'Gambia does not need a bloodbath': Regional leaders

By Saikou Kalleh

BANJUL, Gambia (AA) - Joining a chorus of regional leaders trying to head off a crisis, Mali’s president Saturday urged Yahya Jammeh, the strongman president of Gambia, to step down and avoid bloodshed.

"I dare to hope that African wisdom will convince our brother that the good Muslim that he claims to be understands the greater good for the Gambia, which does not need a bloodbath," Mali’s Ibrahim Boubacar Keita told reporters during the 27th Africa-France Summit held in the capital Bamako.

Gambia was plunged into a crisis last month after Jammeh, its longstanding ruler, refused to cede power to President-elect Adama Barrow, claiming his loss in Dec. 1 polls was tainted by “unacceptable irregularities”.

A Friday visit by regional presidents, acting as mediators of the West African economic bloc ECOWAS, failed to convince Jammeh to relinquish power by Jan. 19, when his term is due to end.

Liberian President Allen Johnson Sirleaf and Ghanaian President John Mahama then flew to Bamako with Barrow, who held talks with regional leaders as well as French President Francois Hollande.

On Friday, Nigerian Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama told journalists in Gambia’s capital Banjul that the ECOWAS heads of state will make a decision on Gambia after meeting in Bamako.

The Africa-France Summit was supposed to focus on security and migration, but it was dominated by Gambia’s crisis as Barrow sought help to end the standoff.

Barrow is expected to take power on Jan. 19, and the regional leaders have vowed to attend his inauguration.

"We have made a strong gesture. First, we have received the president," Keita said, referring to Barrow.

The regional leaders have warned that they are ready to use “all means necessary” to uphold the country’s election results, but Jammeh and his party remain defiant.

He has filed an injunction at the country’s Supreme Court seeking to stop Barrow’s inauguration until the court hears a petition to annul the elect results.

A ruling on the injunction is likely Monday, but the Gambian Bar Association has already warned that any attempt to stop Barrow’s inauguration will be “tantamount to treason” under Gambian law.