Flag of the
Post-independence (1965–present)
The
On 24 April 1970, the
President Sir Dawda Jawara
was re-elected five times. An attempted coup on 29 July 1981 followed a
weakening of the economy and allegations of corruption against leading
politicians.The coup attempt occurred while President Jawara was visiting
London and was carried out by the leftist National Revolutionary Council, composed
of Kukoi Samba Sanyang's Socialist and Revolutionary Labour Party (SRLP) and
elements of the Field Force, a paramilitary force which constituted the bulk of
the country's armed forces.
President Jawara requested
military aid from
In 1994, the Armed Forces
Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) deposed the Jawara government and banned
opposition political activity. Lieutenant Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, chairman of the
AFPRC, became head of state. Jammeh was just 29 years old at the time of the
coup. The AFPRC announced a transition plan to return to a democratic civilian
government. The Provisional Independent Electoral Commission (PIEC) was
established in 1996 to conduct national elections and transformed into the Independent
Electoral Commission (IEC) in 1997 and became responsible for the registration
of voters and for the conduct of elections and referendums.
In late 2001 and early 2002,
the Gambia completed a full cycle of presidential, legislative, and local elections,
which foreign observers[who?] deemed free, fair, and transparent. President
Yahya Jammeh, who was elected to continue in the position he had assumed during
the coup, took the oath of office again on 21 December 2001. Jammeh's
On 2 October 2013, the
Gambian interior minister announced that the
Incumbent President Jammeh
faced opposition leaders Adama Barrow from the Independent Coalition of parties
and Mamma Kandeh from the Gambia Democratic Congress party in the December 2016
presidential elections. The
Following the 1 December 2016
elections, the elections commission declared Adama Barrow the winner of the
presidential election.Jammeh, who had ruled for 22 years, first announced he
would step down after losing the 2016 election before declaring the results
void and calling for a new vote, sparking a constitutional crisis and leading
to an invasion by an ECOWAS coalition.On 20 January 2017, Jammeh announced that
he had agreed to step down and would leave the country.
On 14 February 2017, the
Geography
The
The
The present boundaries were
defined in 1889 after an agreement between the
The
Climate
The
Politics and government
The
Political history
During the Jawara era, there
were initially four political parties, the PPP, the United Party (UP), the
Democratic Party (DP), and the Muslim Congress Party (MCP). The 1960
constitution had established a House of Representatives, and in the 1960
election no party won a majority of seats. However, in 1961 the British
Governor chose UP leader Pierre Sarr N'Jie to serve as the country's first head
of government, in the form of a Chief Minister. This was an unpopular decision,
and the 1962 election was notable as parties were able to appeal to ethnic and
religious differences across the
The UP was seen as the main
opposition party, but it lost power from 1965 to 1970. In 1975, the National
Convention Party (NCP) was formed by Sheriff Mustapha Dibba, and became the new
main opposition party to the PPP's dominance.Both the PPP and NCP were
ideologically similar, so in the 1980s a new opposition party emerged, in the
form of the radical socialist People's Democratic Organisation for Independence
and Socialism (PDOIS). However, between the 1966 and 1992 elections, the PPP
was "overwhelmingly dominant", winning between 55% and 70% of the
vote in each election and a large majority of seats continually.
In principle, competitive
politics existed during the Jawara era, however, it was stated that there was
in reality a "one-party monopoly of state power centred around the
dominant personality of Dawda Jawara." Civil society was limited
post-independence, and opposition parties were weak and at the risk of being
declared subversive. The opposition did not have equal access to resources, as
the business class refused to finance them. The government had control over
when they could make public announcements and press briefings, and there were
also allegations of vote-buying and improprieties in the preparation of the
electoral register. A 1991 court challenge by the PDOIS against irregularities
on the electoral register in
In July 1994, a bloodless
military coup d'état brought an end to the Jawara era. The Armed Forces
Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC), led by Yahya Jammeh, ruled dictatorially
for two years. The council suspended the constitution, banned all political
parties, and imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on the populace.A transition back to
democracy occurred in 1996, and a new constitution was written, though the
process was manipulated to benefit Jammeh.In a 1996 referendum, 70% of voters
approved the constitution, and in December 1996 Jammeh was elected as
president. All but PDOIS of the pre-coup parties were banned, and former
ministers were barred from public office.
