Restoring Democracy in the Gambia?
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Gambia Parliamentary Elections, 6 April 2017
EUROPEAN UNION ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION FINAL REPORT The GAMBIA National Assembly Elections 6 April 2017 European Union Election Observation Missions are independent from the European Union institutions.The information and views set out in this report are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the European Union. Neither the European Union institutions and bodies nor any person acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained therein. EU Election Observation Mission to The Gambia 2017 Final Report National Assembly Elections – 6 April 2017 Page 1 of 68 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS .................................................................................................................................. 3 I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 4 II. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................ 9 III. POLITICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................. 9 IV. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTORAL SYSTEM ................................................................................. 11 A. Universal and Regional Principles and Commitments ............................................................................. 11 B. Electoral Legislation ............................................................................................................................... -
Democratic Transition in Anglophone West Africa Byjibrin Ibrahim
Democratic Transition in Anglophone West Africa Democratic Transition in Anglophone West Africa Jibrin Ibrahim Monograph Series The CODESRIA Monograph Series is published to stimulate debate, comments, and further research on the subjects covered. The Series will serve as a forum for works based on the findings of original research, which however are too long for academic journals but not long enough to be published as books, and which deserve to be accessible to the research community in Africa and elsewhere. Such works may be case studies, theoretical debates or both, but they incorporate significant findings, analyses, and critical evaluations of the current literature on the subjects in question. Author Jibrin Ibrahim directs the International Human Rights Law Group in Nigeria, which he joined from Ahmadu Bello University where he was Associate Professor of Political Science. His research interests are democratisation and the politics of transition, comparative federalism, religious and ethnic identities, and the crisis in social provisioning in Africa. He has edited and co-edited a number of books, among which are Federalism and Decentralisation in Africa (University of Fribourg, 1999), Expanding Democratic Space in Nigeria (CODESRIA, 1997) and Democratisation Processes in Africa, (CODESRIA, 1995). Democratic Transition in Anglophone West Africa © Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa 2003, Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop Angle Canal IV, BP. 3304, Dakar, Senegal. Web Site: http://www.codesria.org CODESRIA gratefully -
Justice on Trial
Vol 6. No 4. 2019 JUSTICE ON TRIAL Courts and Commissions in West Africa Sampala Balima Sampala Balima is a lecturer at the Ouaga II University of Ouagadougou and an associate researcher at 'Les Afriques dans le Monde' at Sciences Po Bordeaux. Chidi Anselm Odinkalu Chidi Anselm Odinkalu works with the Open Society Foundations (OSF). He writes in his personal capacity. Sait Matty Jaw Sait Matty Jaw is a lecturer at the University of The Gambia, and the executive director of the Center for Research and Policy Development - The Gambia. Tarila Marclint Ebiede Tarila Marclint Ebiede holds a PhD in Social Sciences from KU Leuven, Belgium. Tarila's research on political violence, peace building, democracy and Human rights in Nigeria seeks to promote open and peaceful socio-political relations that benefits ordinary people in society. Justice on trial POST-COUP JUSTICE: Strengthening Burkina Faso's transition to democracy? NIGERIA'S JUDICIARY: On trial THE COMPLICATED QUEST FOR Truth, Reconciliation and Justice in The Gambia JUSTICE BEYOND BORDERS? Human rights and the ECOWAS Court of Justice Justice on trial This Issue: Justice on trial: Courts and commissions in West Africa his edition of West Africa In e Gambia, Sait Matty Jaw, looks Insight looks at the ways in at the ongoing work of the Truth, Twhich justice is being sought, Reconciliation and Reparations and delivered, in Nigeria, Burkina Faso Commission and argues that the and e Gambia. political environment is one factor making it very difficult to achieve the In Burkina Faso, Sampala Balima dual objectives of reconciliation and reects on the September verdict justice. -
Extremism and Terrorism
