UNOWAS E-Magazine N3 Quarterly E-Magazine of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel l Together for Peace IN THIS ISSUE Focus The G5 Sahel and UNOWAS review The Gambia, a peaceful change their roadmap After more than two decades of an authoritarian regime, in a landmark election on 1 December 2016, the Gambians queued patiently and peacefully to express their aspirations for change...Read more P.5 Meeting G5 Sahel - UNOWAS, Nouakchott, 6 March 2017. The two-year cooperation between the G5 Sa- hel (Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Chad and Niger) and the United Nations is a testimony to the willingness of both organizations to work together to addressing the challenges that hamper the development...Read more P.17 The SRSG Ibn Chambas meet with the Presidents of Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Liberia about the situation in the Gambia. CNMC continues its work to 13 Dec 2016 in Banjul complete border demarcation Editorial From preventive diplomacy to peaceful political transition in the Gambia By Mohamed Ibn Chambas Meeting of the Head of Delegation CNMC, 8 March 2017 in Yaoundé est Africa has development can only be achieved witnessed a through a new political culture As part of the implementation of the Cameroon- series of peaceful based on good governance and Nigeria Mixed Commission (CNMC), the two de- presidential and the respect of rights. legations met in Yaoundé, Cameroon, to discuss legislative elections, held in the work progress...Read more P.19 W accordance with the democratic Undoubtedly, there is still some Interview standards and principles way to go. But no one can deny or underestimate the progress Nana Ato Dadzie, Expert in Political recognized by the African Union, ECOWAS and the United Nations. made in the upholding of transition electoral processes and political “Our mission in The Gambia is to Definitively breaking with non- change that West Africa has just identify the bottlenecks to smooth democratic practices domina- experienced. transition” P.8 ted by the alternation of coups d’etat and unlimited monopoly From Nigeria to the Gambia via Benin and Ghana - to mention just Reportages of power, Africa, and in particular West Africa, has moved serenely a few examples - African leaders As Gambia crisis passes, displaced and resolutely towards political and citizens have demonstrated return from Senegal P.10 change based on the rules and great political maturity and a principles of free elections that strong sense of responsibility #FreePress for a #NewGambia: that must be welcomed and UNESCO and EU bring tools of the guarantee the choice of the peo- ple. supported. trade to media in The Gambia P.12 It is a political reality dictated by Apart from some minor incidents Portrait an awareness of Africans-citizens between supporters of the various candidates, the last ten elections SALIEU TALL, Gambia Has Decided as leaders, that the objective of in the West Africa region were UNOWAS E-magazine - №3 March 2017 1 P.16 ...Page 3 United Nations Office for West Afria and the Sahel LIMIT OF THE conflicts spreaD peaceful SUPPORT states AND OF regional actors TENSIONS resolution Dialogue PREVENTIVE analysis encourage DIPLOMACY conflict action atic M PLANNING AND supporting THE worK iplo OF peace D offices D D GOO UNOWAS promotes dialogue among stakeholders with a view to build consensus to unblock disagreements through multiple good offices missions and support to regional organizations such as ECOWAS, MRU and other regional partners. 2 UNOWAS E-magazine - №3 March 2017 Infographies ...Editorial The Gambia political change in 14 key dates P.6 held peacefully and without any violence. The example of the Gambia is in this sense significant. For a Preventive Diplomacy in country that has been under autocratic rule for more than UNOWAS mandate P.23 two decades, there has been little room for maneuver for peaceful political change. Who would have thought that elections could be held freely? That the electoral commission could be independent and To read allow itself to announce results confirming the eviction of the power in place? And finally, who could have foreseen that the Gambians would peacefully vote and wait with a great sense of responsibility for the first results and the end of the political crisis brought about by Yahya Jammeh’s reversal and his rejection of the announcement by the Independent Electoral Commission confirming the candidate of the opposition coalition, Adama Barrow, as the third elected president of the Gambia? This political maturity and sense of responsibility represent the foundation of the regional preventive diplomacy that eased the departure of former President Jammeh and allowed a peaceful resolution of the crisis. The joint ECOWAS-UA-UN mediation dispatched to Banjul in the aftermath of Jammeh’s refusal to leave power The Lake Chad Basin is grappling testifies to the willingness of the countries in the region with a complex humanitarian and of the regional organizations to ensure that the