The golden, tumultuous and normalising eras in the Gambia-UK and Commonwealth relations

ABSTRACT

The Gambia and the United Kingdom (UK) had cordial relations from 1965 until 1994 when a military coup led by Yahya AJJ Jammeh resulted in sanctions, accusations of misrule and the expulsion of British diplomats. When Jammeh lost the December 2016 presidential elections to Adama Barrow, the UK declared a new era of cordial relationship with the Gambia. Barrow in turn promised the Gambia’s return to the Commonwealth. This article provides an analysis of the Gambia’s relations with the UK and the Commonwealth, arguing that these relationships can be divided into three eras, each reflecting the nature of Gambian politics under different presidents; 1965–1994 is referred to as the golden era of relations, followed by the tumultuous years of 1994–2016, and then the years since 2017, characterised as a ‘normalising’ period.

KEYWORDS:

• The Gambia
• The United Kingdom
• The Commonwealth
• aid
• normalising foreign relations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

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18 Hughes and Perfect, A Political History of the Gambia, 1816–1994.

19 A Political History of the Gambia contains a single chapter on the Gambia’s foreign policy which is further limited by its coverage on the first republic only.

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33 Southorn, ‘The Gambia: Earliest British settlement in West Africa’. p. 533.

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36 Hughes and Perfect, A Political History of the Gambia, 1816–1994.

37 Royal Colonial Institute, Report of the Council of the Royal Colonial Institute on the Gambia question: January1876. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, 1876.

38 Royal Colonial Institute, Report of the Council of the Royal Colonial Institute on the Gambia question, Appendix B, Foreign and Commonwealth Office Collection, January 1876. P. 9.

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42 KBC. Onwubiko, History of West Africa: 1800- Present Day (Lagos: Book Two, Africa-FEP, 1985), 116.

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50 In his assessment of the probability that the Gambia would survive as an independent state, Berkeley Rice observed that the country had two personnel at the ministry of foreign affairs, 150 Field Force personnel and a revenue of about $7 million, thus its probability to survive was slim. See B. Rice, Enter Gambia: The Birth of an Improbable Nation (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1967).

51 Jawara, Kairaba.

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53 Saine, The Paradox of Third-Wave Democratization in Africa.

54 Saine, The Paradox of Third-Wave Democratization in Africa.

55 UK Parliament, Gambia Independence Bill, 18 November 1964, vol 702 cc 565-86. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1964/nov/18/gambia-independence-bill.

56 Jawara, Kairaba.

57 The Gambia Independence Bill, order for second reading, HC Deb 18 November 1964 vol 702 cc 565-86565, https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1964/nov/18/gambia-independence-bill.

58 Touray, The Gambia and the World: A History of the Foreign Policy of Africa’s Smallest State.

59 Gambia Independence Bill, 18 November 1964 vol 702 cc 565-86.

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61 The UK Parliament, Gambia Independence Order 1965.

62 The UK Parliament, Gambia Independence Order 1965.

63 The Gambia Independence Order 1965, Chapter III.

64 Touray, The Gambia and the World.

Where conversion from the British Pound to the US dollar has been done by this author, the amount in dollar has been stated and the equivalent in the British Pound stated in brackets.

65 Touray, The Gambia and the World.

66 Saine, The Paradox of Third-wave Democratisation in Africa.

67 J. Kirby, ‘African Leadership in Human Rights: The Gambia and The Commonwealth Human Rights Commission, 1977–83,’ Journal of Contemporary History 56, no. 1 (2021): 191–215. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0022009420911069.

68 The Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia 1970. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5a7c2ca18a02c7a46149331c/t/5a8302bb085229c5eae80d37/1518535455345/1970±constiution±%28as±amended±to±1987%29.pdf.

69 Jawara, Kairaba.

70 Jawara, Kairaba.

71 The UK, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, The Gambia Travel Advice, London, 1994.

72 The UK, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, The Gambia Travel Advice, London, 1994.

73 Jawara, Kairaba.

74 While in Senegal following the coup, Jawara met with the UK Ambassador to Senegal and asked the latter about his government’s position on the situation in the Gambia. According to the Ambassador, the UK government had taken a common position with the EU and the Commonwealth to at least retract aid. However, Jawara warned that the UK should not entirely withdraw from the Gambia. The Ambassador further informed Jawara that the UK would offer him asylum if he so desired. Jawara accepted the offer to resettle in the UK. See Jawara, Kairaba.

75 Jawara, Kairaba.

76 A. Saine, ‘The Gambia's Foreign Policy Since the Coup, 1994–99,’ Commonwealth & Comparative Politics 38, no. 2 (2000): 73–88.

