London, Feb. 14, – The Gambia has
re-joined the Commonwealth almost five years after ex-President Yahya Jammeh
took the country out of the organisation, which he described as “neo-colonial”.
He said he was not happy with the
Commonwealth for accusing his government of human rights abuses and electoral
malpractices.
After Mr Jammeh was surprisingly
defeated in the presidential election in December 2016, one of the first
announcements of his successor, Adama Barrow, was to say that The Gambia would
be back in the Commonwealth fold.
Last December, the Gambian
Parliament unanimously affirmed the country’s desire to re-join the
organisation.
The country’s formal application
to become a member again was presented to Commonwealth Secretary-General
Patricia Scotland by the Gambian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,
Francis Blain, last month and this was unanimously backed by member states.
On Thursday, a flag-raising
ceremony at Marlborough House, the London headquarters of the Commonwealth
Secretariat, marked The Gambia’s return, bringing the grouping of mainly former
British colonies back to 53.
The Gambia will now attend the
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in London in April.
Mr Blain said: “I am thrilled to
represent my country as it formally re-joins the Commonwealth after an absence
of several years – and to become High Commissioner rather than Ambassador.
“The Gambia looks forward to
being able both to contribute to and benefit from the collective wisdom of the
Commonwealth family of countries and to playing an active role in supporting
the work of the Commonwealth Secretariat and the many other organisations and
initiatives that flourish as expressions of Commonwealth connection.
“The Government and people of The
Gambia will also draw on all that the Commonwealth collectively has to offer,
assisting in practical ways to address a wide range of pressing issues -
including protecting the environment and tackling climate change, and the
empowerment of women and young people,” Mr Blain added.
Secretary-General Scotland said:
“When The Gambia left in 2013, the heads of government expressed their regret
in its leaving the Commonwealth family.
“We’ve looked forward to The
Gambia’s return and were delighted when, after his election victory in December
2016, President Barrow pledged to return.”
The Gambia became a member of the
Commonwealth on achieving independence from Britain on February 18, 1965 but withdrew
on October 3, 2013.
Apartheid South Africa withdrew
in 1961 because newly-independent African countries that had joined the
Commonwealth strongly opposed its membership because of the government’s system
of racial discrimination.
After the democratic elections of
1994 that saw Nelson Mandela become the country’s first black leader, South
Africa was readmitted to the organisation.
No country has been formally
expelled, but in November 1995 Commonwealth leaders took the then unprecedented
step of suspending Nigeria under General Sani Abacha.
This suspension was lifted on May
29, 1999 with the election of a democratically elected civilian President,
Olusegun Obasanjo.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, was
suspended from Commonwealth councils in March 2002.
This followed the presidential
election, which the organisation deemed to have been marred by a high level of
politically motivated violence and during which the Commonwealth said the
conditions did not adequately allow for a free expression of will by voters.
Then in December 2003, following
a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) statement on Zimbabwe,
former President Robert Mugabe withdrew his country from the Commonwealth.
GNA
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