A former security guard at an Argos catalogue store in London has defeated one of Africa's most feared strongman leaders to become the new president of Gambia.

Adama Barrow, 51, who spent his early years tackling shoplifters at Argos's store on London's Holloway Road, staged a shock victory over President Yahya Jammeh, who had vowed to rule "for a billion years if necessary".

Mr Jammeh, who styled himself "Excellency Sheikh Professor Doctor President", had been in office since a coup 22 years ago, ruling through a cult of fear that fused witchcraft with oppression.

He claimed to have invented his own herbal cure for HIV, and once "exorcised" an entire village of 1,000 people by force-feeding them hallucinogenic potions.

Such was his grip on power that many Gambians thought that even if Mr Barrow did well in the election, the contest would be rigged to deny him victory.</s>Incumbent Gambian President Yahya Jammeh (C) has his finger inked before casting his marble in a polling station in Banjul on December 01, 2016 (AFP Photo/Marco Longari)

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who was defeated in this week's poll, seized power in a 1994 coup and clung to office for 22 years with a blend of severity, mysticism and iron-clad self-belief.

"No matter what people say about me, I am not moved... I don't listen to anybody because I know what is important," he said as he sought a fifth consecutive term at the helm of the small west African nation.

Governing, he said, "is between me and God Almighty."

A deeply devout Muslim, Jammeh was born in the western village of Kanilai in 1965, the year that The Gambia, a long east-west sliver of land bordered by Senegal, gained independence from Britain.

His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Doctor Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Naasiru Deen joined the army in 1984 -- his military title is the only one he has lost.

Ten years later, Jammeh mounted a coup with fellow army officers against Dawda Jawara, who had ruled the country since independence, pledging to root out corruption and hold elections.

After giving up his rank of colonel to allow him to contest elections as a civilian, Jammeh swept the vote in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011, following a 2002 constitutional amendment removing presidential term limits.

Now 51, Jammeh has attracted worldwide attention for declaring The Gambia an Islamic nation, withdrawing the country from the International Criminal Court, and claiming he had concocted a herbal cure for HIV/AIDS.

The longtime ruler has woven a shroud of mysticism around himself using religion and rumours of secret powers.

Never seen without his Koran, sceptre and prayer beads, Jammeh's billowing white robes are rumoured to hide a bulletproof vest, the legacy of several coup attempts by his own guards.

In the last few years, a crackdown on journalists, opposition figures and anyone deemed disloyal within the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), has intensified.

He has promised to bury critics "nine feet deep" and told the UN Secretary-General to "go to hell" after Ban Ki-moon called for an investigation into an activist's death in custody.

But in another moment he urged his supporters to restrain themselves from violence and allow this week's election to go ahead peacefully.

Rights groups allege that those who defy him end up in the country's notorious Mile Two prison, where the UN in 2014 said it had obtained evidence of torture and executions by the country's National Intelligence Agency, which reports directly to Jammeh.

This was supplemented by "interference with the independence of the judiciary, denial of due process, prolonged pretrial and incommunicado detention," Special Rapporteur Christof Heyns said.

"The security forces are his tools, and he uses them to control Gambia by arresting people who don't share his views," a prominent opposition figure told Human Rights Watch.

Gambia's diplomatic relations have also been precarious of late. In December 2014, the EU cut off €13 million of funding, and threatened to block another €150 million in response to the country's poor human rights record.

International criticism followed the introduction of an "aggravated homosexuality" law in October 2014 that imposed life sentences for a series of new offences.

And the presidential vote this week was carried out without the presence of EU and ECOWAS observers.

Relations with neighbouring Senegal too are at an all-time low.

A huge increase on customs fees for trucks entering Gambian territory was put into place without warning in February, cutting the country off from vital supplies for months.

One Banjul-based diplomat told AFP that the blockade, the effects of a 2013 drought, and tourist fears of Ebola in a country that relies on sunseekers for up to 20 percent of its GDP, had made economic conditions unbearable for many Gambians.

Jammeh controls several businesses in the country and has in the past seized them without warning, discouraging foreign investment.

The state of the economy has pushed many young Gambians to take the "Back Way", or migrant route across the Sahara to Libya, where they board boats bound for Italy.

But others remain grateful for investment in education and the health system, which were severely neglected under his predecessor.

