The decision by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and other regional bodies, including the United Nations (UN), to use diplomatic means to get Yahya Jammeh to concede defeat and leave office is best, Brigadier General Nunoo-Mensah, a former National Security Coordinator, has said.
President Jammeh initially conceded in Gambia’s December 1 presidential poll to winning candidate Adama Barrow, only to make a U-turn and call for fresh elections, citing irregularities in the poll.
West African leaders have given Yahya Jammeh a final opportunity to relinquish power after Senegalese troops entered The Gambia. Mr Jammeh has been given until noon on Friday to leave office or be forced out by UN-backed regional forces.
Troops have been told to halt their advance until the deadline passes.
Speaking in relation to the development in The Gambia, in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Friday January 20, Mr Nunoo-Mensah said: “What Yahya Jammeh is doing is not the best, but that does not mean we should use force to get him out. That will be detrimental to The Gambia as a country.
“You can’t go and remove one man and kill so many people and so, broadly speaking, I agree with the strategy adopted by ECOWAS that more pressure should be piled on him to leave office.”
He added: “I don’t support the immediate use of force, that should be the last resort and so I agree with ECOWAS. Today is Friday and I am sure by the end of this week, Yahya Jammeh will bow out. Very soon he will feel that his time is up and so he should leave.
Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com
