Same old story. The saviour turns dictator. Poor Gambia.

Gambia's joy gives way to sinking distrust as Barrow clings to power
When he ended the brutal 22-year presidency of Yahya Jammeh, he was hailed as a hero. But the hope inspired by Adama Barrow’s ascent has long since faded
Ruth Maclean in Banjul and Saikou Jammeh

Mon 23 Sep 2019 09.00 BST
Almost three years ago, Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule over the small west African nation of the Gambia came to a shock end. Fed up with the constant fear and human rights abuses, a floundering economy and endemic corruption, Gambians voted out one of Africa’s most notorious strongmen.

The man who beat him, estate agent, businessman and one-time Argos security guard Adama Barrow, was a political nobody who united a divided opposition in a coalition, promising to create jobs, repeal bad laws and create a level political playing field. He also promised to be only a transitional president, resigning after three years.

With the deadline creeping up, however, Gambians who voted Barrow in say there has been little progress and many abuses of power in the country since he took over. Some even draw comparisons with Jammeh’s governing style, and worry that he too may use constitutional changes to rule for decades too.

“In terms of the corruption, the inefficiency, the bad judgement, that basically is the same. Multiple abuses continue all the time,” said the prominent Gambian human rights activist Madi Jobarteh. “The only difference one would see would be [that there are fewer] gross human rights violations … and probably the extent to which Jammeh was grabbing land [and] properties.”

For a moment in 2016, Barrow inspired hope in a cowed country. Two days before the election, a group of opposition politicians rarely seen together arrived in a clearing near the capital. This was not the kind of meeting you usually got away with attending in Jammeh’s repressive country, where many opposition leaders were in jail. As uncharismatic, mild Barrow arrived, he was mobbed by a euphoric crowd.

The elation reached its peak after Jammeh finally accepted defeat, flying off to Equatorial Guinea with a plane full of close aides and luxury cars. Barrow was hailed by adoring crowds wherever he went.

However, the coalition fell apart within months due to political infighting, and hopes have been deflating ever since.

With 41.5% of the Gambia’s youth unemployed in 2018, according to the Gambia Bureau of Statistics, tens of thousands of people each year are still risking their lives trying to get to Europe to find work. People’s living conditions have not improved, experts say, and neither have basic services.

In the official budget, most of the country’s money is spent on defence, security and foreign affairs. Education and health are lower priorities.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-deve ... s-to-power