Protesters in The Gambia demand return of Jammeh, one person killed, three soldiers injured

Protests in the Southwestern region of Foni in The Gambia last Friday June 2, 2017, reportedly turned violent, leading to the death of one protester and injury to three soldiers, two of them from the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG), Gambian news sources have reported.

The government says it will investigate the death of the protester, Harunah Jammeh, 52.

According to the reports, the protesters who were calling for the removal of all military forces from Kanilai and the Foni region, the birthplace of ousted former military dictator, Yahya Jammeh, also called for his return.

The reports indicate that the protesters attacked soldiers, blocked roads, broke through security barricades and burned lorry tyres, The Gambian Police however said the protesters didn’t have permits to demonstrate.

Some reports say, the Minister of Interior, Mai Ahmad accused the protesters of carrying dangerous locally made weapons, but other reports disputed that, citing available videos recordings in which no protester was seen with weapons. 22 people have been arrested, the reports say.

Yahya Jammeh who took power in a bloodless coup on July 22, 1994 in the tiny West African country at the age of 29, ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years, winning every election.

However, on December 1, 2016, for the first time Jammeh lost in presidential elections held that day. After the results were announced, he accepted the outcome and pledged to work with the winner, Adama Barrow for a smooth transition. But days later, Jammeh made a U-turn and rejected the results calling for fresh elections. As Jammeh’s intransigence brewed tension in the country, ECOMIG troops, numbering 7000 entered the country Thursday night January 19, 2017, soon after winner of the elections, Adama Barrow was inaugurated in the Embassy of The Gambia in the Senegalese capital, Dakar.

But on Friday January 20, 2017, Jammeh left the country following negotiations for his exit. He is currently in exile in Equatorial Guinea.

Meanwhile, during the ECOWAS Summit in Monrovia, Liberia this week, President Barrow after a meeting with Heads of State has extended the mandate of ECOMIG for a year.

By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi