Gambia Ruling Party Merges With Ex-Dictator’s Ahead Of Poll

Former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh’s political party has announced a merger with the ruling party, casting doubts on efforts to hold the ex-leader accountable for alleged rights abuses.

The move comes ahead of a presidential poll on December 4 in the tiny west African state.

It also comes before the publication of the findings of an inquiry into Jammeh-era abuses this month.

On Sunday evening, the secretary-general of Jammeh’s APRC party announced that it would run on a joint slate with President Adama Barrow’s National People’s Party.

Jatta did not offer further details about the conditions of the agreement with Barrow’s party.

Gambian human rights groups and victims’ associations have characterised the merger as a betrayal, according to local media reports, with questions arising over the government’s willingness to hold Jammeh accountable.

Jammeh seized power in 1994 as part of a bloodless military coup.

He then ruled with an iron fist until January 2017, when he fled to Equatorial Guinea after losing presidential elections to a relative unknown, Adama Barrow.

The Gambia’s government subsequently established a Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) to investigate the litany of abuses allegedly committed under his 22-year rule.

The panel heard chilling testimony about state-sanctioned torture, death squads, rape and witch hunts.

The TRRC is due to hand a report on its findings to President Barrow later this month.