The Gambia: Extremism and Terrorism On January 28, 2017, days after being inaugurated into office, The Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, renounced the country’s status as an Islamic republic. The previous president, Yahya Jammeh, had declared The Gambia to be an Islamic republic in 2015. Jammeh had also expressed his desire to introduce sharia law into The Gambia and presented Zakir Naik––an Islamic extremist preacher wanted in his home country of India for alleged involvement in terrorist acts––with The Gambia’s highest honorary award. (Sources: Daily Post, BBC News, Freedom Newspaper, PeaceTV) Overview The Gambia spent 22 years under the authoritarian rule of Yahya Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup and whose government has been accused of several human rights violations regarding the ruthless tactics it used to silence opponents. Jammeh embraced Islamic fundamentalism during his rule of The Gambia, whose 1.9 million population is at least 90 percent Muslim. In 2015, Jammeh declared the Gambia to be an Islamic republic––making it the second Islamic republic in Africa after Mauritania––and some months later, pledged to introduce the rule of sharia law into the country. Additionally, Jammeh invited Zakir Naik––an Islamic extremist preacher wanted in his home country of India for alleged involvement in terrorist acts––to visit The Gambia as a special guest, and presented him with the country’s highest honorary award. In 2014, Jammeh signed a bill into law which punished some homosexual acts with life imprisonment. (Sources: BBC News, U.S. Department of the Treasury, Overseas Security Advisory Council, Jamestown Foundation, BBC News, Freedom Newspaper, Guardian, Guardian, PeaceTV, All Africa, All Africa) In The Gambia’s December 2016 presidential elections, Jammeh was unexpectedly defeated by another candidate, Adama Barrow. -
Gambia, a Complicated but Hopeful Road to Democracy Visit Web Receive Newsletter
Opinion Paper 07/2018 18 January 2018 Pilar Requena del Río* Gambia, a complicated but hopeful road to democracy Visit Web Receive Newsletter Gambia, a complicated but hopeful road to democracy Abstract: A year ago, a peaceful change from dictatorship to democracy took place in a small African state, The Gambia. It was probably one of the most forgotten countries although it was suffering since 22 years under the fierce and terrible dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh. Since January 19th 2017 Adama Barrow, elected December 1st 2016, is the president. The dictator initially accepted defeat but then refused to relinquish power until the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, threatened to intervene militarily. Since then, the country faces a new stage of development, freedom, equality, justice and reconciliation amidst major challenges and a still fragile security situation. Keywords: The Gambia, dictatorship, democracy, ECOWAS, security, justice, reconciliation, Yahya Jammeh, Adama Barrow *NOTE: The ideas contained in the Opinion Papers shall be responsibility of their authors, without necessarily reflecting the thinking of the IEEE or the Ministry of Defense . Opinion Paper 07/2018 1 Gambia, a complicated but hopeful road to democracy Pilar Requena del Río Introduction The Gambia is the smallest country in mainland Africa and one of the poorest in the world. With only 2 million inhabitants, mostly Muslims, it is a narrow strip along the river of the same name, surrounded mostly by Senegal. A legend says that an English warship sailed upstream launching cannon shots to port and starboard. The borders were traced where the projectiles fell. The English put a wedge in the middle of a Senegal controlled by the French. -
The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in the Gambia
City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects CUNY Graduate Center 2-2021 The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in The Gambia Isatou Bittaye-Jobe The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/4142 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE IMPACT OF STATE VIOLENCE ON WOMEN DURING THE 22 YEARS OF DICTATORSHIP IN THE GAMBIA by ISATOU BITTAYE-JOBE A master’s thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, The City University of New York 2021 i © 2020 ISATOU BITTAYE-JOBE All Rights Reserved ii The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in The Gambia by Isatou Bittaye-Jobe This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Women’s and Gender Studies in satisfaction of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts. ________________ __________________________ Date Jayne Mooney Thesis Advisor ________________ __________________________ Date Dána-Ain Davis Executive Officer THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT The Impact of State Violence on Women During the 22 Years of Dictatorship in The Gambia by Isatou Bittaye-Jobe Advisor: Professor Jayne Mooney This thesis investigates the gendered dynamics of dictatorship in The Gambia by exploring the impact of state sanctioned violence on women during former President Yahya Jammeh’s twenty- two years of tyranny in the country. -
Democratic Consolidation in Africa and the Practice of Non- Indifference by Ecowas: Lessons from the Gambian Reversed Victory
IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science (IOSR-JHSS) Volume 22, Issue 11, Ver. 13 (November. 2017) PP 55-62 e-ISSN: 2279-0837, p-ISSN: 2279-0845. www.iosrjournals.org Democratic Consolidation in Africa And The Practice of Non- Indifference By Ecowas: Lessons From the Gambian Reversed Victory Aja Akpuru-Aja*, Onyemaechi Augustine Eke** Aja Akpuru-Aja is Professor of International Relations & Strategic Studies at the Abia State University Uturu, Nigeria. **Dr. Onyemaechi Augustine Eke teaches in the Department of International Relations at the Gregory University, Uturu. Nigeria. Abstract: The paper argues that the outcome of The Gambian democratic election was determined more by the logic of international practice of the principles of non-indifference than the dictates of The Gambian society. Democratic patterns are gradually undergoing transformation in Africa, particularly with the growing concern of the international community. A case in point was the outcome of The Gambian democratic election on December 1, 2016 whose victory was credited to the President-elect Adama Barro. Even when the seating President Yahya Jammeh acknowledged the transparency of the election process by congratulating his victorious opponent Barro, a day after, he reversed the victory. Reversal of the electoral victory attracted international condemnation particularly from EOWAS member-states. Rather than deterred by the principle of non-interference in the domestic affairs of The Gambia, Nigeria-led ECOWAS was motivated more by concern for possible fear of humanitarian fallouts from Jammeh‟s act to adopt the principle of non-indifference to the reversed victory. The broad objective is to underscore the role of international community in democratic transformation in Africa. -
Dangerous to Dissent Human Rights Under Threat in Gambia
DANGEROUS TO DISSENT HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER THREAT IN GAMBIA Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 7 million people who campaign for a world where human rights are enjoyed by all. Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards. We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. © Amnesty International 2016 Except where otherwise noted, content in this document is licensed under a Creative Commons Cover illustration: Solo Sandeng, UDP National Organizing Secretary, taking part in a protest organized (attribution, non-commercial, no derivatives, international 4.0) licence. by UDP and youth activists to demand electoral reforms in Gambia, April 2016. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode © Amnesty International For more information please visit the permissions page on our website: www.amnesty.org Where material is attributed to a copyright owner other than Amnesty International this material is not subject to the Creative Commons licence. First published in 2016 by Amnesty International Ltd Peter Benenson House, 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW, UK Index: AFR 27/4138/2016 Original language: English amnesty.org CONTENTS GLOSSARY 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 METHODOLOGY 10 1. BACKGROUND: THE ROAD TO DECEMBER 2016 11 Long History of Human Rights Violations 11 Human Rights at Risk Before and During the 2016 -18 Election Periods 12 Reforms to the Electoral System 13 2. ATTACKS ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND MEDIA FREEDOM 15 Weakened and Censored Media 15 Repressive Legal Framework 18 Harassment of Journalists 19 Challenges for International Media Coverage 20 Journalists Fleeing into Exile 21 3. -
SEM with EASO, 13.12.2017
European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report The Gambia Country Focus December 2017 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report The Gambia Country Focus December 2017 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN 978-92-9494-815-1 doi: 10.2847/732387 © European Asylum Support Office 2017 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: Banjul skyline, The Gambia © iStock/mtcurado Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT: THE GAMBIA – COUNTRY FOCUS — 3 Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), Division Analysis, Switzerland, as the author of this report. The following national asylum and migration departments have reviewed the report: Belgium, Cedoca – Documentation and Research centre, Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless persons Norway – Landinfo The Netherlands – Office for Country Information and Language Analysis, Immigration and Naturalisation Service David Perfect, Visiting Professor at the University of Chester-UK, researcher on The Gambia’s politics and history since the 1980s, and author of numerous publications on the country -, reviewed this report. -
Conflict and Development Analysis the Gambia
