(JollofNews) – Gambia’s Vice President Aja Fatoumata Tambajang Wednesday urged Zimbabwean political leadership and the military hierarchy to seriously engage into dialogue as threat of civil war hangs over the Southern African country.
“We will engage the leadership, the civil society to support the efforts for dialogue,” Aja Fatoumata Tambajang told JollofNews.
A recent purge within the ruling ZANU-PF ranks has compelled the top brass of the Zimbabwean army to take over the country, saying they are only after “criminals” within President Mugabe’s inner circle who are
pushing for First Lady Grace Mugabe to take over from her 93-year old husband.
Tambajang said government will propagate the experience, and lessons learnt from the political impasse Gambia went through, after ex-dictator Yahya Jammeh made a dramatic U-turn in rejecting the December 2016 election results.
Iniatives taken by the regional bloc ECOWAS helped the tiny West African nation to avoid being trapped into a post-electoral crisis that nearly brought the country on the brink of a civil war. Longtime ruler was ultimately decided to bow down to international pressure, and opted for an exile to Equatorail Guinea.
VP Tambajang expressed hope that the Banjul-based African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) will send a team to Zimbabwe to make sure that peace will prevail.
“With the participation of the civil society and other stakeholders, Zimbabwe will remain peaceful,” she said. “It just takes dialogue and support from the African continent for peace t
President Mugabe meets ZDF Commander and SA envoys at State House
o prevail in the country.”
As Africa’s Human Rights body draws the curtains on its 61st ordinary session, the ACHPR Chairperson Soyata Maiga deplored the persistence of human rights
violations in many areas. “Civil conflicts persists;
acts of terror continue to kill,”she said.
Meanwhile, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) expressed “great concerns about the unfolding events in the Republic of Zimbabwe.”
The regional bloc on Wednesday urged “the Government of the Republic of Zimbabwe, and the Zimbabwe Defence Force to resolve the political impasse amicably, and further urges the Zimbabwean Defence Force to ensure that the maintenance of peace and security in the country is not compromised.”
It is timely and apt by our leadership to show why The Gambia is a great nation. Though small we are known for global advocators of peace, yet a lot could be learned from the political impasse of our December,2016 elections. Bravo VP!
It is timely and apt by our leadership to show why The Gambia is a great nation. Though small we are known for global advocators of peace, yet a lot could be learned from the political impasse of our December,2016 elections. Bravo VP!