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A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 23 January 2017

Gambia’s ex-leader made off with millions, luxury cars

KRISTA LARSON remained Sunday at the to Africa’s longest-serving porary” and that he re- sible hazards before Barrow
CARLEY PETESCH airport in Guinea’s capital, ruler and not a state party served the right to return to arrives, Sallah added.
Associated Press where Jammeh and his en- to the International Crimi- Gambia at the time of his The regional military force
BANJUL, Gambia (AP) — tourage transferred during nal Court. choosing. that had been poised to
Exiled Gambian ruler Ya- their flight into exile, said Jammeh’s dramatic Although the declara- force out Jammeh if dip-
hya Jammeh stole millions airport authorities. They about-face on his Decem- tion was written to provide lomatic efforts failed rolled
of dollars in his final weeks spoke on condition of ano- ber election loss to Barrow, Jammeh with maximum into Gambia’s capital, Ban-
in power, plundering the jul, on Sunday night to se-
state coffers and shipping cure it for Barrow’s arrival.
out luxury vehicles by car- Hundreds greeted the
go plane, a special adviser force’s approach to State
for the new president said House, cheering and danc-
Sunday. ing, while some people
Meanwhile, a regional mili- grabbed soldiers to take
tary force rolled in, greeted selfies.
by cheers, to secure this The force will remain in the
tiny West African nation country “until such time
so that democratically the security general situa-
elected President Adama tion is comprehensively re-
Barrow could return home. dressed,” Barrow said in a
He remained in neighbor- statement.
ing Senegal, where he took Marcel Alain de Souza,
the oath of office Thursday chairman of the regional
because of concerns for his bloc, said part of Gambia’s
safety. security forces needed to
At a press conference in be “immobilized,” and he
the Senegalese capital, confirmed that Jammeh
Barrow’s special adviser had had mercenaries by
Mai Ahmad Fatty told jour- his side during the standoff.
nalists that the president The former leader also had
“will return home as soon as requested “a sort of am-
possible.” Gambia’s defeated leader Yahya Jammeh waves to supporters as he departs from Banjul airport nesty” for him and his en-
Underscoring the challeng- Saturday Jan. 21, 2017. tourage and had wanted
es facing the new admin- Associated Press to remain in his home vil-
istration, Fatty confirmed lage, de Souza said.
that Jammeh made off nymity because they were at first conceding and then protection, it doesn’t give With Jammeh gone, a
with more than $11.4 mil- not authorized to speak to challenging the vote, ap- him amnesty, according to country that had waited
lion during a two-week pe- the press. peared to be the final straw international human rights in silence during the crisis
riod alone. That is only what Fatty said officials “regret for the international com- lawyer Reed Brody. sprang back to life. Shops
they have discovered so the situation,” have direct- munity, which had been “Under international law and restaurants opened,
far since Jammeh and his ed that the containers stay alarmed by his moves in in fact you can’t amnesty music played and people
family took an offer of exile at the Guinea airport and recent years to declare an certain crimes like torture danced in the streets.
after more than 22 years in would stop any of Jam- Islamic republic and leave and massive or systematic Defense chief Ousmane
power and departed late meh’s additional belong- the Commonwealth and political killings,” he said Badjie said the military wel-
Saturday. ings from leaving Gam- the ICC. in an email. “Depending comed the arrival of the re-
“The Gambia is in financial bia. It appeared, though, Barrow’s adviser disavowed where Jammeh ends up, gional force “wholeheart-
distress. The coffers are vir- that the major damage a joint declaration issued though, the real obstacles edly.” With proper orders,
tually empty. That is a state had been done, leaving after Jammeh’s departure to holding him account- he said, he would open
of fact,” Fatty said. “It has the new government with by the United Nations, Af- able will be political.” the doors to the notorious
been confirmed by tech- little recourse to recoup the rican Union and West Afri- Barrow will now begin form- prisons where rights groups
nicians in the ministry of funds. can regional bloc ECOWAS ing a Cabinet and working say many who have disap-
finance and the Central The unpredictable Jam- that bestowed a number of with Gambia’s national as- peared over the years may
Bank of the Gambia.” meh, known for startling protections upon Jammeh, sembly to reverse the state be kept. “We are going to
Fatty also confirmed that declarations like his claim his family and his associ- of emergency Jammeh show Barrow we are really
a Chadian cargo plane that bananas and herbal ates — including the assur- declared in his final days in armed forces with a dif-
had transported luxury rubs could cure AIDS, went ance that their lawful assets power, said Halifa Sallah, ference, I swear to God,”
goods out of the country into exile under mounting would not be seized. spokesman for the coalition Badjie said. “I have the
on Jammeh’s behalf in his international pressure, with “As far as we’re concerned, backing the new leader. Quran with me.” Some of
final hours in power, includ- a wave to supporters as it doesn’t exist,” Fatty said. The president’s official resi- the 45,000 people who had
ing an unknown number of soldiers wept. He is now in The declaration also said dence, State House, needs fled the tiny country during
vehicles. Four containers Equatorial Guinea, home Jammeh’s exile was “tem- to be cleared of any pos- the crisis began to return. q