77 The Republic of the Gambia, 1997 Constitution of the Republic of the Gambia, (Section 219). 1997.

78 Saine, The Paradox of Third-Wave Democratization in Africa.

79 The UK Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, ‘Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence; Appendix 4: Memorandum from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Expulsion of the British Deputy High Commissioner from the Gambia’, 31 October 2001. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmfaff/826/826ap05.htm.

80 The UK Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence; Appendix 4: Memorandum from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the Expulsion of the British Deputy High Commissioner from the Gambia.

81 The UK Parliamentary Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, Appendices to the Minutes of Evidence.

82 Jawara, Kairaba.

83 Saine, The Paradox of Third-Wave Democratization in Africa.

84 A. Hirsh, ‘Gambia Quits the Commonwealth,’ The Guardian, 3 October 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/03/gambia-quits-commonwealth-yahya-jammeh.

85 The Guardian, ‘The Gambia Accuses US and UK of Coup Attempts,’ 9 October 2013. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/09/the-gambia-accuses-us-uk-coup-attempts.

86 The Point Newspaper, Gambia Withdraws from Commonwealth of Nations, 3 October 2013. https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/gambia-withdraws-from-commonwealth-of-nations.

87 J. Jere, ‘If You Always Follow Others, You Can Never Lead’ – President Yahya Jammeh, The New African, 24 October 2013. https://newafricanmagazine.com/4001/.

88 Jere, ‘If you always follow others, you can never lead’.

89 Hirsh, ‘Gambia Quits the Commonwealth’.

90 The Daily Observer, ‘Gambia Adopts Books on ‘British Misrule’, Divorce of Commonwealth,’ 9 April 2014. https://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13711.

91 Y. Jammeh, Statement by His Excellency Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J. Jammeh, president of The Republic of The Gambia to the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly, United Nations, New York, 19 September 2005. https://www.un.org/webcast/ga/60/statements/gam050919eng.pdf.

92 Njie, Ousman, Halifa Sallah takes on the APRC leadership, ‘The Million Reasons To Leave The Commonwealth Are Nowhere To Be Found’ says Halifa, The Foroyaa Newspaper, March 14 2014. This is also accessible on allafrica.com: https://allafrica.com/stories/201403171156.html; H. Sallah, ‘PDOIS on Gambia’s Withdrawal from the Commonwealth,’ The Point Newspaper, October 2013, https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/pdois-on-gambias-withdrawal-from-the-commonwealth.

93 Statement by His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh, President of The Republic of The Gambia At The 68th Session of The United Nations General Assembly Friday, 27 September 2013 United Nations New York. https://gadebate.un.org/sites/default/files/gastatements/68/gm_en_25.pdf.

94 DR. Wright, The World and a Very Small Place in Africa: A History of Globalizaion in Niumi, The Gambia (Armonk: M. E. Sharpe, 2004); DR. Wright, ‘What Do You Mean There Were No Tribes in Africa?: Thoughts on Boundaries and Related Matters in Precolonial Africa,’ History in Africa 26 (1999): 409–26.

95 The Daily Observer, ‘Gambia Adopts Books on ‘British Misrule’, Divorce of Commonwealth’.

96 www.gov.uk, ‘Foreign Secretary to visit The Gambia and Ghana,’ 13 February 2017. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/foreign-secretary-to-visit-the-gambia-and-ghana.

97 Block TV Gambia, (YouTube Channel), ‘Boris Johnson's Visit to The Gambia,’ 14 February 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rU2uFNoQAc.

98 www.gambiahc.org.uk, ‘The Gambia Rejoins the Commonwealth,’ 8 February 2018. https://gambiahc.org.uk/news/the-gambia-rejoins-the-commonwealth/.

99 www.gambiahc.org.uk, ‘The Gambia Rejoins the Commonwealth,’ https://gambiahc.org.uk/news/the-gambia-rejoins-the-commonwealth/.

100 Omar Bah, ‘Gambia Doesn’t Deserve Britain Visa Sanctions,’ The Standard Newspaper, 17 January 2022. https://standard.gm/gambia-doesnt-deserve-britain-visa-sanctions/.

101 Foroyaa Newspaper, By Adama Barrow, President Of The Republic Of The Gambia At Chatham House, London, On The Topic ‘Shaping The Gambia’s Future: How To Build A Path To Sustainable Progress’ 20 April 2018. https://foroyaa.net/by-adama-barrow-president-of-the-republic-of-the-gambia-at-chatham-house-london-on-the-topic-shaping-the-gambias-future-how-to-build-a-path-to-sustainable-progress/.

