On December 1st, 2016, the Gambian people voted out their autocratic President Yahya Jammeh, after 22 years in power, and elected Adama Barrow as their new president. Jammeh conceded defeat but a week later announced that he was annulling the election results and would not step down. A grassroots movement #GambiaHasDecided emerged in reaction.
#GambiaHasDecided
Activists initially set up billboards with the slogan #GambiaHasDecided. The billboards were torn down by Jammeh loyalists. Not to be intimidated, the activists around the country turned to spray painting the slogan.
On January 21st, 2017, in response to mounting international pressure, Yahya Jammeh, along with his family, finally boarded a flight and left The Gambia with Guinean President, Alpha Condé. Jammeh has since been in exile in Equatorial Guinea.
As he mounted the stairs to the plane, he turned to the crowd, kissed his Qur’an and waved one last time to supporters, including soldiers who cried at his departure. The Guardian
‘Gambia – victims, and resisters’
#GambiaHasDecided
On January 26th, 2017, the new president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, returned home to mass celebrations. For his own safety, Barrow had exiled himself to Senegal, where, on January 19th, he took oath at the country’s embassy in Dakar
CURRENT LOCATION: JANUARY 2021
THE GAMBIA, WEST AFRICA
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Header Image: Ex President of The Gambia, Yahya Jammeh, waves goodbye to followers who came to see him off from Banjul airport as he leaves for exile in Equatorial Guinea. Image ©Jason Florio
