President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia pulled a fast one on his Liberian counterpart, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, on Monday, January 16, 2017 as he released the video recording of a telephone conversation between the both of them without giving her prior notice.
Sirleaf is the chairperson of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, which is leading the charge in mediation between Jammeh and the winner of the December election, Adama Barrow, the opposition candidate.
Despite conceding early, Jammeh made an about-turn and has since rejected the result of the poll, even annulling the poll.
In the leaked conversation, Jammeh pleaded with Sirleaf to convince West African leaders to allow judges from other West African nations step into the legal process in Gambia to listen to his petition against Barrow’s victory.
Jammeh, who has ruled the country for 22 years, said that he wants the constitution of the Gambia to be obeyed, and that the proposed January 19th handover date is not “set in stone.”
Sirleaf advised Jammeh to put his request in writing, saying that such a move will “go a long way.” Her suggestion to him has been interpreted by some as an attempt to support him.
Following the leak of the conversation however, Sirleaf spoke to the BBC, emphatically stating that “there is no change in ECOWAS position.”
The video of the leaked conversation:
via The Scoop
