Barrow to take national pulse

BANJUL: Gambian President Adama Barrow is on an 11-day nationwide tour to assess the country’s “political situation” ahead of April 6 parliamentary elections.

Barrow – whose election in December was followed by a political impasse during which former president Yahya Jammeh refused to cede power – is scheduled to hold 36 general meetings in Gambia’s seven regions.

The president is expected to mobilise voters to cast their ballot for a coalition of parties that brought him to power.

The tour began a day after Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou announced the setting up of a truth and reconciliation commission to ensure justice and reparations to victims of Jammeh’s regime.

Jammeh, who ruled the Islamic Republic for 22 years with an iron fist and lives in exile in Equatorial Guinea, is accused of human rights abuses, including killings, torture and arbitrary arrests.

Tambadou announced a probe into financial mismanagement. – dpa

Adama Barrow