A Pariah State in West Africa

Posted: January 11th, 2017

By Jeff Smith

Jeffrey Smith is the founding director of Vanguard Africa, a nonprofit organization that supports pro-reform, ethical leaders in Sub-Saharan Africa. Vanguard Africa worked extensively on the recent election in the Gambia, which included support to the political coalition that defeated President Yahya Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years. Mr. Smith has over a decade of experience working on international human rights and pro-democracy issues, including prior positions at the RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, Freedom House, the National Endowment for Democracy, Institute for Democratic Alternatives in South Africa (IDASA), and UNESCO.

After more than two decades in power, Gambian President Yahya Jammeh lost the December election to his opponent, Adama Barrow. However, Jammeh now says he does not accept the election results. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) approved a “standby force” to be deployed to The Gambia, with the threat of a full military intervention if Jammeh doesn’t step down by January 19, Barrow’s planned inauguration day (although ECOWAS has recently voiced its commitment to a peaceful mediation process). The Cipher Brief’s Kaitlin Lavinder spoke with Jeffrey Smith, Founding Director of Vanguard Africa, about these latest developments. Vanguard Africa is a nonprofit organization that worked extensively on the recent Gambian election.

The Cipher Brief: It’s not surprising that an African leader, who has been in power for more than two decades like Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, wants to retain control. It is somewhat surprising that Jammeh conceded defeat, only to later announce he will not step down. Why did he do this?

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