Gambians return home after Jammeh flies into exile

Gambians are returning home after Jammeh flew into exile.

According to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees),about 45,000 Gambians, mainly children, had fled to Senegal since Jan. 1.

Yahya Jammeh, accused of serious rights violations, flew out of Banjul late on Saturday night after leading Gambia for 22 years.

The choice of Equatorial Guinea for his exile helped ease concerns that Jammeh might interfere in Gambia’s politics if he stayed in Guinea, whose border is not far from The Gambia’s eastern region.

West African leaders did not agree to immunity for Jammeh during negotiations that convinced him to flee into exile, Senegal’s foreign minister said on Sunday.

Equatorial Guinea not being a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court, means Jammeh would not be extradited in the event he was charged with crimes against humanity or other serious offences.

The recent crisis had a devastating blow on the country which earns up to 20 percent of its income from tourism ,as it led the departure of thousands of foreign visitors.