United Kingdom’s Foreign Secretary, Mr Boris Johnson paid a visit to The Gambia yesterday and was hosted by the country’s newly elected President Adama Barrow. The visit to The Gambia would be the first recorded visit by a UK Foreign Secretary.
The Foreign Secretary visited The Gambia as part of moves to ensure that the “Global Britain and its partnerships are growing and not shrinking, around the world as demonstrated by the Commonwealth’s strength,” a statement issued from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London said.
The two leaders discussed The Gambia rejoining the common wealth. The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 52 independent and sovereign states. Most are former British colonies or dependencies of these colonies.
Longtime leader Yahya Jammeh, who had ruled since seizing power in 1994, fled Gambia last month after regional militaries launched an operation to remove him after refusing to hand over power to the new elected President.
Barrow is attempting to reverse many of Jammeh’s most controversial decisions, such as leaving the commonwealth. The President is also planning to stop Gambia’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court.