During Jammeh's rule, the
opposition was again fragmented. An example was the infighting between members
of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) that was formed
in 2005. Jammeh used the police forces to harass opposition members and
parties. Jammeh was also accused of human rights abuses, especially towards
human rights activists, civil society organisations, political opponents, and
the media. Their fates included being sent into exile, harassment, arbitrary
imprisonment, murder, and forced disappearance. Particular examples include the
murder of journalist Deyda Hydara in 2004, a student massacre at a protest in
2000, public threats to kill human rights defenders in 2009, and public threats
towards homosexuals in 2013. Furthermore, Jammeh made threats to the religious
freedom of non-Muslims, used 'mercenary judges' to weaken the judiciary, and
faced numerous accusations of election rigging.
In the December 2016
presidential election, Jammeh was beaten by Adama Barrow, who was backed by a
coalition of opposition parties. Jammeh's initial agreement to step down
followed by a change of mind induced a constitutional crisis that culminated in
a military intervention by ECOWAS forces in January 2017. Barrow pledged to
serve at the head of a three-year transitional government.The Nigerian Centre
for Democracy and Development describe the challenges facing Barrow as needing
to restore "citizen's trust and confidence in the public sector".
They describe a "fragile peace" with tensions in rural areas between
farmers and the larger communities. They also reported on tensions between
ethnic groups developing. An example is that in February 2017, 51 supporters of
Jammeh were arrested for harassing supporters of Barrow. Although his election
was initially met with enthusiasm, the Centre notes that this has been dampened
by Barrow's initial constitutional faux pas with his vice president, the
challenge of inclusion, and high expectations post-Jammeh.
Constitution
The
Presidency
The president appoints the
vice president and cabinet of ministers and also chairs the cabinet. The office
of Prime Minister was abolished in 1970. Total executive power is vested in the
president. They can also appoint five members of the National Assembly, the
judges of the superior courts, regional governors, and district chiefs. In
terms of the civil service, they can appoint the Public Service Commission, the
ombudsman, and the Independent Electoral Commission. The president is directly
elected for five-year terms based on a simple majority of votes. There are no
term limits.The Constitution is under review as of 2018 and a two-term limit
and other changes required to enhance the governance structures are expected.
Foreign relations
The
The
The
The Gambia withdrew from the
Commonwealth of Nations on 3 October 2013, with the government stating it had
"decided that the Gambia will never be a member of any neo-colonial
institution and will never be a party to any institution that represents an extension
of colonialism".Under the new president, the Gambia has begun the process
of returning to its status as a Commonwealth republic with the support of the
British government, formally presenting its application to re-join the
Commonwealth of Nations to Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on 22 January
2018.The
Human rights
According to the World Health
Organization, an estimated 78.3% of Gambian girls and women have suffered
female genital mutilation. LGBT activity is illegal, and punishable with life
imprisonment.
The Daily Observer reporter Ebrima Manneh is believed by human rights organizations to have been arrested in July 2006 and secretly held in custody since then.Manneh was reportedly arrested by Gambia's National Intelligence Agency after attempting to republish a BBC report criticizing President Yahya Jammeh.Amnesty International considers him to be a prisoner of conscience and named him a 2011 "priority case".In 2019 the Gambian newspaper The Trumpet reported that Manneh had died in captivity at some point in mid-2008.
List of international organization memberships
·
·
Economic
Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
·
Organization of
Islamic Cooperation
·
United Nations
·
African
Military
The
Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) was created in 1985 as a stipulation of the
Senegambia Confederation, a political union between the
Since
the GAF was formed in 1985, it has been active in UN and African Union
peacekeeping missions. It has been classed as a Tier 2 peacekeeping contributor
and was described by the Center on International Cooperation as a regional leader
in peacekeeping.It dispatched soldiers to
The
Gambia Armed Forces is and has been the recipient of a number of equipment and
training agreements with other countries. In 1992, a contingent of Nigerian
soldiers helped lead the GNA. Between 1991 and 2005, the Turkish armed forces
helped train Gambian soldiers. It has also hosted British and
Economy
The
The World Bank pegged Gambian GDP for 2018 at US$1,624M; the International Monetary Fund put it at US$977M for 2011.[citation needed]
From 2006 to 2012, the Gambian economy grew annually at a rate of 5–6% of GDP.
