At Banjul International Airport, there are three jets on the runway inscribed Republic of The Gambia.
They
are part of four aeroplanes that were a symbol of former president
Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year autocratic rule over the impoverished small West
African nation.
An airport official said that the
54-year-old former leader had wanted to leave the country with the jets
after he was ousted from power in the December 2016 election.
However, his successor, President Adama Barrow, made sure the jets were impounded.
“He
wanted to take the planes because he had personalised them. They were
for him and his family. Everything belonged to him,” the airport
official said.
The seemingly new and well-maintained
jets are a stark contrast to the dilapidated Banjul airport at which
they are parked. The government has said it will sell off the jets.
As
we line up in the humid heat waiting for our entry visas, I notice that
Banjul Airport has rickety fans that seem like they will fall off the
ceiling any minute.
Passengers and the hospitable
immigration officials sweat away in the heat. Paint is peeling off the
walls and everything, from the conveyor belt to the partitioning, looks
old and outdated.
A drive into Banjul ushers you into
the reality of what Jammeh’s rule was like —poor infrastructure and
planning, poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. Youth and women
line the streets hawking merchandise and fruits.
The
capital’s streets are dirty and there is no proper drainage. Cows and
donkeys are a common sight alongside piles of fresh watermelons and
garbage.
When we arrive at the hotel in Brufut, which
is a few kilometres outside Banjul, we are told that the 5-star facility
was previously owned by Jammeh, like most of the other important
facilities in Banjul. The current government is trying to repossess the
properties and businesses or put them under the ownership of the
government.
Our hotel, the Gambia Coral Beach Hotel, in
Brufut Heights, Serrekunda, sits on the pristine, palm tree-dotted
beaches of the Atlantic Ocean in Brufut. It had been grabbed by Jammeh
from Sheraton, along with another hotel, Coco Beach.
“He
owned everything. Every big establishment was his,” said Bubacar Ndow,
our tour guide as we drove around Serrekunda, a sprawling urban centre
at the coast.
Gambians had been ruled by Jammeh for 22
years; he had killed, imprisoned or exiled his political opponents. Now,
under President Barrow, citizens say they have the freedom to air their
views.
“We believe he will deliver on the political
and economic reforms. We are optimistic. He still needs time, but most
importantly we can speak our minds and do what we want. That freedom is
what we needed,” said Pa Bojang, an army veteran who was our security
guard and tour guide.
The newspaper headlines tell of
former Jammeh officials facing a commission of inquiry on alleged
corruption and illegal dealings.
As we move around the
busy Serrekunda market under the scorching sun, sifting through piles of
goods, mainly imitations from China, an Economic Community of West
African States patrol car with armed men drives by slowly, perhaps to
reassure Gambians that Jammeh is now history.
Many
still feel the former president, currently in exile in Equatorial
Guinea, should be extradited and charged in court or shipped to the
International Criminal Court to face charges of crimes against humanity.
“He
denied us every right, including education,” said Housna Saine, a
24-year old who sells sim cards and airtime along the Serrekunda market
road.
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