legal emergency affecting some 17 framework for peaceful political alternations is scrupulously million people across north-eastern respected. It also testifies to the determination of the Nigeria, Cameroon’s Far North, regional organizations to appropriate problems and western Chad and south-east Niger. solutions in a preventive approach with the objective to safeguard peace and stability in the region. The combined impact of deepening insecurity, rapid population growth The personal involvement of the presidents of Senegal, Learn more: http://bit.ly/2g6iKKg Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mauritania and Guinea during the crisis illustrates the engagement of African leaders to do everything possible to prevent another conflict, and to maintain the region in a dynamic Follow us on: peaceful change. unowas.unmissions.org The departure without violence of Yahya Jammeh and the twitter.com/UN_UNOWAS inauguration of Adama Barrow is a success of the regional facebook.com/UNOWAS preventive diplomacy. It is also the fruit of the exemplary attitude of Gambians. flickr.com/UNOWAS But this success of regional preventive diplomacy can only UNOWAS Quarterly online E-Magazine informs be complete and effective if The Gambia is committed you about UNOWAS activities. It is designed and to pursuing the process of political change by abiding by prepared by the Office of Communications and Public Information. democratic principles. For more information on the content, please write to: [email protected] The decision of the new President Adama Barrow to set up ...Page 4 UNOWAS E-magazine - №3 March 2017 3 They have said a joint transition team composed of members of the former administration and of the new one is a strong signal of the new authorities’ commitment to the democratic process. The international community who was mobilized during the post-election crisis to assert the rule of law and the constitution must now provide the necessary support to consolidate the political change in The Gambia and to accompany the Gambians in their aspiration for development. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President ECOWAS For this reason, the United Nations Office for West “We applaud the people of the Gambia Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), in the wake of President Barrow’s return to Banjul, has sent an for their strong commitment and ardent expert in political transition to support the incoming desire to pursue democratic objectives and outgoing administrations, to have a serene as was demonstrated recently during the transition, and ensure a peaceful change of power. general and presidential elections” In the coming days, the joint transition team will Learn more report to President Adama Barrow. This will mark the end of the transition period and launch a new era of political alternation. But the latter cannot constitute an end in itself as political, economic and social challenges are multiple and require a strong political engagement from the new authorities. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma: AU In a country where 60% of the population lives in poverty, where one third has to live do with less The transition is significant in that it is than $ 1.25 a day, where there is a widening budget the first peaceful transfer of power in the deficit that reaches 7% of GDP in 2016, the priority Islamic Republic of The Gambia since the of new Gambian government will be undoubtedly country’s independence in 1965. to put in place economic recovery plans and launch structural reforms. The legislative elections Learn more scheduled for April 6 will be a real test for the ruling coalition. Regional preventive diplomacy was crucial to safeguard the will of the Gambian people as expressed in the ballot box, and to strengthen peace in a region that needs it. Peaceful political transition is fundamental to consolidate the gains of political alternation through free elections. The United Nations, and particularly UNOWAS - Jeffrey Feltman, USG for Political Affairs in coordination with regional organizations, will The transition in the Gambia is “a very continue to support the Gambia in this important phase of its history. clear case of prevention,” in which the Economic Community of West African Mohamed Ibn Chambas States (ECOWAS), the African Union (AU) Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary- and the UN were “all united behind the General and Head of the UN Office for West Africa and the will of Gambian people.” Sahel Learn more 4 UNOWAS E-magazine - №3 March 2017 Focus The Gambia, a peaceful change In a landmark election on 1 December 2016, the Gambians queued patiently and peacefully to express their aspirations for change. Mr Adama Barrow was elected President of the Gambia. Supporters wave Gambian’s national flags as they cheer during the inauguration ceremony for the start of Gambian President Adama Barrow’s presidency at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, west of the capital Banjul, on February 18, 2017.