Botswana rejects Yayha Jammeh as president of Gambia

Botswana haS rejected Yayha Jammeh as president of Gambia becoming the first African Country to do so.

Botswana became the first African nation to publicly reject Jammeh whose 22-year reign as president ended on midnight Thursday.

The government and people of Botswana In a statement the Botswana government said it took the decision due to Jammeh’s refusal to accept the will of the people of Gambia.

The statement read, “Following Mr. Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to hand over power to the President-elect Adama Barrow, in accordance with the expressed will of the Gambian people, the Government of Botswana announces that it will no longer recognise Mr. Jammeh as the President of Gambia, together with his Government. This decision which takes effect immediately is consistent with Botswana’s position as articulated through the Press Release of 16th December 2016.

“Mr. Jammeh’s decision not to respect the will of the Gambian people undermines the ongoing efforts to consolidate democracy and good governance in The Gambia and Africa as a whole. This is also in direct contravention of the spirit and aspirations of the African Union Constitutive Act.

“The Government of Botswana, therefore continues to appeal to the international community to do all within its power to exert pressure on Mr. Jammeh to hand over power in order to ensure a smooth transition.”