Yahya Jammeh ruled The Gambia for 22 years
BANJUL, Jan 13 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Gambia has warned its ousted leader Yahya Jammeh not to try to return home from his exile in Equatorial Guinea.
Jammeh’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed if he did return without permission, a government spokesman said.
A spokesman for Jammeh’s party said he could arrive back at any time.
The Gambia’s neighbours forced Jammeh into exile in Equatorial Guinea after he refused to accept his defeat in elections in December 2016.
Having seized power in a coup in the popular tourist destination in 1994, he went on to hold regular elections, but was later accused of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, torture and arbitrary detention.
These have been aired over the past year at public hearings of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) set up by his successor, President Adama Barrow. Jammeh has refused to co-operate with the commission.
Jammeh, who has expressed his desire to return to his country, is currently residing in exile in Equatorial Guinea, some 3,000 km from The Gambia.
The interim leader of Jammeh’s party, Ousman Rambo Jatta, refused to say exactly when the ousted leader would arrive in The Gambia.
“He is on his way… He can be here any time,” he said.
Government spokesman Ebrima Sankareh said if he returns without permission, “the Gambian government cannot guarantee his safety and security”.
He thought Jammeh was “homesick”, noting that Equatorial Guinea and The Gambia have few cultural links in common.
Jatta, the interim leader of Jammeh’s Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction party, warned that any attempt to arrest Jammeh would lead to “bloodshed”.
Pres Barrow is expected to seek re-election next year, despite a previous agreement to step down after a three-year transition period. — NNN-AGENCIES