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| A young Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J Jammeh |
On the fateful day of July 22nd 1994, a fresh-faced 29 year old lieutenant from the Gambia Armed Forces going by the name Yahya Jammeh; overthrew the democratically elected PPP government and assume the mantle of leadership in the Republic of The Gambia. Roll on the years and here is a 51 year old man with the lengthiest name that ever exist, thanks by and large to his self-acclaimed and unmerited titles. Having controversially won 4 consecutive general elections and subsequently ruling the country for 22 odd years, his 5th attempt to the presidency was scuppered by a coalition of opposition parties including one independent candidate.
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| Jammeh waves a last good-bye |
Having initially conceding defeat and congratulating President-elect Adama Barrow live on national television, Jammeh change his mind a week later citing irregularities on the part of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
After series of negotiations with ECOWAS for him to respect the verdict of the Gambian people, Jammeh insisted on annulling the election results and calling for a fresh election. To support his course, the national assembly tabled a bill in which the majority voted to extend Jammeh's grip on power. As a consequent, he blatantly declared a 90 days state of emergency. All the while, Mr.
Jammeh thought he was getting away with his unscrupulous plot. But with military intervention from ECOWAS forces looming large, he finally succumbed and relinquished power but not without causing a great deal of anxiety and panic in the country. Below we revisit five fundamental mistakes that has ultimately led to the downfall of a leader who once vowed to rule The Gambia for ‘a billion years’ God willing - as he loved to say:
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| Jammeh on his way to exile |
The Death of Solo Sendeng
With elections on the horizon, political activist and commentators continue to call for a level playing field in the Gambian political arena. As a consequent, a handful of United Democratic Party (UDP) militants took to the streets on Thursday 14th April 2016 to exercise their constitutional right. Soon after displaying their banner at the Westfield Junction, which simply read ‘we need political reforms’, they were forcefully arrested by officers from the Police Intervention Unit (PIU). Bombarded in police trucks and whisked away to the National Intelligent Agency (NIA), they were reportedly tortured overnight which led to the untimely demise of Ebrima Solo Sendeng. This unfortunate incident greatly reshaped Gambian politics and in no small measure contributed to the downfall of Yahya Jammeh.
Clamp Down on the UDP
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| H.E Adama Barrow taking oath |
Upon hearing rumours about the death of one of their militants in the hands of the security forces, the UDP party executive organised an emergency meeting and embarked on a reactive demonstration to demand the unconditional release of their party militants. They were similarly met with force leading to the arrest and subsequent incarceration of the party leader - Lawyer Ousainou Darboe together with most of his executive members. These events generated a lot of anger and resentments both within and outside The Gambia. Though sad at the time, it turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Because in the absence of Lawyer Darboe, cometh the saviour Adama Barrow who was subsequently chosen to lead the coalition which ended the 22 year reign of Yahya Jammeh and his APRC government.
Taking a Swipe at the Mandinkas
Throughout the history of mankind, tribal and racial divide have become synonymous with violence, instigating the most brutal of atrocities the world has ever witnessed. Too much blood have been spilt and so many innocent lives lost as a result of senseless and unprovoked attacks to certain groups in certain societies whose only crimes happened to be the tribe they belong or the colour of their skin. Accusing the biggest ethnic group in The Gambia of tribalism, and also labelling them as foreigners was therefore a catastrophic blow to Yahya Jammeh’s popularity. I said at the time that this will go down as one of the most miscalculated and misguided statement he has ever made and I have been proven right. Angered by such remarks understandably, the Mandinkas went out in their numbers on December 1st 2016 and expressed their concerns through the ballot box.
Declaring The Gambia an Islamic State
Declaring The Gambia an Islamic State was one of the dumbest mistakes Yahya Jammeh has ever made. The country has forever been a secular state even though its population is about 90% Muslim. It therefore goes without saying that Christians and people of other faiths in the country must have felt deeply marginalised by such proclamation. Despite his efforts to sugar-coat the type of Islamic State he envisioned for the Gambia, his popularity severely diminished amongst members of minority religious groups who have nothing but enjoyed the most harmonious of relationships with Muslims throughout the history of the Gambia.
Attacking Senegalese Leaders
Another fundamental mistake that came back to hunt Yahya Jammeh was to alienate himself from his Senegalese counterparts and publicly attacking them. During one of his so-called ‘meet the people's tour’ in 2015, Jammeh took to the podium in Farafenni town center right at the border with our sisterly neighbours and start trading insults to Senegalese leaders both past and present. From Abdou Diouf right down to Macky Sall via Abdoulaye Wade, Jammeh badmouthed them in the most undiplomatic manner ever imaginable. He accused President Sall of ‘sinister plots’ against his government and threatened to deal with him. That was a grave mistake Mr. Jammeh as the rest we all know is history!
