Jammeh stepped down for love of country, religion – Negotiators

Jammeh stepped down for love of country, religion – Negotiators

In pushing Yahya Jammeh to give up The Gambia’ s presidency , negotiators played on two key cards: his deep Muslim faith and his professed love of country.
Jammeh finally quit as president and went into exile on Saturday following intense lobbying by international powers , ending more than a month of crisis that began when he rejected the result of the December 1 election .
Tibou Kamara , a former government minister from Guinea , went early in the crisis to convince Jammeh to leave after 22 years in power in favour of Adama Barrow , who won the ballot .
He was joined last week by Mauritania ’ s President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz and Guinea ’ s President Alpha Conde , to win over Jammeh before a “ last chance saloon ” deadline .
“ It was not easy , because against the determination of the international community, there was a fierce resolve to defend what he saw as law , truth and justice , but especially the independence and sovereignty of his country, ” Kamara said in an interview with AFP.
Kamara had approval to negotiate from Jammeh ’ s wife, whose younger sister is married to a former president of Guinea . Both women have Guinean fathers .
“ We appealed to his faith , ” Kamara said , adding that Jammeh himself often said that “everything that happens to a man is God ’ s will. This carried a lot of weight. ”
Jammeh had long cultivated the image of a devout Muslim, often appearing with prayer beads in hand, and starting his speeches with passages from the Koran .

– Muslim and patriot –
During a day of talks led by the Mauritanian and Guinean leaders — interrupted by a break for Friday prayers — negotiators also reminded Jammeh of his potential place in history .
“ Everybody told him that it wasn ’ t necessary to drag his country into war , ” Kamara said , especially as Jammeh prides himself on having come to power without spilling any blood .
The former Gambia president had also made a point of keeping his country out of the many conflicts that have ravaged West Africa.
Negotiators urged Jammeh to “secure ” this legacy by agreeing to “ leave with dignity ”, Kamara said .
The arguments worked: Jammeh cited them specifically during his televised speech in the early hours of January 21 , when he agreed to stand down.
“ As a Muslim and a patriot , I do not want a single drop of blood to be shed , ” he said .
“ My decision today was not dictated by anything else than the supreme interest of you , the Gambian people, and our dear country. ”
For Kamara, the tense but ultimately successful talks were a victory for Gambians and the region as a whole , under the umbrella of the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS) regional bloc.
But he also warned against “ score-settling ” or “ witch hunts ” against Jammeh ’ s associates , and diplomats have called on Barrow ’ s government to guarantee Jammeh ’ s civil rights , including his eventual return after leaving the country for Equatorial Guinea .
Kamara’ s efforts have paid off: on Wednesday , Guinea ’ s president named him his “ personal advisor ” with rank of government minister .