Gambian
dictator, Yahya Jammeh seems prepared to stand in the way of the
ECOWAS, AU and the Gambian electorate to retain his seat forcefully as
the President amidst his election loss.
Yahya Jammeh
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has said he will not step down and
condemned mediation by West African regional bloc ECOWAS that aims to
get him to leave power after he lost a December 1 election to
challenger, Adama Barrow, reported Reuters.
The comments on state television late on Tuesday were a hardening
of the veteran president’s position after days in which hopes mounted he
could be persuaded to hand over power at the end of his mandate on
January 18, when Barrow is due to be inaugurated.
“I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and
violated. This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory
except the Almighty Allah,” Jammeh said.
“Already the ECOWAS meeting was a formality. Before they came,
they had already said Jammeh must step down. I will not step down,” he said.
Jammeh initially accepted the results of an election whose outcome
was seen across Africa as a moment of hope. He is accused by human
rights groups of the detention, torture and killing of perceived
opponents during his 22-year rule.
On December 9, he reversed his position and said he would challenge
in the country’s Supreme Court the results of an election he said was
riddled with irregularities.
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
No comments:
Post a Comment