UN political, development team visits Gambia

A mission led by officers from the UN Department of Political Affairs and the UN Development Programme is in Gambia on Wednesday to assess the situation with regard to peace and security and analyze the new government's priorities going forward, a UN spokesman said here.

"It will also assess governance and institutional capacities in the country, map support by international stakeholders engaging in peacebuilding, and identify areas of enhanced UN support to national authorities and civil society organizations," Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

The mission, which arrived in Gambia on Tuesday, on Wednesday met with President Adama Barrow after meeting with the vice-president, the foreign minister, the UN's Country Team working in Gambia, and representatives of the diplomatic community in the West African country, Haq added.

On Jan. 19, Barrow was sworn in as Gambian president at the Gambian embassy in Dakar, capital of Senegal.

Barrow, staying in Dakar since Jan. 15, won Gambia's presidential election on Dec. 1, 2016. However, his election win was challenged by the former Gambian president, Yahya Jammeh, who refused to cede power to him despite decisions by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to send troops to support Gambia in power transition.

On Jan. 19, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Barrow to discuss latest developments in Gambia and congratulated him on his inauguration, according to a statement by UN Spokesperson's Office. Barrow returned to Gambia as the new president in late January. Enditem