UN Security Council Slams Jammeh For Sudden U-Turn

By Dipo Olowookere

The United Nations Security Council has slammed the outgoing President of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia Mr Yahya Jammeh, for rejecting outcome of the December 1 official election results proclaimed by the Independent Electoral Commission after he had initially accepted defeat.

The UN Security Council, in a statement issued on Monday, urged Mr Jammeh to “respect the choice of the sovereign People of The Gambia, as he did on 2 December 2016, and to transfer, without condition and undue delay, power to the President-elect, Mr Adama Barrow.”

However, the statement commended the people Gambia for the peaceful and transparent holding of elections.

The Security Council has appealed to Mr Jammeh to carry out a peaceful and orderly transition process and requested that the security of Mr Barrow, and that of all Gambian citizen be fully ensured.

It also called on the outgoing President to respect the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) protocol on democracy and good governance and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance, notably the rejection of unconstitutional changes of Government, and recalled the relevant provisions of Article 23 (4) of the AU Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.