Yahya Jammeh

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Yahya Jammeh (2014)

Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh , born as Yahya Alphonse Jemus Jebulai Jammeh (born May 25, 1965 in Kanilai , West Coast Region ) is a Gambian politician. He was President of the West African state of Gambia from 1996 to mid-January 2017 .

Life

Jammeh's parents emigrated from Senegal and moved to the Gambian town of Kanilai near the border. He himself belongs to the Diola ethnic group (spelling variant: Jola ).

Jammeh dropped out of advanced training in April 1984 to join the Gambia National Gendarmerie (GNG). The GNG was a military or police unit and the forerunner of the later Gambia National Army (GNA), today's land force of the Gambian armed forces . In this role he was trained in Georgia in the United States . As of December 1989, Jammeh member of the bodyguard of President Dawda Jawara . He participated in the Gambian peacekeeping contingent that was sent to Liberia and received further training in Turkey and at Fort McClellan in Alabama .

On July 22, 1994, as a lieutenant in the military police , Jammeh led a coup that ended with the overthrow of Jawara. The military junta , called the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC), was ruled by Jammeh for two years, until the 1996 presidential election . From this election he emerged victorious and from then on carried on the business of government as President. Previously on September 8, 1996, Jammeh resigned from the army with the rank of colonel. When he took office, he was considered the youngest head of state in the world.

Jammeh married Tuti Faal in September 1994 . It was his first marriage. Since the marriage remained childless, he is said to have sent her to Saudi Arabia for gynecological examinations in 1998. He married the Moroccan Zineb Jammeh in December 1998 and divorced her a little later while Tuti Faal was still absent. The marriage resulted in two children, a daughter (* 2000) and a son (* 2007). Yahya Jammeh married another woman, Alima Sallah , in October 2010 .

The years of dictatorship

After the reintroduction of the death penalty under Islamic law ( Sharia ), the small country was increasingly isolated until Jammeh reversed the isolation of Gambia by promoting environmental protection and tourism.

From year to year the personality cult that Jammeh orchestrated became more evident. He had a huge triumphal arch built in the Gambia's capital Banjul to commemorate his coup , the Arch 22 , and had a palatial villa built in his birthplace in the south of the country. In addition to numerous corruption scandals , Jammeh was also known for his excessive lifestyle. In order to stifle criticism, the press was brought into line. Opposition members had Jammeh tortured , u. a. from electric shocks, oxygen deprivation and scalding with hot liquids. African human rights organizations detailed dozens of cases in which Gambier " disappeared without a trace ".

In 2003, President George W. Bush met with the presidents of the West African countries. (Jammeh 2nd from left)
Yahya Jammeh (2nd from left) with wife, President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama at the White House on August 5, 2014

In public, Jammeh presented himself as a devout Muslim . He was always dressed in white with the Koran in one hand and the prayer beads in the other. On December 11, 2015, he declared the Gambia an "Islamic Republic".

Although he had established a police state and ruled dictatorially, Jammeh was concerned with maintaining the semblance of democracy. So he was confirmed as president in "controlled" elections. In November 2011, Jammeh was re-elected for a fourth term. According to the electoral commission, he received 72% of the vote. The West African Economic Community (ECOWAS) had already criticized the presidential elections as “not free, fair and transparent” and, due to the circumstances , refrained from sending election observers .

2016 presidential election

In the presidential election in Gambia on December 1, 2016, Yahya Jammeh was defeated by his opponent Adama Barrow . Barrow won 43% of the vote, Jammeh 40%, and a third candidate, Mamma Kandeh , 17%. The electoral defeat of Jammeh after his 22-year rule came as a complete surprise to most political observers. It was commonly referred to as "shock". Various reasons were given for the defeat. Young voters in particular seemed to have turned their backs on Jammeh because of the unfavorable economic situation and the lack of prospects. The newly organized electoral system included an on-site vote count in the constituency with immediate announcement of the results, which made systematic election fraud more difficult. The 82-year-old head of the Gambia's Independent Electoral Commission, Alieu Momarr Njai, was also praised as “honest and credible” by opposition politicians.

After Jammeh initially admitted his electoral defeat, he said a week later on December 9, 2016 in a televised speech that he did not recognize the election result because there had been "serious and unacceptable irregularities". He would strive for a new election, which should be held under the direction of a “godly and independent electoral commission”. Jammeh's remarks aroused sharp criticism from the United States, neighboring Senegal and Human Rights Watch . The UN Security Council called on December 10, 2016 Jammeh unanimously to "respect the vote of the sovereign Gambian people" and representatives of the African Union called Jammeh's remarks for "null and void" ( "null and void" ).