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104 A. Kuyateh, ‘British Navy Patrol Vessel HMS Trent visits Gambia,’ The Standard Newspaper, 8 August 2023. https://standard.gm/british-navy-patrol-vessel-hms-trent-visits-gambia/#:~:text=A%20British%20navy%20patrol%20vessel,with%20the%20Gambia%20armed%20forces.

105 British Peace Support Team – Africa, Facebook, 30 May 2022. https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid04grnKetJTChf1e9hGCBcP7wMGpJeZFXmP577n3ine9WdjhKykLfMSedS43gdw3XYl&id=110469227541039

106 UK in The Gambia, Facebook, 30 August 2019. https://www.facebook.com/ukinthegambia/posts/pfbid0nGSHQxwci7nV5VB8KyoKd3FmXCv9vHwjJaRGVRVW6ugi1ubws1b14nPNSpB32×8tl.

107 UK in The Gambia, Facebook, 18 March 2022. https://www.facebook.com/ukinthegambia/posts/pfbid02Ga5oAhkuoNxffGtp7MkdvVPbu14wf5hJDZeu2Au3kq5tGtQGEL3BEnH8y9ziLP1Zl.

108 Although not a UK government entity, the Gambia Experience, one of the biggest tour operators closed operations in the Gambia in 2018.

109 For the 2023 academic year, five Gambians benefitted, which is similar to the number of awardees in previous years. Our research shows 11 Gambians being awardees in a single year. See Chevening Alumni the Gambia, https://www.chevening.org/alumni-groups/chevening-alumni-gambia/ and Chevening Gambia on https://www.facebook.com/cheveninggambia/; See the Gambia’s Commonwealth Scholarship Alumni, https://cscuk.fcdo.gov.uk/introducing-the-cscs-first-alumni-association-in-the-gambia/.

110 R. Sabey, ‘Priti Visa War: Priti Patel to Slow Down Visa Applications from Countries that Won’t Take Back Crooks and Failed Asylum Seekers from UK,’ The Sun, 1 January 2022. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/17197896/priti-patel-slow-down-visa-applications/.

111 K. Dooley, ‘Rebuilding a Nation,’ 7 December 2017. https://institute.global/advisory/rebuilding-nation.

112 T. M. Sallah, ‘Economic and Politics in the Gambia,’ Journal of Modern African Studies 28, no. 4 (1990): 621–48, 632; A. Sanneh and MoJA-G, ‘The Slow, Painful Death of a Once Potent Clandestine Movement in the Gambia – an Insider’s Memoir,’ The Standard Newspaper, September 2018. https://standard.gm/moja-g-the-slow-painful-death-of-a-once-potent-clandestine-movement-in-the-gambia-an-insiders-memoir/.

113 L. Amusan, ‘Gambia’s Defensive Foreign Policy towards the Commonwealth of Nations under Yahyah Jammeh (1994–2017),’ Journal of African Foreign Affairs 5, no. 2 (August 2018): 23–42; M. Twum, Gambians say government must do more to help the youth Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 521, 25 May 2022, CepRass, CDD-Ghana and Afrobarometer, https://www.afrobarometer.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/AD521-Gambians-say-govt-must-do-more-to-help-youth-Afrobarometer-dispatch-25may22-1.pdf.

114 Saine, The Junta’s foreign policy.

115 The tourism industry continues to struggle. Also in 2023 academic year five scholarships were awarded to Gambians under the Chevening Scholarship.

116 Between December 2021 and October 2022, the UK had three prime ministers. Rishi Sunak succeeded Lizz Truss, who resigned in October 2022 following the shortest term for a British PM on record.

117 L. Jahateh and K. Jawo, ‘Barrow Swears in New Cabinet, One Coalition Party Missing,’ The Point Newspaper, 2 February 2017, https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/barrow-swears-in-new-cabinet-one-coalition-party-missing.

118 MRC Unit The Gambia, Statement on the transfer of Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia to the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, May 2018, https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/media/47426.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Muhammed Lenn

Muhammed Lenn attained a Master of Science in Political Science and International Relations. Lenn has worked as an adjunct lecturer at both the Management Development Institute and at the University of The Gambia where he taught courses such as Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, Gambia’s Foreign Policy, and Foreign Policy Analysis. Furthermore, Lenn is a fellow at the Center for Research and Policy Development in the Gambia. Mr. Lenn also works at Future in Our Hands, The Gambia. His research interests include foreign policy, development, and climate change.