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THE DEPARTMENT OF Foreign Affairs has confirmed it is in contact with Irish citizens in the African state of Gambia.
The Department today updated its advisory for the country, telling people to avoid non-essential travel. The country’s outgoing President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency earlier this week, days before he was due to hand over power to Adama Barrow.
Barrow, who is currently sheltering in neighbouring Senegal, maintains his inauguration will go ahead tomorrow on Gambian soil, putting the country on a collision course.
The tensions have led to an exodus of tourists, with British firm Thomas Cook last night announcing it will evacuate 1,000 holidaymakers from the country. Holidaymakers were told that Thomas Cook flights would stop completely in a few days time, leaving them at risk of being stranded.
The Dutch travel firm TUI Nederland told AFP yesterday it would repatriate “about 800″ clients.
The panic caused by the state of emergency could prove devastating for the country’s economy, which experts say relies on tourism for up to 20% of the economy.
Dublin
The Department of Foreign Affairs here says that travellers should be aware that it is “possible that there will be external military intervention and further civil unrest”.
“Because there is no Irish Embassy or Consulate in Gambia, we’re limited in the help we can offer you in an emergency. The best help is often close at hand so if you have problems, try talking to your local contacts, tour operator representative or hotel management.”
The Department today confirmed to TheJournal.ie that it is making contact with the small number of Irish citizens in the country.
“We are currently making contact with the very small number of Irish citizens in Gambia who are registered with the Department.”
Jammeh has led the country since seizing power in 1994. Last year, Amnesty International accused the country of “murder” after opposition leaders were arrested and died in custody.
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Any chance ye’d inform us as to why there’s been a state of emergency declared? I wouldn’t be too familiar with the goings on of the Gambian nation. Maybe it’s just that there’s a presidential switch imminent…
@Meek McCarthy: Suspension of constitution, martial law, government in exile etc. Sounds like a good time to launch a coup.
Did a general Google there and it seems Yahya Jammeh ain’t too keen on relinquishing power… http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/18/gambia-crisis-everything-need-know-battle-remove-president-yahya/
The opposite of yourself at Ipswich there Mick
Who goes on holidays to Gambia …??
@windbag: I did last summer …lovely country, great people all too scared to speak up to their president who lead a military coup and stayed in power ever since. I hope no blood is shed over this.
Donal… Fair play to yeh….
Why do most African countries have a hard time passing power to another elected candidate but instead they go to war with each other.
Merkel seems to be around a long time, how many terms has she served now
@Arthur Callaghan: Western-style democracy and nation-states are a relatively recent import in Africa and don’t have deep roots in civil society. They also came, and to an extent were imposed, with strings attached which allowed western democracies to extract wealth in the name of bringing civilization, Christianity, democracy, human rights etc. That has tainted those ideas in the eyes of some Africans. Such as Jammeh.
Then, Africa is in a tug of war at the moment between western influence/aid money – which Jammeh was rejecting or being cut off from – and other world powers that are emerging to challenge US dominance. Like China. In Jammeh’s case he has been sucking up to the rich Gulf oil states by declaring the Gambia to be an Islamic state and in return presumably they’ve been sending some cash his way. Cash for influence.
Barrow proposes to be less-anti-western so presumably western interests are backing him.
So when you get that kind of jockeying for spheres of influence between competing powers you get internal instability.
Ah I see, thanks for the information
Watch this: https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs
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