Jammeh Cannot be Allowed to Stay in the Country - Gambia's New President, Barrow Talks Tough in First Interview

Posted by Odinaka on Fri 20th Jan, 2017 - tori.ng

New Gambian President, Adama Barrow has said that his predecessor will not be allowed to stay in the country as Yahya Jammeh, is given until midday, Friday to hand over power.

Adama Barrow being sworn-in on Thursday in Senegal

In his first media interview with Al Jazeera, new Gambian President, Adama Barrow who was sworn-in on Thursday in his country's embassy in Dakar, Senegal, has urged his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh to leave the country and hopes that ECOWAS countries can find him a safe haven.

"We cannot allow Yahya Jammeh to remain in the Gambia, it will make our job difficult. That's why all our negotiations is he leave Gambia, he can later come back. But as of now the political climate doesn't allow that. I advise him in good faith to give peace a chance. It is about democracy."

It was gathered that Jammeh started negotiations with ECOWAS on Thursday and agreed to step down but demanded an amnesty for any crimes that he may have committed during his 22 years in power and that he be permitted to stay in The Gambia, at his home village of Kanilai.

Those demands are not acceptable to ECOWAS, Marcel Alain de Souza, head of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said;

"If, at 12 o'clock, he does not make up his mind, we will bring him by force or by will. Our troops will advance on Banjul. Until the last minute, we still think there is a solution resulting from a dialogue,"

"Diplomacy is a long road, it always has been and always will be, so every opportunity to find a resolution is the best means possible for the region. The last thing that West Africa needs is another conflict," Robin Sanders, a former US ambassador to ECOWAS, told Al Jazeera.

While there has been talk that a deal may include an amnesty for Jammeh, whose regime has been accused of various human rights abuses, Sanders said that this would set a bad precedent.

"Also in this case, I am not in the camp of complete amnesty because what you do is signal additional impunity going forward with other leaders, not only just in the continent but across the world," she said.