Ambassador
Alsup made the following remarks at an American Citizens Town Hall Meeting on
January 6, 2017.
Ladies
and gentlemen, it is a great honor for me to welcome you all to our Town Hall
meeting for Americans in The Gambia.
Thank you all for being here this morning.
Today
we are on the verge of a great change in The Gambia. As we all know all too well, there is
currently an uncertain political environment in The Gambia. We know that the uncertainty is making a lot
of people uncomfortable, so we thought it would be useful for us to get
together to talk about what the U.S. is doing and about what you can do to
prepare for potential unrest and to keep yourselves safe.
On
December 1, 2016, incumbent President Yahya Jammeh lost the national election
to the opposition candidate, Adama Barrow.
Although he initially conceded, President Jammeh has since publicly
rejected the results and filed an appeal of the outcome, including a request
for a new election with the Gambian Supreme Court. In a meeting on December 17 in Abuja, The
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) decided that if President
Jammeh does not leave power at the end of his term on January 18, 2017, then
ECOWAS will take all necessary actions to enforce the results of the Gambian
elections, including a potential military intervention.
President
Jammeh has called the ECOWAS decision to implement the December 1 election
results illegal and a declaration of war.
He has also shut down three radio stations, and restricted broadcasting
of a fourth, and there are widespread reports of politically motivated
arrests. On January 10, 2017, the
Supreme Court is scheduled to hear President Jammeh’s petition contesting
election results, which is a potential flashpoint that could lead to civil
unrest.
So,
this is a time of great uncertainty, but also of great expectation. We are on the verge of a third Gambian
Republic – one that promises to be truly democratic, free and prosperous for all
Gambians. In all the people I meet with,
I sense a new hope for the future.
However,
that future has not yet arrived. With
his refusal to cede power to President-elect Barrow, President Jammeh is
standing between Gambians and the new future they chose for themselves. President Jammeh’s term of office expires on
January 18, and President-elect Barrow’s inauguration is scheduled for January
19, two weeks from today. Two weeks to
resolve this crisis peacefully.
The
United States fully supports efforts by the United Nations and ECOWAS to help
do just that by urging President Jammeh to respect the will of the Gambian
people and step down. We applaud the
proactive steps that our regional partners are taking to address the situation,
and we will remain engaged as the international community supports the region
in brokering a peaceful transition that upholds the results of The Gambia’s
democratic election.
We
continue to call on President Jammeh and his administration to engage with
President-elect Barrow and his team in a respectful manner and in accordance
with Gambian and international law.
We
also implore the Gambian security forces to continue to ensure peace in the
country, protect all civilians, guarantee the safety and security of
President-elect Barrow, and to respect the democratic transfer of power.
We
will continue to monitor the situation and urge all sides to remain calm and
refrain from violence.
In
the meantime, beginning on January 7, the U.S. Embassy in Banjul reduced our
American staffing and ordered the relocation of family members of our American
staff to safe haven in the region. We
strongly encourage American Citizens in The Gambia to do the same, and we have
issued a travel advisory to that effect.
I
want to reassure you all that the United States of America are committed to
continue working with the new Government of the Gambia to advance our shared
goals. We look forward to the time –
soon we hope! – when The Gambia will truly live up to its name, “Smiling Coast
of Africa.”