"He has totally changed the life of the Gambian people," said Yankuba Colley, a key Jammeh campaign organiser. "The future of The Gambia lies in his hands."</s>BANJUL, Gambia – Gambia’s president of 22 years acknowledged his election defeat on state television Friday night, vowing to step down hours after news of the results prompted thousands to celebrate in the streets in an unprecedented display of disdain for his rule.

With cameras rolling, Yahya Jammeh called the winner, opposition coalition leader Adama Barrow, on a mobile phone to praise the election and vow not to contest the result.

“Allah is telling me my time is up and I hand over graciously with gratitude toward the Gambian people and gratitude toward you,” Jammeh said.

Jammeh, a man long accused of heading a government that tortures opponents and silences all dissent, was jovial on the call, promising to help Barrow through the transition period before retiring to his home village to begin a new life as a farmer.

It was a stunning turn of events in a country where critics have long alleged votes are rigged. Just five years ago, Jammeh said he could stay in power for a billion years.

According to the electoral commission’s tally, Barrow received 45 percent of Thursday’s vote compared to Jammeh’s 36 percent.

Many Gambians stayed up all night Thursday listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency.

Once the results were announced on Friday, some tore down posters of Jammeh as the military stood by. Men in pickup trucks rode through the streets of Banjul screaming “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!”

For the tens of thousands watching abroad from political exile, it was a day they thought might never come.

Speaking by phone from Washington, Gambian activist Pasamba Jow said the election was a “great victory” for the country and the entire African continent, though he anticipated a “difficult task of rebuilding our country and healing our nation.”

Eight opposition parties united behind Barrow, a former businessman, and the campaign period featured large opposition rallies.

Nevertheless, Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God and predicting “the biggest landslide in the history of the country” after he voted.

“We are happy to be free,” said Omar Amadou Jallow, an opposition leader for the People’s Progressive Party, which joined the coalition that backed Barrow. “We are able to free the Gambian people from the clutches of dictatorship, and we are now going to make sure Gambia becomes a bastion of peace and coalition. Our foundation will be based on national reconciliation.”

Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and then swept elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 after a 2002 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits. Critics say those earlier elections were not free and fair.

All internet and international phone service was cut on election day in what Jammeh’s government said was a bid to thwart unrest.

Jammeh’s ouster demonstrates that even Africa’s most entrenched leaders can be brought down if opposition politicians overcome their divisions, said Jeffrey Smith, a human rights activist and founding director of Vanguard Africa, a U.S.-based group that worked with Gambia’s opposition coalition.

“This is going to have resonance way beyond the tiny borders of Gambia,” Smith said, describing the result as “a momentous occasion for the region writ large.”

Associated Press photographer Jerome Delay in Banjul and AP writers Abdoulie John in Dakar, Senegal, and Robbie Corey-Boulet in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, contributed.</s>A former London security guard has been elected Gambia’s new president following a shock defeat in the country’s presidential elections.

Adama Barrow, who reportedly worked at Argos in Holloway Road, defeated longtime president Yahya Jammeh in a surprise result.

Mr Jammeh, who came to power following a coup in 1994, is expected to concede defeat following 22 years of leadership.

Gambia’s electoral commission chairman Alieu Momarr Njai said Mr Barrow received 263,515 votes, Mr Jammeh won 212,099 and a third candidate, Mama Kandeh, received 102,969.

Mr Barrow, now a property developer, reportedly moved to London shortly after the turn of the century and worked in Argos while he studied in the capital.

He returned to Gambia in 2006 to set up his own business and received the presidential nomination to lead a coalition of seven parties in this year’s election.

During his campaign, he promised to revive the Gambian economy which has forced thousands of people to travel to Europe in search of jobs.

Mr Barrow said on voting day that he strongly believed Gambians were ready for change, adding: "He is not going to be re-elected - his era is finished."</s>Counting has begun after Gambia elections with little indication of the eventual winner of the contest marked by an ongoing internet blackout in the small west African nation. By MARCO LONGARI (AFP)

Banjul (Gambia) (AFP) - Security forces deployed heavily in Banjul Friday as counting got under way after a tense election, with early results showing Gambian President Yahya Jammeh had lost ground in the capital, his traditional stronghold.

Counting was slow and there was still little indication of the eventual winner of an election marked by an ongoing internet blackout in the small west African nation.

However, opposition leader Adama Barrow scored a symbolic victory in the capital Banjul, highlighting the strong challenge posed to Jammeh, who is standing for a fifth term.

Barrow took nearly 50 percent of the vote in Banjul's three constituencies, while Jammeh had 43 percent. Third party candidate Mama Kandeh took 7.6 percent.