Agriculture accounts for roughly 30% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and employs about 70% of the labour force. Within agriculture, peanut production accounts for 6.9% of GDP, other crops 8.3%, livestock 5.3%, fishing 1.8%, and forestry 0.5%. Industry accounts for about 8% of GDP and services around 58%. The limited amount of manufacturing is primarily agricultural-based (e.g., peanut processing, bakeries, a brewery, and a tannery). Other manufacturing activities involve soap, soft drinks, and clothing.
Previously[when?],
the
In
May 2009 twelve commercial banks existed in the
2008
saw the incorporation of Zenith Bank (
Society
The
urbanisation rate as of 2011 was 57.3%.Provisional figures from the 2003 census
show the gap between the urban and rural populations narrowing as more areas
are declared urban. While urban migration, development projects, and
modernisation are bringing more Gambians into contact with Western habits and
values, indigenous forms of dress and celebration and the traditional emphasis
on the extended family remain integral parts of everyday life.
The
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Human Development Report for 2010
ranks the
Ethnic groups
A
variety of ethnic groups live in the
Languages
English
is the official language of the
Education
The
constitution mandates free and compulsory primary education in the
The
International Open University (until January 2020 known as the Islamic Online
University), a higher-education institution having more than 435,000 enrolled
students from over 250 countries worldwide, has its global headquarters in the
Gambia.
Health
Public
expenditure on health in the
According
to the World Health Organization in 2005, an estimated 78.3% of Gambian girls
and women have suffered female genital mutilation.
The
2010 maternal mortality rate per 100,000 births for
Religion
With
more than 90% of the population identifying as Muslims, specifically Sunni
Muslims, many Gambians still participate in traditional practices. The mixture
of religious beliefs and ancestral customs is called syncretism. This means
that things that have nothing to do with religion can often be masked as that,
allowing it to go on unchallenged; More than 75 percent of Gambians indulge in
Islamic rituals and cultural practices. The country consists of eight main
ethnic groups; the Aku, Fula, Mandinka, Jola, Serahule, Serer, Tukulor, and
Wolof, making the country multicultural. Each ethnic group is rooted in various
cultural practices that are not in sync with its dominant religion. These
cultural beliefs stem from traditional practices such as late-night calls,
rites of passage, animism, and sacred site visiting's.
Late-night
calls are the calling of someone's name at night. Many communities believe that
calling a person's name at night comes from owls announcing the community's
pending death. Owls in many ethnic tribes are seen as evil; thus, tribe elders
advise members never to answer late-night calls. This belief is taboo in Islam
because Muslims believe that death comes from Allah, not from night creatures.
As seen in Surah 44, verse 8 of the Qu'ran, it states that death only comes
from the creator. The second cultural practice is a practice that is prevalent
in many African countries and has sparked various debates around religion and
tradition/culture. Female Genital Mutilation or rite of passage is practiced
heavily in The Gambia; about 75% of the population indulges in it, mainly
affecting young girls before they reach 18. It is the ritual cutting or removal
of some or all of the external female genitalia. This is a pre-Islamic
practice, but many use the Qu'ran to justify it, stating that Allah has
vindicated it.
Nevertheless,
out of the eight ethnic groups, seven of them engage in the practice. It is a
practice that is believed to ensure premarital virginity and marital fidelity.
The World Health Organization has recognized it as a violation of the human
rights of young girls and women. In 2015 former President Jammeh banned FGM,
ordering anyone who was caught performing would be sentenced to jail; however,
there is no law stating it has been officially banned.
