Answer to Question

The Political Situation in Gambia

(Translated)

Question:

We would like the party to give attention to Muslim issues in Africa, as it does with other Muslim issues; as soon as an event occurs, a publication is issued within a day or two ... but regarding Gambia, for example, nothing has been issued about the events there so far, although it lasted for almost two months, so we request a clarification of what took place there. Furthermore, why do West African countries show this tremendous support to the new president Adama Barrow? Why was there strong pressure on the former president to step down from power? Is his withdrawal from the ICC or naming of the Republic of Gambia as Islamic Gambia related (to the events)? Especially since the new president said on a press conference on 28/01/2017 in the capital Banjul: "that he will keep his promise and overturn the decision adopted by former President Yahya Jammeh concerning his country's withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC)". He also revealed his intention to "change the formal name of the country from the “Islamic Republic of the Gambia” to the “Republic of the Gambia” within the framework of constitutional reforms." (Aljazeera, 29/1/2017)

Answer:

Hizb ut Tahrir is a political party whose ideology is Islam. Thus all Muslims’ issues are of its concern, releasing publications is based on priorities, so if it publishes a statement on an event and postpones another, that shouldn't be taken as a disinterest, and I hope this is made clear with no confusion, and the line path of the party following its idea and method evidently tells so, and may Allah support us. Now I will answer the question, and may Allah grant success:

The answer requires a review of the political reality of Gambia since the advent of  Islam there, and the international conflict around it...it is as follows:

1. Gambia is an Islamic country, its people entered Islam; Muslims now represent about 95% of the country's population; estimated to be two million people. Gambia was colonized by Britain which then gave it independence in 1965, and joined it to the British Commonwealth. Dawda Jawara was appointed as prime minister under the monarchy system that follows the British Crown, and then it made him declare the republic in 1970 to become the first President of the Republic, this was amid the US attack on African countries that were subordinates to the European colonialism, especially those that were monarchy system countries. Britain did this in Libya when America stepped up its offensive strikes there during the monarchy era.

It made an unrenowned officer, Gaddafi who back then aged 26 years old, carry out a bloodless coup d'état against its own subordinate king in 1969, and declare the republic there, to forestall America's intensive attempts to carry out a coup against the monarchy system in Libya. So Britain is not concerned about changes occurring in the form of the regime, but it cares about maintaining the immanence that ensures its influence and colonization .

2. When Gambia was under American pressures and attacks increasingly at the end of the last century, Britain brought a nameless military officer, Yahya Jammeh, aged less than 29 years, and made him carry out the bloodless coup of 22/07/1994 to topple its own subordinate and first president of the country Dawda Jawara whose reign lasted for about 30 years, in order to maintain British influence in the country. During Gaddafi's era, Libya trained Gambian soldiers, whereas Britain used its agent Gaddafi to protect its subordinates in Africa. Gaddafi began to utter libertarian statements and mixed it with an amalgam of some Islamic and Arabism slogans against colonialism, while he was implementing British plans and far from the applying Islam, and so were Yahya Jammeh's procedures; when in 2013 he declared Gambia's withdrawal from the membership of the Association of the British Commonwealth of Nations, he described the Association as "a subjugation for a new colonization" and that it stands for "imposing Western hegemony plans over all countries of the developing world," and he removed English as the official language of the country, adopting Arabic as the official language, he said: “for over 300 years of colonialism, Britain only taught us how to sing "God save the Queen"”. And he declared the Republic of Gambia as an Islamic state in 2015. He said on his country's official television on 11/12/2015 that: "in line with the religious identity and values, I ​​declare "Gambia an Islamic state", and that because Muslims represent the majority of the country's population, the country cannot further continue the colonial legacy, its constitution was of a secular system set up by the English colonizers, whose controlled and colonized it for hundreds of years. Thus, it became the Islamic Republic of the Gambia. The change was only in the formal name and not in the content and the actual application of Islam, like neighboring Mauritania, it is called the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, which does not apply Islam but follows European colonialism. Yahya Jammeh’s step is an attempt to foster his rule and gain more popularity amid criticism of his rule and America's attempts to overthrow him. As a proof of people's love for Islam, the people opposed sending their children to English schools, which deemed as alienating schools that produce generations with harrowed identity and submitted to the colonizers, and they stipulated that the teaching should be in Arabic, and Islamic education should be part of the curriculum. In spite of this, Britain's influence remains untouched, and it stayed in control directly or from behind the curtain through its agents in the country. To Britain it's no problem that Islam is added to the name of the Republic as long as it has no an impact and is just a name without meaning, with no application of Islam, and as long as it keeps its subordinate popular in the face of US pressure.

