Int'l donors pledge 1.71 bln USD in aid for Gambia

BRUSSELS, May 22 (Xinhua)-- International donors pledged on Tuesday to give 1.45 billion euros (1.71 billion U.S. dollars) in aid for the Gambia, a West African country going through a rough patch of democratic transition.

The European Union (EU), co-chairing the International Conference for The Gambia in Brussels, has offered the lion's share, with a pledge of 140 million euros.

The funding will be used to assist the Gambia in "continuing its democratic transition, building on strong democratic institutions, the respect of human rights and the rule of law, and sustainable and shared economic growth," according to an EU press release.

The conference brought together delegations from 43 countries and 10 international organizations, including EU member states, the United Nations (UN), The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and China.

Gambian President Adama Barrow was finally sworn in February 2017, after his predecessor Yahya Jammeh, who ruled the country for 22 years with an iron fist, was forced by ECOWAS to leave the country after he rejected the polls in December 2016. Enditem