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| Africa Subsaharan |
| Gambia withdraws from Commonwealth after 48 years |
| 2013-10-04 |
| [Daily Nation (Kenya)] The Gambia ... The Gambia is actually surrounded by Senegal on all sides but its west coast. It has a population of about 1.7 million. The difference between the two is that in colonial days Senegal was ruled by La Belle France and The Gambia (so-called because there's only one of it, unlike Guinea, of which there are the Republic of Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, New Guinea, the English coin in circulation between 1663 and 1813, and Guyana, which sounds like it should be another one) was ruled by Britain... n government has announced that the former British colony is pulling out of the Commonwealth with immediate effect, saying it would "never be a member of any neo-colonial institution". "The general public is hereby informed that the government of the Gambia has left the Commonwealth of Nations with immediate effect," it said in a statement. "(The) government has withdrawn its membership of the British Commonwealth and decided that the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial institution and will never be a party to any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 Commonwealth bloc is a voluntary association of more than 50 countries, many of them former territories of the British empire. No further details were given but a foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , told AFP that the decision came after the government rejected a proposal by the Commonwealth last year to create commissions in Banjul to protect human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights,mind you... , media rights and fight against corruption. HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNS The proposal followed an April 2012 visit to the Gambia by Commonwealth Secretary General Kamalesh Sharma, during which he met with President Yahya Jammeh and other top government officials. Jammeh, who is regularly accused of rights abuses, has ruled mainland Africa's smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994. Earlier this year, the Gambia was singled out for its poor rights record in Britannia's annual Human Rights and Democracy report, which cited cases of unlawful detentions, illegal closures of newspapers and radio stations and discrimination against minority groups. A front man at the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said early Thursday: "We would very much regret Gambia, or any other country, deciding to leave the Commonwealth." He noted however that "decisions on Commonwealth membership are a matter for each member government". The Gambia is a tiny sliver of land wedged into Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... . It suffers from widespread poverty but its miles of palm-fringed beaches are a favourite among sun-seeking European tourists. NO DONOR FUNDS The west African anglophone nation, the smallest on the mainland, has long been dogged by rights concerns under Jammeh's administration. Jammeh, who seized power in a 1994 coup, brooks no criticism. He has been re-elected to power three times. The man who claims he can cure AIDS and other illnesses is often pilloried for rights abuses and the muzzling of journalists. In 2010, the EU, the country's top aid donor, cancelled 22 million euros ($30 million) in budget support for Banjul because of concerns over human rights and governance. In August 2012, Jammeh came under attack from Many brass hats have found themselves charged with treason, often related to coup plots which observers have said are a sign of paranoia by Jammeh, who has woven an aura of mysticism around himself, dressing in billowing white robes and always clutching his Koran. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 And another one bites the dust. Can official failed state status be far behind? has ruled mainland Africa's smallest country with an aura of mysticism and an iron fist since seizing power in 1994. Any other boxes need ticking? BHO's dream job. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2013-10-04 11:17 |