On
Gambia, ICP Asked UN of 3 Media
Closed, Now a 4th, SG
Yet to Speak
By Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS,
January 8 – As in The Gambia
Yahya Jammeh moved on December
1 to shut off the Internet
(and Viber, etc) for the / his
election, there was again a
deafening silence from the UN
and its “communications” / press
eviction chief Cristina
Gallach.
Now on
January 8 a fourth radio
station, Paradise FM, has been
closed, it has announced
- and still from the UN,
nothing.
On January
5, Inner City Press asked
holdover UN spokesman Stephane
Dujarric, video
here, UN
transcript here:
Inner City Press:
about Gambia. The
electoral commission chief has
gone into hiding, and the
Government has closed three
radio stations, one of which
reopened with no news on
it. So what's the status
of the UN's work on this
holdover presidency?
Spokesman: We've had…
various UN officials have had
contacts with parties
involved, and obviously we
would like to see and are very
keen to see a peaceful
resolution to the current
crisis in the Gambia and,
notably, the… for the
President… the outgoing
President to leave way for the
President that was just
elected.
As of
January 7, new Secretary
General Antonio Guterres had
yet to speak
publicly about Jammeh
and Gambia. Click
here for more on UN
press freedom improvements
needed, including proposals of
the Free
UN Coalition for Access.
Meanwhile the US issued a
travel warning:
"The U.S.
Department of State warns U.S.
citizens against travel to The
Gambia because of the
potential for civil unrest and
violence in the near
future. On January 7,
2017, the Department of State
ordered the departure of
family members and authorized
the departure of all employees
who need to accompany those
individuals from the country.
The security situation in The
Gambia remains uncertain
following December 1, 2016
presidential elections.
On January 10, the Supreme
Court is scheduled to hear the
current president’s petition
contesting the election
results, which is a potential
flashpoint that could lead to
civil unrest. The
sitting government has begun
taking restrictive measures,
which include shutting down
and restricting radio
stations, and making
politically motivated
arrests. The Economic
Community of West African
States (ECOWAS) has stated it
may intervene if the president
does not step down by January
18.
U.S. citizens should consider
departing on commercial
flights and other
transportation options now, as
airports and ferry terminals
may close unexpectedly in the
event of unrest. All
U.S. citizens should have
evacuation plans that do not
rely on U.S. government
assistance. U.S.
citizens should ensure that
travel documents (passports
and visas) are valid and
up-to-date. Consular
services, already limited
throughout the country due to
very poor transportation
infrastructure and security
conditions, may be further
limited, including in Banjul
itself.
U.S. citizens who decide to
remain in The Gambia should
prepare for the possible
deterioration of security."
We'll have
more on this.
***
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