Harare, Zimbabwe (News of the South)-Gambia’s President Jammeh has finally announced that he will stand down and allow the election winner Adama Barrow to take over the reins ending weeks of tense speculation that had seen neighbouring soldiers amassing on Gambia’s borders in preparation for a potential war.
Barrow last week took the oath of office in Dakar, Senegal and is still holed out of the country fearing for his safety as Jammeh’s word is proving not enough.
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Jammeh’s latest exhibit of power-lust is very much in keeping with trends across the African continent and is the latest after Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza refused to vacate power at the end of his second term in 2015 and sparked a civil war by staying on for an unconstitutional third term.
In April 2015 Nkurunziza, after being in power for a decade, announced that he was not going to step down but would go for another third term sparking riots and demonstrations that left many dead and created over 300 000 refugees who have fled to neighbouring countries.
Tanzania currently has three refugee camps full of Burundians simply because one man feels that ten years in power isn’t enough and he has to remain in power.
Farther down in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) President Kabila is also refusing to step down after the ending of his own term.
The situation in DRC, just as in Gambia, has developed tenseness with fears that the country could degenerate into civil strife again.
The Western belt of the African continent is synonymous with coups civil wars and warfare and some of the current crop of leaders are not doing anything to assuage that view.
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These continued disturbances and crisis have continually played havoc with Africa’s standing as the future of economic growth across the world.
Whilst the rest of the globe is fighting for nobler endings such as economic progression of populations Africa is refusing to shed off the Dark Continent tag.
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