Adama Barrow, a 51-year-old property manager who for several years had lived in Britain, was elected on 1 December to become the new president of The Gambia. It was not an easy transition, however. Incumbent president Yahya Jammeh refused to leave – to no-one’s great surprise. Jammeh seized power in a 1994 coup and is notorious for imposing a form of rule both brutal and corrupt. Aside from the usual censorship, murder, torture and disappearance of opponents, he prides himself on his militant homophobia. In the end, it took an invasion of troops from other West African countries to force Jammeh to step aside. This intervention marked a healthy departure from the ‘solidarity of despots’ all too familiar to Africans.
Barrow is a devout Muslim with a reputation for being a workaholic. He promises to step down after three years, to ensure the return of a vital democracy to the country. He also promises to end the widespread censorship of the media and the limiting of internet access. But his biggest challenge will be to revive the economy. It is so stagnant that last year 10,000 young Gambians left, with many taking the perilous route across the Mediterranean to Europe in search of work.