Although
Islam is a monotheistic religion, the belief that there is only one God, many
ethnic tribes in The Gambia are practitioners of animism and have faith in
other gods. The practice of wearing Jujus around the waist is a common feature
among ethnic groups. Jujus are charms that are believed to have magical or
supernatural powers. Many wear them as protection or good luck charms against
any evil. Gambian wrestlers, soccer players, artists are known for wearing Juju
waistbands. The Juju waistbands are mostly Qur'anic inscriptions prescribed by
Marabouts enclosed in leather pouches; in the Mandinka language, they are
called Safou. Marabouts can be Islamic teachers, fortune tellers, shamans, or
spiritual guides. People seek advice from them to obtain any form of good
fortune and luck. The local herbalists/marabout make these Juju waistbands to
protect people from evil and improve their status. This is a taboo belief that
Islam does not tolerate. In Surah 2, verse 163, it states that your God is one
God! There is no god but He; however, many ethnic tribes are highly involved in
Juju work and belief.
Though
it goes against Islamic tradition, many Gambians will pray at sacred sites
where holy men frequently pray to seek Allah's blessing. Places such as
crocodile pools, ancient trees, and burial sites are familiar places where
Gambia Muslims seek prayer answers despite it being against the Islamic Code.
The most common sacred sites are in
Religions
in the
Religions
Percent
Islam
95.8%
Christianity
4.1%
Other
0.1%
Bundung
mosque is one of the largest mosques in Serekunda
Article
25 of the constitution protects the rights of citizens to practise any religion
that they choose.Islam is practised by 95% of the country's population.The
majority of the Muslims in the
Virtually
all commercial life in the
The
Christian community comprises about 4% of the population.Residing in the
western and southern parts of the
It
is unclear to what extent indigenous beliefs, such as the Serer religion,
continue to be practised. Serer religion encompasses cosmology and a belief in
a supreme deity called Roog. Some of its religious festivals include the Xooy,
Mbosseh, and Randou Rande. Each year, adherents of Serer religion make the
annual pilgrimage to Sine in Senegal for the Xooy divination ceremony.Serer
religion also has a rather significant imprint on Senegambian Muslim society in
that Senegambian Muslim festivals such as "Tobaski",
"Gamo", "Koriteh" and "Weri Kor" have names
representing loanwords from the Serer religion - they were ancient Serer
festivals.
Like
the Serers, the Jola people have their own religious customs, including a major
religious ceremony, Boukout.
Owing
to a small number of immigrants from
Culture
Although
the
Europeans
also figure prominently in Gambian history because the River Gambia is
navigable deep into the continent, a geographic feature that made this area one
of the most profitable sites for the slave trade from the 15th through the 17th
centuries. (It also made it strategic to the halt of this trade once it was
outlawed in the 19th century.) Some of this history was popularised in the Alex
Haley book and TV series Roots, which was set in the
Music
The
music of the
Cuisine
The
cuisine of the Gambia includes peanuts, rice, fish, meat, onions, tomatoes,
cassava, chili peppers and oysters from the River Gambia that are harvested by
women. In particular, yassa and domoda curries are popular with locals and
tourists.
Media
Critics
have accused the government of restricting free speech. A law passed in 2002
created a commission with the power to issue licenses and imprison journalists;
in 2004, additional legislation allowed prison sentences for libel and slander
and cancelled all print and broadcasting licenses, forcing media groups to
re-register at five times the original cost.
Three
Gambian journalists have been arrested since the coup attempt. It has been
suggested that they were imprisoned for criticising the government's economic
policy, or for stating that a former interior minister and security chief was
among the plotters.Newspaper editor Deyda Hydara was shot to death under
unexplained circumstances, days after the 2004 legislation took effect.
Licensing
fees are high for newspapers and radio stations, and the only nationwide
stations are tightly controlled by the government.
Reporters
Without Borders has accused "President Yahya Jammeh's police state"
of using murder, arson, unlawful arrest and death threats against journalists.
In
December 2010 Musa Saidykhan, former editor of The Independent newspaper, was
awarded US$200,000 by the
Sports
As
in neighbouring
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