On January 18, 2017, the Jammeh-dominated Gambian parliament voted to extend his term of office, which ended on January 19, 2017, by 90 days. In addition, Parliament extended the 7-day state of emergency imposed by Jammeh on January 17, 2017 to 90 days. As the crisis worsened, most European tourists left the country and tens of thousands of Gambians fled to neighboring Senegal. Senegalese troops were concentrated on the border with Gambia and began to invade Gambia the following day. On January 20, 2017, Jammeh finally resigned and resigned as President of The Gambia.

exile

On January 21, 2017, Jammeh flew with some supporters from Gambia towards Equatorial Guinea . On board was Guinea's President Alpha Condé , who had largely mediated the transfer of power. Jammeh's successor in the presidency, Barrow, has since announced that a commission will be set up to investigate his misconduct during his reign. After Jammeh left, advisors to the new President Barrow said that approximately $ 11 million had been withdrawn from the Gambian treasury in the 14 days prior to Jammeh's departure. In addition, three luxury automobiles (Rolls-Royce, Bentley) Jammehs were brought out of the country and another ten were confiscated at the airport. In Jammeh's exile, Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema , with whom Jammeh is said to have maintained business contacts for a long time, rules authoritarian . Equatorial Guinea does not recognize the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court , so that there is little chance of a possible extradition request being successful.

On December 21, 2017, under the Magnitsky Act, the United States government decreed that Jammeh's assets were among those assets located in the United States that must be completely frozen due to corruption and human rights violations .

Coming to terms with the government

At the end of June 2019, the former beauty queen Fatou Jallow and two other anonymous women told human rights organizations that they had been sexually harassed or raped by Jammeh during his tenure. Jammeh himself did not comment on the allegations.

In July 2019, Jammeh was charged before the Gambian Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission of ordering the 2004 murder of AFP journalist Deyda Hydara . Members of his then elite group Junglers also testified that they had killed over 50 immigrants and two US citizens on his command. Jammeh is also charged with rape and sexual assault.

In September 2019, the results of the Janneh Commission , a committee of inquiry set up by the Barrow government to investigate Jammeh's financial activities, were published. Accordingly, Jammeh has appropriated public funds amounting to at least one billion dalasi as well as 260 million US dollars and 281 real estate. As a result, the property was confiscated, a lifelong ban on office was imposed, and charges were prepared in court.

Self-image and worldview

In Western media, Jammeh mostly appeared "as a caricature of an African dictator". During his tenure, he made headlines with questionable decisions and claims. The seemingly absurdity of many of the utterances made it easy to forget how brutal his rule was.

Persecution of homosexuals

In 2008 he urged all homosexuals to leave Gambia within 24 hours. He threatened as well, all lesbians and gay men to whom he discover in the country heads . He also announced that he would have the legislation on homosexuality tightened, which would be even stricter than in Iran . In 2013, Jammeh identified homosexuals as one of the three greatest threats to human existence at the UN General Assembly . He will fight homosexuals "like malaria mosquitoes". Since a change in the law in October 2014, homosexuality has been punished with life imprisonment (see Homosexuality in Gambia ).

Alleged healing and psychic powers

At the beginning of February 2007, Jammeh came under fire, especially from doctors and AIDS experts, when he announced that he could cure AIDS and asthma with the laying on of hands. The healing time is only three days. Although he had previously observed these skills in himself, he was only recently authorized to use them. He offered the 20,000 or so HIV-positive Gambians to treat them free of charge, but the prerequisite for such therapy was that antiviral drugs against AIDS be discontinued immediately. Jammeh continues to believe that he has clairvoyant powers. A representative of the United Nations was expelled from the country for commenting that there was no evidence of the alleged miracle cures, that those who were allegedly cured still carry the virus and could spread it. The pro-government newspaper The Observer declared their statements to be "irresponsible".

Jammeh also announced that he would like to cure diabetes free of charge and within five minutes. In response to allegations made by some Gambian parliamentarians that he was mentally ill, Jammeh said he could only predict the exact time of death by looking in a person's eyes.

Further comments

In 2003, he claimed that members of the opposition have the carcass of a lion and one at an intersection gourd with palm wine buried. He accused them of wanting to destroy the Gambian economy. He fired the head of the secret service because he had used the services of a Senegalese magician.

Likewise, in 2013 the government of Yahya Jammeh introduced the four-day week for state employees "so that people have more time to pay homage to him." The free time should be used for "praying and resting" as well as for "social activities and agriculture".

At the 50th anniversary of Gambia's independence in 2015, he announced that “by the end of 2015 it would be the only remaining superpower. The time has come for us to overtake Dubai , Singapore , the US , Qatar and others. This year these states will look up to Gambia, the richest country in the world ”.

various

He was one of the signatories of the Amman Message ( Amman Message ).

Honors

In 1999, the Canadian University of Saint Mary’s in Halifax awarded Jammeh an honorary doctorate in civil law "for his services to prosperity, peace and harmony" .

