Gambia’s President-elect Adama Barrow has been killed
Banjul – Gambia’s president-elect Adama Barrow who vowed to take office on January 19 despite the refusal of outgoing President Yahya Jammeh to give up power has been killed by unknown assailants.
The assailants overpowered the security guards of Mr. Barrow, leaving two of the guards dead and other six injured from gunshots.
President Yahya Jammeh, the ‘prime suspect’ has denied any involvement in the incident.
The assassination of Mr. Barrow comes few days after he referred to the country’s constitution that a court action taken by Jammeh cannot prevent the winner of the poll from assuming office as mandated by the constitution.
He was responding to Jammeh, who said Saturday that a decision of the Economic Community of West African States to send troops to ensure a peaceful transition of power was a “declaration of war” and called for a fresh poll.
“It should be crystal clear that filing an election petition is the private matter of a loser in an election. It does not prevent mandatory constitutional processes from taking place,” Barrow said.
ECOWAS, the African Union and the United Nations could only intervene if “the two presidents fail to do, with impeccable thoroughness, what the constitution of the republic demands,” he said.
“Any president whose term of office expires who takes up arms against an incoming president whose term should begin according to law, would be regarded by the international community as a rebel leader,” Barrow warned.
The authorities meanwhile shut down two radio stations, the Gambia Press Union said.
Teranga FM is considered critical of the Jammeh government and has been closed down twice before.
Hilltop radio station was also ordered to close by the National Intelligence Agency, which gave no reason for the measure, the union said.
The Gambia Press Union expressed concern that this could signal the beginning of a crackdown on independent media amid the country’s escalating p
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