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PRESS RELEASE
The Government
of the Republic of The Gambia hereby informs
members of the diplomatic corps in The
Gambia, as well as the diplomatic missions
accredited to The Gambia but with residence
outside territory of The Gambia,
representations of international
organizations, and the general public as
follows:-
It will be
recalled that a few days ago, an
Extraordinary Meeting of Heads of State of
the Economic of West African States (Ecowas)
was convened in Abuja, Federal Republic of
Nigeria, to discuss the political impasse in
the Republic of Cote d'Ivoire. The Abuja
meeting concluded with the Heads of State
present in Abuja agreeing to assume all
means necessary, including the use of
military force, to compel the government
headed by the incumbent president of Cote
d'Ivoire to relinquish political power.
The Government of the Republic of The Gambia
has serious reservations about the final
outcome of the Extraordinary Meeting, and
therefore opposes it given the apparent
adverse consequences that could emanate from
the implementation of the decision of the
use of military force to compel the
incumbent government in Cote d'Ivoire to
hand over political power. The Gambia
Government does not subscribe to the use of
force or resort to violence to solve
disputed election results as that is
interfering in the internal affairs of a
member state which is illegal under both the
Ecowas and AU Charters.
Ecowas
therefore has no legal mandate to intervene
militarily to topple the current Government
in Cote d'Ivoire. Also there are many
questions that Ecowas should answer before
they can claim any moral authority in this
situation:
Why didn't Ecowas intervene when the rebels
invaded Cote d'Ivoire in 2003, which led to
the civil war that killed thousands of
innocent people? These are the same rebels
that are claiming victory to an election
that has been decided by a constitutional
court. In all Francophone Africa, the
constitutional courts have the final
decision in the event of elections disputes.
In Cote d'Ivoire's case, the court ruled and
Ecowas is not accepting that ruling only
because of pressure from some western powers
whose vested interests in the natural
resources of Cote d'Ivoire is an open
secret. We remember in the United States of
America of a presidential race that was
decided by the Supreme Court and it was
accepted. Why can't Ecowas and the
international community accept the decision
of the constitutional court of Cote
d'Ivoire?
Guinea Bissau has faced a fair share of coup
and assassinations in the recent past.
Ecowas has never intervened to put an end to
the carnage and impunity in Guinea Bissau.
Why didn't
Ecowas intervene in Guinea Conakry to put an
end to the former criminal government of
Captain Musa Dadis Camara that ended up
slaughtering many people including innocent
women and children? Even after this
horrible crime, Ecowas never intervened
militarily to topple that criminal regime.
Why has it
taken Ecowas so long to intervene in Sierra
Leone after witnessing thousands of innocent
people being butchered, maimed and raped in
their thousands? Ecowas should have
intervened from the outset in Sierra Leone,
that could have saved thousands of innocent
lives but No!
Ecowas, which has been established to bring
economic prosperity to the West African
people, will not allowed to be turned into a
war machine to embark on military adventures
in the pursuit of foreign interests that are
very detrimental to say the least to Africa
in general and West Africa in particular.
African
countries should be aware of those
neocolonialist powers who are only
interested in setting up puppet regimes in
natural resource endowed countries in order
to continue the daylight robbery of our
resources. It is high time that foreign
powers are forced to respect the
independence and sovereignty of African
countries; as well stop them from
interfering in our internal electoral
processes. Africans should put an end to
this dictatorship of the neocolonialist and
racist powers deciding for us who should
lead African countries.
The people of Cote D'Ivoire should know that
if they opt for war, their own kit and kin
are those that are going to be killed. They
would kill each other just for the sake of a
few individuals who are only interested in
assuming political power at any cost
disregarding the terrible price that the
citizens of Cote d'Ivoire will have to pay.
The Gambia
Government urges the Economic Community of
West African State (ECOWAS) to tread on the
path of dialogue in a bid to avert bloodshed
and the possible recurrence of civil war in
Cote d'Ivoire, with envisaged attendant
consequences on the stability of the West
African sub-region. Being a proponent of
peace throughout the world and a staunch
adherent to the principles of peaceful
resolution to all crisis as the only
solution beneficial to humanity, the
government of the Republic of The Gambia's
position on the current political crisis in
Cote d'Ivoire is that only dialogue between
the people of Cote d'Ivoire and assisted by
well-meaning members of the international
community and not exploiters; would bring
about a solution that would be in the
interest of both Cote d'Ivoire and the West
African sub-region. The Gambia Government
stands ready to support any action or steps
being taken to find a peaceful solution to
the crisis.
It is therefore in the spirit of the
principle of non-interference in the
internal affairs of sovereign states as
enshrined in the ECOWAS Charter that we
urged ECOWAS to bring both sides to the
negotiating table rather than take sides in
a matter that only the people of Cote
d'Ivoire, using their constitutional
provisions, can solve peacefully.
In this regard, the Government of the
Republic of The Gambia declares its total
disagreement to the use of force, and
reiterates its commitment to fully partake
in all peaceful initiatives at all levels,
aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to
the Cote d'Ivoire.
28th
December 2010 |