` ` CONFLICT AND DEVELOPMENT ANALYSIS THE GAMBIA UPDATED - June 2019 1 The Conflict and Development Analysis (CDA) updated report was a collaborative effort between The Government of The Gambia represented by the Office of President and Ministry of Interior, Civil Society represented by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), with support from the Joint UNDP-DPPA Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention and UNOWAS. Technical advice and accompaniment were provided by the UN Peace and Development Advisory Team in The Gambia, and a National Consultant and an International Consultant from the Interpeace’s International Peacebuilding Advisory Team (IPAT) The Partners are especially grateful to the Research Teams in all the Regions of The Gambia for the important data-collection role they played - engaging communities and facilitating Key Informant Interviews and Focus Group Discussions that informed this report. 2 Table of Contents List of Acronyms……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 Executive Summary………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………6 Introduction…………………………………………………………….…………………………………………………………………12 Context & Stakeholder Update 2019………………………………………………………………………………………….18 Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..….…18 The Economic Arena…………………………………………………………………………….……………………………..….…18 The Political Context…………………………………………………………………………….……………………………..….…19 Social & Environmental Issues…………………………………………………………………………….………………………23 Key Conflict Drivers…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….26 -
The Gambia's Draft Constitution Reflects Citizens' Preference for Term
Dispatch No. 338 | 27 January 2020 The Gambia’s draft Constitution reflects citizens’ preference for term limits, gender quota Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 338 | Thomas Isbell and Sait Matty Jaw Summary In December 2017, the National Assembly of the Gambia established a Constitutional Review Commission (CRC) to draft the country’s third Constitution (Freedom Newspaper, 2018). The Gambia’s founding Constitution (1970) was replaced in 1997, three years after a military coup led by Yahya Jammeh. For more than two decades, Jammeh and his Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC) dominated the Gambia’s political landscape, often using constitutional amendments to manipulate the political process “with largely anti-human rights and undemocratic provisions” (Nabaneh, 2018). For instance, presidential term limits were removed to enable Jammeh to run for re-election (Jobarteh, 2018), and in 2001 the electoral system was changed to require only a plurality, rather than an absolute majority, to win a presidential election. In 2016, seven opposition parties and an independent presidential candidate united under Coalition 2016 to defeat Jammeh. The CRC is part of an extensive transitional-justice process instituted by President Adama Barrow, aimed at addressing past injustices and building a stable democratic future. According to prominent human-rights activist Madi Jobarteh (2018), “Both the current government and citizens appear to agree that, given the numerous amendments to the Constitution and the several undemocratic provisions, the need for a new Constitution cannot be over-emphasized.” After soliciting input from Gambians both at home and abroad, the 11-member CRC in November 2019 released its first draft of the new Constitution and invited the public to provide comments on the draft (Jawo, 2019). -
PRELIMINARY STATEMENT Banjul, 8 April 2017 Goodwill on Behalf Of
EUROPEAN UNION ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION TO THE GAMBIA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ELECTIONS – 6 APRIL 2017 PRELIMINARY STATEMENT Banjul, 8 April 2017 Goodwill on behalf of the people and institutions of The Gambia provides for the restoration of key deMocratic rights 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • Following 22 years of authoritarian rule, National Assembly elections, held against the backdrop of high expectations and an under-resourced state budget, were truly contested. The December 2016 presidential election paved the way for a democratic transition, while these elections re- established political freedom. • The current Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) enJoys broad trust in its independence. It has numerous responsibilities, including the registration of political parties, voter registration, voter education, conduct of elections, yet it does not command its own budget, which could hamper its independence. The IEC met key operational deadlines and fulfilled its mandate despite budgetary and time constraints. • The Gambia witnessed a peaceful and engaging campaign where the freedoms of assembly and association were largely respected and candidates could convey their messages freely to the electorate. The President’s nationwide tour had an impact on the campaign. Verbal attempts to polarise the electorate on the basis of ethnicity, and the handing out of goods and financial aid, were also observed by the EU EOM. • The Constitution articulates a respect for democracy and includes a guarantee of genuine periodic elections. During the previous regime the legal system was severely compromised and the rule of law was undermined by a progressive erosion of the independence of the Judiciary. The Supreme Court has exclusive Jurisdiction to determine the validity of elections to the National Assembly but has not sat for two years and has currently just one member.