Tens
of thousands of Gambians of all ages yesterday lined the streets from Westfield
to inside the Banjul International Airport in Yundum to welcome home President
Adama Barrow.
The
president arrived in a white aircraft with the Ecowas logo at about 5pm, and
was received at the foot of the aircraft by the only appointed member of his
new cabinet, Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang, diplomats and other senior government
officials.
The
president took off from Dakar, Senegal, where he was sworn in as the third
president of The Gambia on 19 January 2017.
Upon
arrival at the airport, Mr Barrow said: “I am a happy man today. I think the bad part is finished now.” He
promised to put in place his cabinet and set to work in earnest.
Muhammed
Ibn Chambas, UN Special Representative West Africa and Sahel, said the arrival
of President Barrow was historic.
“What
we are witnessing here today is truly historic. Gambians have turned out in
large numbers to welcome their president, and to ensure the take off of the
government of President Barrow.” Mr Chambas said the United Nations working
with Ecowas and other partners will continue to support the process to
establish the necessary security for the new president, the vice president and
the government and to allow a smooth transition from the past administration to
this new one.
President
Barrow led a coalition of eight opposition parties that defeated the former
incumbent president, Yahya Jammeh, in the 1st December election.
Jammeh
rejected the result after initially accepting it, causing a political impasse
in the country that lasted for about one and half month, and nearly plunged the
country into war.
At
the height of the political impasse, Barrow left for Mali, courtesy of Ecowas,
then to Senegal where he was sworn into office at the Gambian Embassy in Dakar.
Thanks
to the success of last-ditch mediation efforts, led by the presidents of Guinea
and Mauritania, Jammeh eventually left power and went into exile with his
family in Equatorial Guinea.
When
Jammeh left, Gambians took to the streets to celebrate with music blaring from
speakers and people dancing in the streets.