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Yahya Jammeh  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Emmanuel Kwaku Akyeampong, Henry Louis Gates, Mr Steven J. Niven: Dictionary of African Biography . OUP USA, 2012, ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5 ( google.de [accessed September 2, 2019]).
  2. ^ Gambia election: Candidates' profiles BBC News, October 17, 2001
  3. ↑ Pa Nderry Mbai: Gambia: Gambia's Former First Lady Is Seeking Political Asylum In The United States; As Jammeh's Fall Is Imminent! In: Freedom Newspaper. January 15, 2016, Retrieved September 2, 2019 (American English).
  4. ^ A New Addition To The First Family Of Gambia The Daily Observer from July 6, 2000
  5. ↑ President Jammeh Marries 20-Yr-Old Moroccan Girl Spice News Services, December 21, 1998
  6. ^ Gambia: A new addition to the First Family of Gambia . allafrica.com, July 6, 2000 (English).
  7. ↑ Gambia: Dictator Jammeh gets a new son . allafrica.com, accessed May 31, 2015.
  8. ↑ Gambia: President Jammeh marries second wife . allafrica.com, accessed May 31, 2015.
  9. ↑ a b c d e Fabian Urech: Dictatorship apart from the world public . nzz.ch, January 20, 2015.
  10. ↑ David Signer: Jammeh admits defeat. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung, December 3, 2016, p. 7.
  11. ↑ Gambia is now "Islamic" . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung, December 14, 2015, p. 8.
  12. ^ Neue Zürcher Zeitung : Gambia's head of state Jammeh wins presidential election , November 25, 2011.
  13. ^ Independent Electoral Commission - IEC Gambia: The Total Of Final Election Results . In: iec.gm. Retrieved December 12, 2016 .
  14. ↑ Gambia's Jammeh loses to Adama Barrow in shock election result . BBC News, December 2, 2016, accessed December 10, 2016 .
  15. ↑ How Gambia's Yahya Jammeh lost his grip on power . BBC News, December 8, 2016, accessed December 10, 2016 .
  16. ↑ a b Gambia leader Yahya Jammeh rejects election result. BBC News, December 10, 2016, accessed December 10, 2016 .
  17. ↑ Gambia President Yahya Jammeh must step down - UN. BBC News, December 10, 2016, accessed December 10, 2016 .
  18. ^ Gambian president Jammeh declares state of emergency. vanguardngr.com, January 17, 2017, accessed January 19, 2017 .
  19. ^ The Gambia's Yahya Jammeh's term extended by parliament. BBC News, January 18, 2017, accessed January 18, 2017 .
  20. ↑ Jaime Yaya Barry, Dionne Searceyjan: President's Term Running Out, Gambia Shudders as He Refuses to Quit. The New York Times, January 18, 2017, accessed January 19, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Gambia's President declares a state of emergency. Zeit online, January 17, 2017, accessed on January 17, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Gambia - Ex-President Yahya Jammeh clears the field Spiegel online, January 20, 2017
  23. ↑ Gambia's ex-president Jammeh goes into exile. Deutsche Welle, January 21, 2017, accessed on January 21, 2017 .
  24. ↑ The Gambia 'missing millions' after Jammeh flies into exile. BBC News, January 23, 2017, accessed January 23, 2017 .
  25. ^ Donald Trump: Executive Order Blocking the Property of Persons Involved in Serious Human Rights Abuse or Corruption .
  26. ↑ Issuance of Global Magnitsky Executive Order; Global Magnitsky Designations .
  27. ↑ Gambia: Yahya Jammeh accused of killing journalist. africanews.com, July 23, 2019, accessed July 23, 2019
  28. ↑ Investigating Jammeh's reign says he was ordered to kill migrants. africanews.com, July 26, 2019, accessed July 26, 2019
  29. ↑ Ebrima Dampha: Jammeh Gets Life Ban, Faces Criminal Trial. In: The Standard Newspaper. Retrieved January 17, 2020 (American English).
  30. ^ President Jammeh gives ultimatum for homosexuals to leave . thepoint.gm, May 19, 2008.
  31. ↑ Gambia: Gays are biggest threat to world, President Yahya Jammeh tells UN . independent.co.uk, September 27, 2013
  32. ↑ Johannes Dieterich: The president wants to heal AIDS patients twice a week . In: Frankfurter Rundschau , February 5, 2007, p. 1.
  33. ^ A b Marco Evers: Idiotensichere Methode , Der Spiegel 2007/10, pp. 172 and 173 ( online ).
  34. ↑ Press release of the Presidential Office of the Republic of Gambia: President Jammeh to start diabetes cure soon , April 3, 2007 (English).
  35. ↑ a b Gambia's President Jammeh in portrait: gay haters and AIDS healers ( Memento from June 10, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  36. ↑ Gambia introduces four-day week . SZ online, January 23, 2013.
  37. ↑ St. Mary's University press release , no longer accessible December 12, 2013; St. Mary's University in Halifax has meanwhile deleted all references to Yahya Jammeh from its website.
personal data
SURNAME Jammeh, Yahya
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Jammeh, Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung (full name); Jammeh, Yahya Alphonse Jemus Jebulai (birth name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Gambian politician, President of the Gambia (1994-2017)
DATE OF BIRTH May 25, 1965
PLACE OF BIRTH Kanilai , West Coast Region