Jammeh refuses to step aside
Gambia transition in the balance as dictator clings on
BANJUL // The venue for the party was the national football arena and the whole country was on the guest list, save, perhaps, for one man. But the tiny west African republic of Gambia had to cancel one of its biggest celebrations yesterday as its resident dictator, Yahya Jammeh, ignored a deadline to step down. Ever since Mr Jammeh lost elections last month, the giant Independence Stadium in the Gambian capital, Banjul, had been earmarked as the venue for the inauguration ceremony of his successor, Adama Barrow.
By lunchtime yesterday, it should have been hosting huge crowds of cheering Gambians marking the end of 22 years of dictatorship in a country that has never had a peaceful transition of power.
Instead, the stadium stood empty and the country on the brink of war as Mr Jammeh continued to defy mounting international pressure to go.
Rather than presiding over what should have been a triumphant swearing-in party, Mr Barrow took his oath of office at the modest Gambian embassy in neighbouring Senegal.
The president-elect was forced to move there last week, amid fears that Mr Jammeh might try to have him killed before he could be sworn in.
In a brief televised speech, Mr Barrow hailed his coming to power as a “victory for the nation”, but then warned the Gambian security forces that they would be deemed rebels unless they ended their loyalty to Mr Jammeh immediately.
“I call personally on the armed forces and security agencies to be loyal to the republic, and I command all members of the armed forces to demonstrate their loyalty to me,” he said. Despite being more akin to a registry-office marriage than a grand coronation, the swearing-in was greeted with delight by ordinary Gambians, who burst into applause as they watched and stood proudly as the national anthem played.
Meanwhile, troops from the regional Ecowas power bloc continued to mass on the Senegalese border, with full authorisation to roll into Banjul and remove Mr Jammeh by force.
The UN Security Council yesterday endorsed efforts by the West African nations to ensure that Mr Barrow assumes the presidency.
Sources close to Mr Barrow’s office said that after being sworn in, he would give Mr Jammeh a last chance to go quietly. But after weeks in which Mr Jammeh has rejected similar ultimatums from regional leaders acting as mediators, it always seemed unlikely he would submit to one from his direct rival.
The streets of Banjul were deserted and tense yesterday, with most people staying indoors to avoid what they fear could be a violent showdown. Also watching nervously were thousands of holidaymakers from Britain and the Nordic countries, for whom Gambia’s palm beaches and year-round sun makes it a popular winter getaway.
While many long-term visitors have opted to stay put, monitoring the crisis from hotel bar- stools and beach compounds, thousands of others on package holidays have been flown out in recent days. That in turn, has dealt a blow to tourism, one of the few economic bright spots of the Jammeh era.
“Of course we’re worried about the prospect of an invasion and fighting, but we want Mr Jammeh to go,” said Banjul taxi driver Dauda Jallow. “As long as tourists fear there will be chaos, we’ll get no work.”
Amid the anxiety, there is at least a sense of relief that whatever happens in the short term, Mr Jammeh’s days are numbered. Years ago, African leaders who ignored election results largely got away with it, but in the past decade power blocs like Ecowas have become intolerant of those who refuse to play by the democratic game. So when Mr Jammeh tried to launch a legal challenge to the results of last month’s election – claiming fraud had cost him victory – none of his fellow leaders saw it as anything other than an attempt to cling to power.
Yesterday, vice president Isatou Njie Saidy resigned after 20 years in the job, following other members of Mr Jammeh’s cabinet who quit earlier in the week.
It is true that, thanks to his fearsome reputation, most Gambians have been afraid to take the streets to demand that he leaves power, but nobody doubts that the Ecowas force, which numbers more than 1,000 Nigerian, Senegalese and Ghanian troops, backed by air power, will easily outgun Mr Jammeh’s forces should it come to a firefight. Gambia’s army is thought to number only 900, including 300 presidential guard.
Should Mr Jammeh go quietly, he may still be able to take offers of sanctuary from Morocco, Nigeria, Mauritania, Sudan and Saudi Arabia, among others. But for every hour that passes, the chances of any mercy towards him from the wider world diminish.