By Omar Bah
A group calling itself The People’s Power Organisation The Gambia, has written to President Adama Barrow, Ecowas, the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union, demanding enforcement of the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding which supposedly allow the return of former president Yahya Jammeh.
The Gambia government has said that agreement was not binding.
In its letter, the group led by Malick BS Manneh, said Jammeh left in January 2017 under a 14-point MoU that “guaranteed his safety, dignity, and eventual return after a period abroad.
“He has now spent nine years in exile in Equatorial Guinea, and last year he publicly expressed his intention to come home. We think his return is essential for national healing as it will promote national healing and reconciliation. Our call is for accountability through due process, not persecution.”
It accused senior officials of pre-judging the process.
“It is concerning that public statements from the president and senior officials have suggested that, if Mr Jammeh returns, he will be prosecuted based on the TRRC report. As law-abiding citizens, we oppose any approach that turns his return into persecution.”
“What The Gambia needs now is peace, reconciliation, and respect for the agreement that enabled the 2017 transition,” the letter said.
The petition directly appealed to regional and international guarantors of the 2017 deal.
“We respectfully request that Ecowas, the AU, and the UN uphold the 14-point agenda of the MoU and work with the Gambian authorities to provide the necessary security guarantees for his return.”
The group attached the 14-point MoU agenda for reference and copied the Government of The Gambia, Ecowas, the AU, the UN, and the European Union.
Manneh stressed the petition is not a partisan maneuver.
“We are not only supporters of President Jammeh and the APRC; we are citizens committed to peace and the rule of law. We ask for a process that allows him to return home with dignity and security.”
Jammeh has lived in Equatorial Guinea since January 21, 2017, when he departed Banjul following Ecowas military intervention and mediation led by former Presidents Alpha Condé and Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz. The MoU ended a post-election crisis after Jammeh rejected the December 2016 results.
The Barrow government has repeatedly said Jammeh will face justice based on TRRC recommendations if he returns. The Commission found him responsible for crimes including murder, torture, and enforced disappearances.
