Jammeh’s Moment of Truth

Gambia, a tiny West African nation with the highest number of illegal immigrants into Europe, is at a political crossroads after Yahya Jammeh’s refusal to hand over power to Adama Barrow, the nation’s president-elect who won elections in December, last year.

The act has already set Jammeh, one of Africa’s dreaded dictators on a collision path with the international community.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) promised to deploy its regional military force, to kick Jammeh out and oversee the peaceful swearing-in of Barrow, currently in neighboring Senegal.

Diplomacy between Jammeh and ECOWAS failed, setting the stage for a military intervention.

The world is watching with keen interest to see what happens on Thursday, the day Barrow is supposed to be sworn-into office.

Jammeh lost in the election, barely a month after he vowed to rule for a billion years, describing it as the will of Allah.

He initially conceded defeat but made a U-turn and declared to hold ono power and contest the results in court, saying that the poll was not independent.

The nation’s Supreme Court which is supposed to hear the petition is lacks a full bench and the Chief Justice, Emmanuel Fagbenle withdrew from hearing the case.

Some of Jammeh’s ambassadors and ministers resigned from their positions and urged the despot to accept the will of Gambians by peacefully handing over power to Barrow.

The writing is on the wall for the man, who once threatened to behead all gay people in the nation and earned a dubious distinction for using security forces to intimidate the opposition through arbitrary arrests and torture, suppressing media freedom and numerous human rights abuses.

As Thursday draws ever close and Gambia’s hopes for a peaceful transition threatened, African Union that has silently seen dictators flout the law to hold onto power, has a chance to prove to its doubters that it cares about ordinary Africans. 

Gambians expressed their democratic right and against Jammeh’s expectations, voted him out.

Jammeh finds himself between a rock and hard-surface, albeit self-inflicted.

He blatantly refused to hand over power, instead declaring a state of emergency days before Barrow’s inauguration.

Jammeh is isolated, at home and internationally.

The decision by ECOWAS to put its regional military on standby spells a bitter end to the man, who once vowed to rule the nation for a billion years, saying it was the will of Allah.

At the height of a rule characterized by intolerance to criticism, Jammeh dared human rights groups and international community, opposed to his rule to go to hell.

He is now forced to humbly swallow his own words, and the numerous counts of human rights abuses he sanctioned against journalists and opposition politicians are about to haunt him.

Afcon Sets Africa Alight In Gabon

The 31^st edition of the African Cup of Nations, that kicked off on Saturday in Libreville, Gabon has so far seen only two wins from the opening eight games, with only Senegal and Ghana enjoying victories.

Defending champions Ivory Coast, Algeria,Egypt, Morocco, hosts Gabon, dark-horses Cameroon, Burkina Faso registered draws while African Footballer of the Year, Riyad Mahrez leads the scoring charts with two goals.

Senegal and Algeria, the top-ranked sides on the continent are front-runners to succeed Ivory Coast as the new African champions.

There are suspects who lead the charge to succeed Ivory Coast as Africa’s finest, while some limping giants of yester-years are also in with a shout, not forgetting the likelihood of an outsider springing a surprise. 

Senegal

The Lions of Teranga are ranked number one in Africa by the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

They are led by their mercurial Liverpool attacker, Sadio Mane, who is the club’s leading goal-scorer this season.

Mane will be ably supported by the industrious Cheikh Kouyatte of West Ham United, Mame Diouf of Stoke City, the tough-tackling Idrissa Gueye of Everton, Mohamed Diame of Newcastle and Kalidou Koulibaly, the highly-rated defender at Italian giants SSC Napoli.

A place in the final is not far-fetched for the resurgent team, coached by Aliou Cisse, who was part of a formidable side that defeated defending champions, France before losing in the quarter finals of the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

Algeria

The Desert Foxes, another of Africa’s rising power is seen by many as a key contender in Gabon.

Algeria has the fleet-footed Riyad Mahrez, Africa’s Player of the Year whose exploits gifted Leicester its first-ever Premier League title last season.

He currently leads the scorers chart with two goals against Zimbabwe on Sunday.

Mahrez is backed by club-mate Islam Slimane, Yacine Brahimi of Portuguese giants, Porto, Nabil Bentaleb of Schalke 04 in Germany, Adlene Guedioura of English club, Watford and Faouzi Ghoulam of Italian giants, SSC Napoli.

Algeria will bank their recent success to add a second title to the 1990 triumph on home-soil.

The Desert Foxes salvaged a late equalizer to draw two-all against a determined Zimbabwe side that had threatened to upset the odds!

The Pharaohs

Africa’s most successful national side, Egypt won three titles in 2006, 2008 and 2010 before the Arab Spring threw the nation into turmoil in 2011.

After missing the past three editions, Egypt led by Arsenal’s combative midfielder, Mohamed Elneny and Muhammed Salah of Italian giants, AS Roma, the team is set to challenge for the honors once again.

Egypt defeated Nigeria, another of Africa’s giants to the sole ticket to this year’s edition.

Veteran shot-stopper, Essam El Hadary, who stood in the post for the victories in 2006, 08 and 2010 is in the squad alongside Ahmed Elmohamady of Hull City, Ramada Sobhi of Stoke City and key players from the high-profile Al Ahly and Zamalek sides.

Egypt held Mali to a goalless draw in the opening match last night.

Black Stars

One of Africa’s best sides not to win the tournament I since their last triumph in 1982.

Twice runners-up in 2010 and 2015, the team is led by prolific goal-scorer, Asamoah Gyan of Al Ahli in the United Arab Emirates, Daniel Amartey of English champions Leicester, Thomas Partey of Spanish giants, Atletico Madrid, Christian Atsu of Newcastle and the Ayew brothers, Andre of West Ham and Jordan of Aston Villa.

