Barrow reinstates Gambian envoys who 'begged' Jammeh to step down

The Gambian President, Adama Barrow, has reinstated about a dozen ambassadors fired by his predecessor and long time ruler, Yahya Jammeh.

The ambassador to the United States, Sheikh Omar Faye, who Jammeh recalled in a letter dated Monday December 19, 2016 has his job back along with 11 others who signed a joint petition asking the former president to handover peacefully.

Local media portal reports that aside Faye, ambassadors to China, Turkey, Britain, the United Nations and to Russia had all been recalled. Completing the list are, envoys to Belgium, Senegal, Spain, Guinea Bissau and Ethiopia.

Smith_JeffreyT mashanubian #Gambia Jammeh’s diplomats appeal to him to handover power, he responds by recalling them 4 “home service” pic.twitter.com/y6dxeeEdvF

— MamaLinguere Sarr (@mamasarr) December 19, 2016

Barrow also recently named one of the diplomats, Masanneh Kinteh – a former military chief, as his national security advisor.

The reinstated US ambassador, Omar Faye’s recall ‘for home service’ came a week after he called on his boss, Alhaji Dr Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh Babili Mansa, to respect the country’s constitution and hand over power to the president-elect Adama Barrow.

Jammeh’s diplomats failed to get him to accept the results of the December 1, 2016 polls. ECOWAS mediation also failed. Finally it took the efforts of Guniea’s Alpha Conde and Mauritania’s Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz to convince Jammeh to leave the country.

His exile to Equatorial Guinea was at a time that ECOWAS force led by Senegal was on standby to force Jammeh out of power. The country drifted into a period of political tension and uncertainty as Jammeh’s tenure ended in January 19, Barrow took his oath of office in Dakar as a result.