No fewer than 11 serving Ambassadors of The Gambia have called on President Yahya Jammeh to quit and handover power peacefully to President-elect Adama Barrow.
Mr Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, told UN Correspondents during a press briefing on Thursday.
Haq said the Permanent Representative of The Gambia to the UN, Mamadou Tangara, was among the Gambian envoys who appealed to Jammeh to peacefully transit power.
“The Secretary-General met today with the outgoing Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of The Gambia to the United Nations, Mamadou Tangara, to discuss the deteriorating political situation in the country.
“The Secretary-General commended Ambassador Tangara for his appeal to President Yahya Jammeh.
“This is along with 10 other Gambian diplomats serving overseas, to facilitate a peaceful transfer of power to the President-elect, Adama Barrow,” Haq said.
He said Ban expressed deep concern about Jammeh’s refusal to hand over power, in accordance with the Gambian constitution, despite consistent calls from regional bodies and the international community.
The spokesman said the Secretary-General reiterated the commitment of the UN to support efforts for a peaceful, timely and orderly transfer of power from Jammeh to Barrow.
According to him, the commitment of the UN is in full respect of the will of the Gambian people, working closely with all regional and international partners.
Haq said he could not explain the reasons for Tangara’s status as outgoing and could not say if he had been recalled by Jammeh.
According to him, however, the Gambian permanent representative represented himself at the meeting as “outgoing”. (NAN)