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Articles on Yahya Jammeh

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Supporters of incumbent president Adama Barrow’s National Peoples Party (NPP) during a campaign rally in Banjul in November 2021. Photo by Guy Peterson/AFP via Getty Images

Why The Gambia should fast-track gender quotas for women

Temporary measures such as legislative gender quotas can increase women’s access to political participation.
Gambia’s president Adama Barrow waves to supporters shortly after he arrived the country in 2017. Carl De Souza/AFP via Getty Images

What Barrow’s re-election means for The Gambia

Adama Barrow’s re-election in The Gambia was not unexpected. It, however, leaves the opposition with an uncertain path forward and signals the shrinking status of his predecessor, Yahya Jammeh.
Gambian refugees on a wooden boat. Thousands of Africans make the perilous journey across the Mediterranean each year hoping for a better life in Europe. Emma Farge/Reuters

Returning migrants to The Gambia: the political, social and economic costs

Gambia became a symbol for democratic change earlier this year when former dictator Yahya Jammeh was peacefully ousted through the ballot box. Now Europe wants its Gambian immigrants to return home.
People cheer as Senegalese troops arrive to take charge of security at the presidential palace in Banjul, The Gambia. EPA/Legnan Koula

What the rest of Africa can learn from The Gambia’s transition to democracy

The adoption of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance five years ago raised hopes for a new democratic Africa. But its ideals remain elusive for many parts of the continent.
Members of the Ecowas force at the Denton Bridge check point in Banjul, The Gambia, following Yahya Jammeh’s departure. Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon

How West Africa built the muscle to rout dictators and keep the peace

Regional power Ecowas, which has just seen off yet another dictator in Yahya Jammeh, started off with a tame agenda 42 years ago. But it was soon shaped by civil wars, military coups and despots
Presidents Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Muhammadu Buhari, Macky Sall and former Ghanian President John Mahama at a special meeting of Ecowas on The Gambia. Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde

What southern Africa can learn from west Africa about dealing with despots

SADC’s credibility is at stake. Its lack of political will in acting decisively against despots is at odds with the African Union’s goal of promoting legitimate governance on the continent.
The Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh is under pressure from regional leaders to cede power. Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon

How The Gambia is testing West Africa’s resolve to protect democracy

The Gambian election dispute is not the first that ECOWAS has confronted. Côte d’Ivoire’s 2010 presidential election is a case in point. There it resorted to military action to enforce the outcome.
Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow during an interview in December 2016. Reuters/Afolabi Sotunde

A turning point for The Gambia, the smiling face of Africa?

There is a real sense of optimism in The Gambia: for the first time since Yahya Jammeh came to power, there has been open dissent of the regime and a feeling of ownership of the country’s future.
Supporters of president-elect Adama Barrow celebrate his victory in Banjul, the Gambia. Reuters/Thierry Gouegnon

The Gambia keeps dream of deepening democracy in Africa alive

A peaceful transition in the Gambia, taken together with hints of change in Angola and Zimbabwe, will portend hope that Africa’s democratic renewal is still alive.

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