3. There was a coup attempt on 30/12/2014 against Yahya Jammeh, the presidential palace was attacked in the hope of toppling him while he was out of the country. America was behind the attempt, it appears that the mastermind was a businessman, Cherno Njie, a resident of Texas state in America, along with three others living in America. After the coup failed those four Americans were sentenced with light penalties, Cherno Njie was sentenced to one year in prison, because they are as described by the US attorney, Andrew Luger: "The four men have violated existing laws to protect the foreign policy of our country and all Americans both inside and outside the US". (Reuters 13/5/2016). So America tried its citizens from Gambian origin to cover up the truth, as if it was not aware of this, if the coup succeeded it would have supported it, but since it has failed, it carried out this theatrical play to prosecute these people with light penalties.

4. Thus, the American attack on British and European influence is mounting in West Africa as it is in other areas, on the backdrop of poor record of this or that country on human rights, while they don't really appreciate human rights! America invoked this on Yahya Jammeh in Gambia to replace the British influence and introduce its own, the attacks were very  intensive to the point that Europe has gone along with it to stop to America ... so the European Union has suspended aid to Gambia temporarily using the same pretext : "poor record of human rights".  Britain  wanted to replace its agents in a manner that does not allow America to stand against it because it is in the name of democracy, which is the style used by Western countries to withdraw influence of each other or used as a pretext for intervention, noting that the Gambian constitution requires holding of elections every five years, and Dawda Jawara always won in the elections as well as his party, the Progressive People’s Party who was in control of the Gambian politics, thus the political environment in Gambia is entirely British, it was so along the era of Yahya Jammeh for 22 years who was always announcing his victory. Thus, the presidential elections took place at the end of last year on 02/12/2016. The victory of his opponent Adama Barrow was announced, who used to work in London in the UK as a security guard in stores, and returned to his country Gambia in 2006, and set up a real estate company and still runs it. He is loyal to the British  from head to toe.

5. Yahya Jammeh conceded, declaring on the state television that "the Gambian people decided and voted for someone else to lead the country," he phoned his rival, and said: "You are the elected president of Gambia, I wish you success and the best", but then he retracted when the review of the final counting body announced that the difference between the contenders shrunk from 60 thousand to less than 20 thousand, and spoke of "the inability of some people to reach the ballot, while others were misinformed to not reach the ballot," he said: "We are going back to the ballot box because I want to make sure that every Gambian votes under an unbiased  and independent and impartial committee and not subject to any foreign influence."

As if there was an agreement with him to withdraw and give up the post of president to the new agent, but he thought he could persuade Britain to extend his survival for more years! However, the Europeans, notably Britain, felt that they could no longer keep him, lest that America would snatch the country from Britain, especially that the United States has condemned through its spokesman for the Foreign Secretary, Mark Toner on 10/12/2016 the reject of the Gambian President for the election results, the US spokesman said: "Jammeh‘s position is an offensive breach of confidence of the Gambian people in his country, which is a blatant attempt to undermine the faith of the Gambian people in a credible electoral process, Jammeh's goal is to stay in power illegally", this is a good excuse for the American intervention.

The UK refused to keep him in power, and settled the matter's decision through the West African states (ECOWAS) to intervene, which is a puppet for Europe, especially Britain and France who are most influential in the region. So Senegal, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, introduced a draft decision on 19/1/2017 to the Council to allow the intervention with the support of Britain and France, both permanent European members in the Council. America will not be able to say no, it was leading the opposition of Yahya Jammeh's regime, it was looking for ways to intervene, so the Security Council approved the draft decision unanimously on Thursday, 19/1/2017 CE. The UN Security Council expressed its "full support to the group of West African countries in its commitment to ensure the respect to the will of the people of the Gambia, through political means in the first place." Which means that it is permissible to use non-political means when these methods fail, resorting to the use of military means.

6. And so the matter was resolved ... and Adama Barrow was sworn in, who was residing in Senegal since 15/12/2016, at his country's embassy on 19/01/2017. Senegal, Nigeria,