.

Johnson met new President Adama Barrow and Interior Minister Mai Fatty to reset ties with the West African nation after years of tension with former president Yahya Jammeh.

Johnson’s visit was the first by a British foreign minister to Gambia since it gained independence in 1965.

His talks with Barrow cemented moves by impoverished Gambia to rejoin the Commonwealth, Johnson said yesterday.

“President Barrow is determined to take Gambia back to the Commonwealth,” Johnson said, vowing to speed up the process.

In a video message on Twitter, he celebrated the British embassy becoming a high commission soon.

Jammeh frequently railed against Britain’s colonial rule of the tiny nation and withdrew the country from the Commonwealth in 2013, calling it an extension of colonialism.

By contrast, Barrow worked as a security guard in Britain when he was young, and has made no secret of his wish to rekindle ties.

Johnson has hailed the December elections in which Barrow unseated Jammeh from 22 years in power. In his video, Johnson praised the arrival of Barrow, saying: “They got rid of a guy who was holding things up, and they will take the country forward.”

During his visit, the foreign secretary also said tackling the migration crisis was vital for Europe as much as Africa, in a nation that accounts for more citizens per capita taking boats across the Mediterranean to Italy than any other.

In Banjul, Johnson met Tourism Minister Hamat Bah and said Britain could help develop the tourism sector to give Gambians greater economic security.

Yesterday, Johnson left for Ghana. – AFP