Nationwide, less than 15 percent of the ballots had been counted from the almost 890,000 registered voters.

Before dawn broke, military and police, some covering their faces, set up checkpoints every few hundred metres on the outskirts of the capital, while citizens were inside sleeping or watching the results come in.

Both Barrow and Jammeh said on Thursday they had won by a huge margin.

"Power belongs to the people. You cannot stop us and you cannot stop them," Barrow said.

Jammeh, who once said he would govern for a billion years if God willed it, predicted "the biggest landslide in the history of my elections."

The United States said turnout appeared to be high and that the vote took place in "generally peaceful conditions", while The Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission hailed "a very successful election."

The US State Department and Human Rights Watch voiced concern however over a blanket cut to internet and international phone calls, as well as claims of voter intimidation.

"The government's communications cutoff and threatened protest ban are only likely to increase tensions between the government and opposition groups," said Babatunde Olugboji from Human Rights Watch.

At his final campaign rally, Jammeh warned that protests over the election result would not be tolerated, saying The Gambia "does not allow" demonstrations.

Information Minister Sheriff Bojang said Thursday the shutdown was to stop the spread of "false information" over the results, and described it as a "security measure".

There was a brief resumption of service around 5:00am (0500 GMT), but diplomats believe the shutdown could last until Sunday.

The opposition has relied on messaging applications and texts to organise rallies and move around roadblocks set up in Banjul during the last week of campaigning.

The winner in the three-way race will serve a five-year term in the tiny former British colony with pristine beaches that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal.

Jammeh is running for a fifth term with his ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC).

He faces previously unknown businessman Barrow, chosen as the opposition flag bearer by a group of political parties who have joined forces for the first time and won unprecedented popular support.

Third candidate Kandeh is popular among The Gambia's Fula people and is a former ruling party MP running for the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC).

All three men are 51, born in 1965, the year The Gambia won independence from Britain.

If Barrow were to win -- a tall order both in terms of votes and the likelihood of Jammeh giving up power -- he would likely decide to serve a three-year term at the head of a transition reform government.

No professional international observers were on the ground for the vote, diplomats confirmed, but a small team of African Union experts monitored events along with Banjul-based US and European delegations already present in the country.

A Senegalese security source confirmed to AFP in Dakar that The Gambia had closed the borders on Thursday, a common occurrence during elections in west Africa.

Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and has survived multiple attempts to remove him from the presidency.

Some 60 percent of the population live in poverty in The Gambia, and a third survive on $1.25 (1.20 euro) or less a day, according to the UN.</s>Defeated Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has called the newly elected President of the country, Adama Barrow, to concede defeat.

There had been reports before the declaration of results that Mr. Jammeh had recorded a concession video.

The man, who had led Gambia with what many describe as an iron fist, promised to offer his guidance to Mr. Barrow 51, through the transition process.

He said he respects the will of the Gambian people, and that he was grateful to them and to the Almighty Allah for the opportunity to lead his people.

Mr. Jammeh in the hearty conversation shared some jokes with the new President. Mr. Barrow also thanked him for conceding defeat.

The head of The Gambia's Electoral Commission declared Adama Barrow as the winner of the 2016 presidential election, with 263,515 votes to Yahya Jammeh's 212,099 votes.

The Electoral Commissioner of Gambia, Chief Alieu Momar Njie, said it was unprecedented for a Gambian head of state to accept defeat before the final results

Mr. Barrow led a coalition of seven opposition parties to end the tyrannical rule of Mr. Jammeh who has been accused of suppressing freedoms, jailing political opponents and critics of his government, and in some cases killing such persons.

On Election Day, he shut down the internet blocking social media, blocked international phone calls and stopped many observers from observing the process.

Mr Jammeh had been in power for 22 years, after taking power in in a coup in 1994. The West African country has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965.

He had been trailing Mr. Barrow in partial results and was defeated in the capital, Banjul, his stronghold.</s>Defeated Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh, has called the newly elected President of the small West African country, Adama Barrow, to concede defeat.

There had been reports before the declaration of results on Friday, that Mr. Jammeh had recorded a concession video.

The man, who had led Gambia with what many describe as iron fist, promised to offer his guidance to Mr. Barrow 51, through the transition process.

He said he respects the will of the Gambian people, and that he was grateful to them and to the Almighty Allah for the opportunity to lead his people.

