"No More Colonial Extension"; Gambia Quits Commonwealth of Nations

In what became another 'dictator's twist' to the African scenario, the President of Gambia has withdrawn Gambia from the Commonwealth of Nations. The Gambian President reiterated that Gambia will never again be part of any colonial arrangement. Yahyah Jammeh has ruled Gambia; Africa’s smallest mainland country since 1994, and has been often accused of human rights abuses, including unlawful detentions, media intimidation, and discrimination against minorities in the country.

The Commonwealth is made up of over 50 countries, most of which are former territories of the British Empire. A report has it that the Gambian government disagreed with a 2012 proposal by the Commonwealth to create commissions in the Gambian capital of Banjul to address human rights, media rights, and corruption.

Following the proposal, Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma met with Gambian President Yahya Jammeh and other top officials but apparently the proposal did not fall in place with the government. Jammeh accused Britain and other foreign countries especially in Europe of sponsoring the opposition and trying to destabilize his government.

Gambia announced it is immediately leaving the Commonwealth of Nations, saying it will not be part of an institution that represents an extension of colonialism. "The general public is hereby informed that the government of the Gambia has left the Commonwealth of Nations with immediate effect," the government said in a statement.

During the heinous, colossal, inhuman and inhumane slave trade, though the bulk of the slaves were taken from Nigeria, Gambia was extremely decimated. It is estimated that well over three million people from the Gambia area were also sold into slavery.  After that came the cataclysmic colonialism which plundered and sucked Africa dry. Since the mid-fifteenth century, the Portuguese, French, and British empires competed for colonial supremacy in Gambia.

Present Gambian boundaries were formed in 1889 as the area became a British Crown Colony known as British Gambia. Gambia formed its own executive and legislative councils in 1901, and on February 18, 1965, Gambia gained independence as a constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth of Nations. Jammeh might have taken a very reasonable step but he needs to do more to be responsive and responsible for the betterment of the lives of Gambians.

The reason why many African leaders who intend to fight, combat and struggle out of the colonial arrangement usually appear 'evil' is that they replace Western colonialism with indigenous colonialism. All humans crave for freedom and development and it is about time they make their citizens enviable too on the world stage not gagging them while fighting the foreign exploiters. The citizens must have better living standards and be on the same page with the government for genuine and real victory to be assured.