There are many lessons to learn from the happenings in The Gambia when ex-President Yahya Jammeh refused to surrender power after initially conceding defeat in the presidential election he lost to Adama Barrow.
African leaders love power too much to be civil and magnificent in defeat, and Jammeh will definitely regret his actions. However, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) rushed to adopt a military solution to the crisis in the tiny West African country simply because of its size; no one would have dared such a move if the now exiled Jammeh had been a Nigerian, Ghanaian or Ivorien leader.
It would be a mistake to assume that the debacle in The Gambia is over just because Jammeh is now in exile: there are elements in the military and the political class that are still fiercely loyal to him, and the country may soon witness a civil war. I feel that ECOWAS and other regional powers need to be careful in the way that they interfere in the internal affairs of countries within the sub-region, because the road to hell is paved with good intentions.
While I am not a supporter of Jammeh, I feel that the decision of the Gambian legislature extending Jammeh’s tenure by three months should not have been interfered with. In fact, ECOWAS’ action is an assault on the sovereignty of that nation and ought not to be encouraged under any circumstances. We have all seen what became of countries like Iraq and Libya after Western powers decided to meddle in their affairs citing non-existent weapons of mass destruction.
The war in Iraq has become a big problem for the United States after billions of dollars and thousands of military personnel were committed to the fight. It is not good for ECOWAS to act on the spur of the movement: history should be a profitable guide. We run the risk of making The Gambia another basket case in the nearest future, but I would hope that I am proved wrong because war is no child’s play.
Again, with the way former President Goodluck Jonathan and those who served in his government are being daily portrayed as common criminals in the media without their voices being heard, who really is going to want to hand over power peacefully across West Africa? Former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, was also betrayed by Nigeria when he agreed to leave Liberia and take up above in our country, so that Liberia might have peace. It is foolish to assume that the Taylor question has been addressed in Liberia just because he is now serving time in the USA. History teaches us to be more circumspect and introspective in the way we approach political matters. The hordes of leftist political enthusiast who are egging Adama Barrow on (and again I have nothing against him) now and mouthing democratic platitudes will be shocked when The Gambia erupts in violence.
and then