“I am calling you to wish you all the best. The Gambian people have spoken and I have no reason to contest the will of the Almighty Allah. I wish you all the best. The country will be in your hands in January and you are assured of my guidance on your transition. You are the elected President of The Gambia and I wish you all the best. I have no ill-will, and I wish you all the best. This is transparent, this is the will of Allah and as a Muslim I accept it in good faith; the Ugandan people have chosen you.”

My time is up – Jammeh

Mr. Jammeh in a rather hearty conversation, shared some jokes with the new President, and said he believed that his time was up. He revealed that he was going into farming in his home village in The Gambia.

“After 22 years, I am grateful to the Almighty Allah for that. I remember I came on Friday 22nd of July, and I lost on Friday the 2nd of December; Allah is telling me that my time is up and I hand over graciously with gratitude to The Gambian people and gratitude to the Almighty Allah to you.”

Mr. Barrow in response also said he was also born on Friday, specifically 15th February, 1965, and he interestingly won the elections on a Friday. He thanked Mr. Jammeh for calling to concede defeat to him.

The Head of The Gambia's Electoral Commission declared Adama Barrow as the winner of the 2016 presidential election, with 263,515 votes to Yahya Jammeh's 212,099 votes.

Adama Barrow – The new Gambian President.

The third candidate, Mamma Kande, polled 102,969 votes.

The Electoral Commissioner of Gambia, Chief Alieu Momar Njie, said it was unprecedented for a Gambian head of state to accept defeat before the final results

Mr. Barrow led a coalition of seven opposition parties to end the tyrannical rule of Mr. Jammeh who has been accused of suppressing freedoms, jailing political opponents and critics of his government, and in some cases killing such persons.

On Election Day, he shut down the internet blocking social media, blocked international phone calls and stopped many observers from observing the process.

Mr Jammeh had been in power for 22 years, after taking power in in a coup in 1994. The West African country has not had a smooth transfer of power since independence in 1965.

He had been trailing Mr. Barrow in partial results and was defeated in the capital, Banjul, his stronghold.

The Gambia is bounded by Senegal, with a narrow Atlantic coastline.

It is known for its diverse ecosystems around the central Gambia River.

Abundant wildlife in its Kiang West National Park and Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve includes monkeys, leopards, hippos, hyenas and rare birds.

The capital, Banjul, and nearby Serrekunda offer access to beaches.

The country’s populatiion as at 2013 according to World Bank figures, was 1.8 million.</s>Demola Ojo and Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

 Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and US Secretary of State John Kerry have both congratulated the President-elect of The Gambia, Mr. Adama Barrow, on his victory in the country’s December 1 presidential election.

Barrow defeated Gambia’s president of more than 22 years, Yahya Jammeh, in the election last Thursday, and Jammeh vowed to relinquish his position peacefully, calling the election results “a clear victory” for Barrow.

Buhari, in a statement yesterday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina also saluted the spirit of statesmanship displayed by out-going President Jammeh, by conceding defeat.

According to Buhari, such uncommon gesture was crucial in calming fears of unrest in the West African nation. While expressing delight at the gallantry shown by Jammeh, the president enjoined president-elect Barrow to be magnanimous in victory.

“I will help him work towards the transition,” Jammeh said on state TV on Friday evening, after speaking to the president-elect by telephone.

 Buhari also commended Gambians for peacefully exercising their democratic right to freely choose their leader and called on all stakeholders to maintain the peace.

The Nigerian said he looks forward to a smooth transition of power and working with the incoming President of The Gambia to deepen existing cordial relations between both West African countries.

Yesterday also, US Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Gambia and Barrow, on the country’s first democratic presidential election, calling it “a new era in The Gambia.”

 Kerry also commended Jammeh for his willingness to respect the results and said he was grateful to the electoral commission for its transparent handling of the election.

“We call for unity and calm during this transition period, and urge the Gambian government to respect the rights of citizens to freely assemble and express their views on the election results,” Kerry said in a statement.

Kerry said he looked forward to working with the new president to “promote democracy and governance” in Gambia, which has had long-standing ties with the US.

 Gambia’s electoral commission announced on Friday that Barrow had won 263,000 votes, or 45 percent of the total, while Jammeh took 212,000 votes, about 36 percent. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, won 17 percent.

Barrow, 51, represented a coalition of seven opposition parties that challenged Jammeh in Thursday’s election.

Jammeh, also 51, has ruled the tiny West African nation since taking power in a military coup in 1994. He won four subsequent elections that critics said were neither free nor fair and supported a 2002 constitutional amendment that removed presidential term limits. He once said he could rule Gambia for “a billion years.”

