Saturday, January 14, 2017

Adama Barrow's first foreign trip as President-elect

President-elect Barrow, Hollande and Johnson Sirleaf
President-elect Barrow of The Gambia is in Bamako, Mali to attend the 27th Africa - France Summit.  He flew into the Malian capital last night together with the Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, after President Buhari-led ECOWAS mediation team fail to convince the outgoing Gambian dictator to leave the presidency peacefully after losing in a free, fair and credible elections last December.

The internationally-acclaimed election results that produced Adama Barrow was in full display in Bamako when he was welcomed into the community of nations with open and welcoming arms at the Summit by France's President Francois Hollande, seen here with Liberia's President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.

The message that the Gambian people sent to the rest of world by voting for the Coalition candidate will never be allowed to be lost in Jammeh-inspired and directed shenanigans designed to bury the message of rejection of tyranny and dictatorship and the embrace of democracy and the rule of law.

The civility of both the December 1st vote and the respect, dignity and humbleness that is the character of President-elect Barrow marks a new beginning for a country that has been consumed by the 22-year dictatorial rule of a repulsive character like Yaya Jammeh.

The rest of world is breathing a collective sigh of relief that the Gambian people have decided to elect the ballot box instead of the bullet but Jammeh has shown, in the several weeks, that he prefers a violence to settle a Jammeh-manufactured political impasse.
Hollande of France, Barrow of Gambia and IBK of Mali

ECOWAS is thus encouraged to continue to use prudence in exercising the final option that is in its arsenal, consistent with the stance reiterated by the Presidents of Senegal, Nigeria and the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Marcel de Souza.  But it is must be used, it should be used to enforce the peace and security of continental Africa's smallest country that has been brought to the brink by one of Africa's brutal and corrupt leaders.

If there is any doubt in the minds of Jammeh and the few army personnel who support his irresponsible actions if trying to undermine the will of the Gambian people, he should be reminded that the West African military chiefs have met in the Nigerian capital Abuja to prepare for a possible military action in the Gambia.