Avram Grant, who led English giants, Chelsea to the UEFA Champions League and League Cup final in the 2007-08 season, is the man tasked with leading Ghana to the 2017 diadem. He also coached West Ham United.

Black needed an Andrew Ayew penalty in the first half, to beat Uganda in a match the East Africans were unlucky not to score in the second half.

Atlas Lions

Morocco’s only triumph was in 1976.

The team is making a return to the competition after its suspension by Confederation of African Football (CAF) from the 2015 edition for refusal to host the tournament due to the Ebola virus that hit West Africa.

Atlas Lions are led by Herve Renard, the French tactician who led Zambia to glory in 2012 and Ivory Coast in 2015.

Mehdi Benatia of Italian champions, Juventus, Sofiane Boufal of Southampton and Nordin Amrabat of Watford are the key men in Renard’s team.

Renard’s impressive showing at the helm of Zambia and Ivory Coast makes Morocco a side capable of springing a surprise in Gabon.

They lost by a solitary goal to Democratic Republic of Congo in the opening match, in a match they should have won.

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Three others go into the tournament, with little expectations, either due to international retirement by their stars and others opting to stay with their clubs in the European leagues.

Cameroon

Giants of yester-years best describes the West African nation.

Indomitable Lions as they are fondly called won a trio of titles in 2000, 2002 and 2004, but have since relinquished the fear factor to the likes of Cote D’Ivoire, Senegal and Algeria.

The unavailability of key players such as Liverpool defender, Joel Matip, Eric Moting of Schalke 04, Allan Nyom of English side West Bromwich Albion and Andre Anguissa of Olympic Marseille in France left coach Hugo Broos with a team deprived of power and experience.

They drew one-all in the opening match against a physical Burkina Faso side.

Ivory Coast

The Elephants are the defending champions. Without the their golden boys, Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure, Kolo Toure who retired and the injured Gervinho, the nation stands slim chances of defending the title won two years ago.

Eric Bailly, a defender with English powerhouse, Manchester United, Wilfred Zaha of Crystal Palace, Wilfred Bony of Stoke City and Serge Aurier of Paris Saint Germain in France are the notable men in Coach Michel Dussuyer’s line-up.

Progressing from a tough group that includes a resurgent Atlas Lions of Morocco under the man who led them to glory in 2015, a potentially tricky Democratic Republic of Congo team and Togo is no easy task.

A semi-final berth perhaps represents the defending champion’s realistic chance in Gabon.

The Elephants fired blanks in the opening match against Togo, in a drub match that ended goalless. 

Democratic Republic of Congo

The Red Devils won third place in the 2015 edition held in Equatorial Guinea.

Cedrick Bakambu of Villareal will lead the line in the absence of Benik Afobe of Bournemouth, who opted out of the competition.

Mbemba Chancel of Newcastle, Youssuf Mulumbu of Norwich and Dieumerci Mbokani, the hard-working striker at English club, Hull City are the other high-profile names in The Leopards team, that seeks to go one better than the third place in Equatorial Guinea in 2015. 

The team has an array of talent from the TP Mazembe, one of Africa’s most dominant club sides that who won CAF Confederations Cup last year. 

They are Matampi Ley, Issama Djo, Bope Merveille and Bolingi Jonathan.

In Florent Ibenge, the team has one of Africa’s most successful local coaches in recent times.

After a lucky win against Morocco in the opening match, The Leopards are set to fight for the top two slots from a tough group, in a tough pool that also includes Ivory Coast and Togo.

Jammeh Set for a Bloody end?

Gambia, one of Africa’s most impoverished nations is on the edge of a political crisis that could plunge the nation into violence, after President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency, a move that further points to his desire to hold onto power despite his defeat to Adama Barrow.

Barrow, a former security guard in a London store is set to be sworn in on Thursday. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has backed him and plans for military intervention are alive, in case Jammeh refuses to cede power.

The embattled despot, who has ruled Gambia since 1994 already saw his Finance, Trade, Foreign Affairs and Environment ministers resign, while Emmanuel Fagbenle, the Chief Justice withdrew from hearing the case in which Jammeh sought to stop Barrow’s inauguration.

The resignations have greatly weakened Jammeh’s strong grip at home, while in the international community, nations such as Senegal consider him a pariah for antagonizing its past and current leaders.

Jammeh is running short of options since his blatant refusal after talks with an ECOWAS delegation, led by Liberia president, Ellen Sirleaf-Johnson.

The man who single-handedly declared The Gambia to be a Muslim state and withdrew it from the Commonwealth, is sure to exit the nation’s highest office.

The nature of his exit threatens to be bloody. 

Foreign military intervention, most likely to launch attacks from neighboring Senegal remains the most likely option on Thursday.

He vowed to rule the tiny West African nation for a billion years, adding it was the will of Allah. Jammeh is now forced to accept the end has come.

Jammeh’s refusal to hand-over power to Barrow may hinge on a clever decision to strike a deal with the international community, where he will be granted asylum in exchange for a peaceful transition.

Under his iron-fisted rule, media freedom has suffered, opposition leaders arbitrary arrested, tortured and some died in police custody, not forgetting his HIV-cure antics, where he subjected patients to partake of dangerous paraphernalia.

Jammeh knows too well that when Barrow comes to power, it may be the start of his tribulations before the Gambian courts that he has for years patronized.

Nigeria has reportedly sent a war-ship to the coast of Gambia as the likelihood of military action against Jammeh draws ever close.

ECOWAS and the international community vowed to ensure the popular decision of the Gambian people, and save them from the feared tin-pot dictator.

Jammeh, once the dreaded despot is about to endure an embarrassing and possibly bloody last day in power.