Gambia is a former British colony that occupies a narrow sliver of land surrounded by French-speaking Senegal. About 880,000 Gambians were eligible to vote in Thursday’s poll, which took place under a complete communications blackout, including social media platforms.

 The president, who had predicted he would win, had said that no protests would be allowed after the election.

Meanwhile Barrow has said his shock win of the election heralds new hope for the country.

 Hundreds of Gambians took to the streets to celebrate one of the biggest election upsets West Africa has ever seen.

 The BBC’s Umaru Fofana, who spoke to Mr Barrow, said the president-elect seemed bewildered by the result.</s>Gambia's opposition candidate has defeated longtime ruler Yahya Jammeh in the West African country's presidential vote, an upset victory that could lead to the country's first transfer of power in more than two decades, the head of the election commission announced Friday.

Adama Barrow won 263,515 votes, or 45 percent of the total, while Jammeh finished in second with 36 percent, Alieu Momarr Njai said. A third candidate, Mama Kandeh, received 17 percent, he said.

"I hereby declare Adama Barrow duly elected president of the Republic of Gambia for the next five years," Njai said.

He said Jammeh would be calling Barrow "to congratulate him and pray for peace and tranquility." Jammeh himself had not issued a public statement by early afternoon.

Many Gambians stayed up all night listening to the radio and tallying results as they were read out constituency by constituency. News of Barrow's victory prompted thousands to take to the streets in celebration — some on foot while others rode in cars and trucks and on motorbikes — as confused soldiers looked on.

"There will be celebrations, there will be disappointment, but we all know we are all Gambia," Njai said, calling for peace, tolerance and tranquility to be respected as it was during campaigning.

Gambians voted Thursday by placing marbles into drums marked for each candidate.

Eight opposition parties united behind Barrow, a former businessman, and the campaign period featured large opposition rallies and unprecedented expressions of frustration with Jammeh's rule.

Nevertheless, Jammeh had projected confidence, saying his victory was all but assured by God and predicting "the biggest landslide in the history of the country" after he voted on Thursday.

"We are happy to be free," said Omar Amadou Jallow, an opposition leader for the People's Progressive Party, which joined the coalition that backed Barrow. "We are able to free the Gambian people from the clutches of dictatorship, and we are now going to make sure Gambia becomes a bastion of peace and coalition. Our foundation will be based on national reconciliation."

Jammeh came to power in a coup in 1994 and then swept elections in 1996, 2001, 2006 and 2011 after a 2002 constitutional amendment removed presidential term limits. Critics say those earlier elections were not free and fair.

Human rights groups have accused Jammeh of ordering the deaths of countless political opponents as well as targeting journalists and gays and lesbians.

All internet and international phone service was cut on election day in a bid by Jammeh to thwart unrest.

If Jammeh agrees to step down peacefully, it would demonstrate that even Africa's most entrenched leaders can be brought down if opposition politicians overcome their divisions and unite, said Jeffrey Smith, a human rights activist and founding director of Vanguard Africa, a U.S.-based group that worked with Gambia's opposition coalition.

"This is going to have resonance way beyond the tiny borders of Gambia," Smith said, describing the result as "a momentous occasion for the region writ large."</s>Can we now talk about Yahya Jammeh? The man who wears the most suspicious smile in the world. A cheery face is the last you would expect of an African warrior as masculine as Mr Jammeh , the man who boasts of a cure to HIV/AIDS.

Indeed, Mr Jammeh is a quasi-autocratic leader, the kind that the west will call a dictator. After all, he ascended the highest throne of the land of Gambia through a coup d’état, a military one. I know some of you human rights advocates are seething at my use of “quasi-autocratic”, but let’s face it, after his coup d’état he has contested and won “democratic” elections four times. Besides, Angela Merkel has taught us that it is legitimate so long as it is constitutional. He will surely win the December 1st elections as well, despite a fortified opposition this time, for obvious reasons. After all, what do you expect from a majority Islamic population when you declare your nation an Islamic state about a year before the polls? Also, given his style of governance and body language, it appears only Allah or death can quench his flames.

Perhaps, we could as well cut him some slack. His CV doesn’t match up to those of the giant dictators that have ever ruled in Africa. He joined the fold in 1994, just yesterday. Even if you decided to nullify his democratic credentials, and classify him as a dictator, he would be a freshman in the eyes of our Grandpa Bob and his cousins, Nguema and dos Santos. Before you think he’s in my good books, I should say that I very much acknowledge the fact that he created a blot on his record when he declared that he would be in power for “a billion years” so long as Allah wills. He must rather create a monarchy – that will be understandable.

You may be wondering who I am – a supporter or critic. Well, I must confess that I am confused. I am as confused as the often inconsistent and unpredictable Jammeh himself.

He announced last year that his country was exiting the Commonwealth of Nations because “the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension of colonialism". The reasonability in his reason for exiting the British bloc was flawed two months later (December 2015) when he paradoxically declared Gambia an Islamic republic. A move opposition National Reconciliation Party member, Hamat Bah, called unconstitutional because "there is a constitutional clause that says that Gambia is a secular state," so "you cannot make such a declaration without going through a referendum." Obviously, Jammeh thinks it’s rational to take a step away from colonial/political influence whilst he signs his nation on to religious bondage. Who said Islam is originally African? The case of political influence versus religious imposition. In my view, the former is cosier than the latter.

What could be the inspiration for his decision? Some say he had fallen out with the west largely because of his ill human rights record. He has so-so relations with far-east China and Taiwan, to say the least, and with very little to gain from ties in Africa, his last jigsaw could be the middle east where he can be a beneficiary of the charity of some oil-rich nations in the region. With more than 90% of the country’s population, it is good to say they have an Islamic identity. Let’s pray everything will be okay since Jammeh says that they “will be an Islamic state that would respect the rights of all citizens and non-citizens."

Recent Precedents 

In October this year, Gambia announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court, after Burundi and South Africa. You already know my take on the ICC’s alleged persecution of African personalities. The issue has to do with the timing of the announcement. Why did Yahya Jammeh choose a date so close to the election date (1st December, 2016)? Is he seeking to score political point with that tactic, like every smart African leader would do?

The interesting part…

The AFP news agency reports Yahya Jammeh as saying “our campaign is focusing on peace and security and not for violence. Violence is like bushfire. You can know where it starts but you won't know where it will end…therefore let us campaign peacefully, vote peacefully and then celebrate our victory”. My outright impression was that this statement came from a grown African sage. The bushfire rhetoric is indicative of that, but reading between the lines, I get the hint that he could either be talking to his supporters, or the nation as a whole. Either way, it is good news to know that violence isn’t cool.

Ten days later, and three days to the elections, the tone changes; "I am warning all Gambians against violence." "There will be zero tolerance (of) ... violence and anyone disregarding public order will face full force of the law," (as reported by Reuters’ Tim Cocks). This is the point where I advise my brothers and sisters in Gambia to be cautious. It is no longer an advice from Alhaji Jammeh. It is now an order. The normal progression would include an order and a threat but December 1st is already here so the last two (order and threat) will naturally be reserved as post-elections developments, in the worst case. He promised you “zero tolerance…” after the elections but you know as well as I do that “zero tolerance” has been his mantra since ’94.

Ecowas and the African Union have no hook on him despite some disagreements with him in the past. What about the UK? Well, he is no longer part of Commonwealth. He severed ties with the European Union and didn’t invite them to sniff around his backyard in the guise of election observers. The pan-African side of me believes the United States care less since Gambia is as ‘insignificant’ as Burundi. Since the Middle Eastern, Far Eastern and Russian forces have virtually no interest in democratic elections, they will also be asleep.

Now, who will check Jammeh when he goes haywire? My dear Gambians, who will come to your aid when Yahya locks you indoors with the wild cats? Don’t you think it wise to obey and pray? Mind you, I’m just asking questions. We usually do not know what he has up his sleeves, or I should say ‘under his Kaftan’, since he doesn’t wear shirts. Adama Barrow, the opposition leader says “If Jammeh wants advice... if he loses, let him accept the will of the people and accept the value of the Gambian people,” but Mr Barrow has forgotten that Jammeh has a divine pact with Allah and not the people of Gambia – “I will deliver to the Gambian people and if I have to rule this country for one billion years, I will, if Allah says so”. These are not my words.

You have the right to scream “give me my right” but remember, he said "I am warning all Gambians against violence."…and it was glossed with a smile. That smile. That charming smile.

Raphael Kodjoe / [email protected]

The writer, Raphael Kodjoe, is a Ghanaian Radio Broadcaster who thinks and talks about anything in the realm of humankind that is worth thinking or talking about.
Opposition candidate Adama Barrow defeats Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, bringing an end to Jammeh's 22-year-rule in the West African nation.